Mountain · Seoul / Gyeonggi

Gwanaksan

관악산

Gwanaksan (632.2 m): Seoul’s rocky weekend mountain, with the cliff hermitage Yeonjudae on top, reached from subway stations.

The long rocky ridge of Gwanaksan above Gwacheon, seen across green hills from Cheonggyesan — Gwanaksan seen from Cheonggyesan, with the summit radar station. Photo: Wolfgang Schaefer

Place details

Region: Seoul · Gyeonggi
Type of place: Mountain
Locality in the source: 관악구 · 금천구 · 과천시 · 안양시
Summit height: 632.2 m summit altitude, Korea Forest Service guide p. 44

Getting there

2 official trailheads are listed below with a public transport planner: choose a trailhead, then start from your location or a station.

Trailheads you can reach by public transport

Gwanaksan has more than one way in. These are official trailheads named by the managing authority. Choose one for the way up and, if you cross the mountain, another for the way down.

Shaded relief of Gwanaksan with its official trailheads numbered and the summit marked — Terrain from Copernicus DEM GLO-90 (© DLR e.V. 2010–2014 and © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH 2014–2018, provided under COPERNICUS by the European Union and ESA). Trailhead and summit positions © OpenStreetMap contributors; summit height from the Korea Forest Service guide. Not a hiking map: trails are not drawn. Select a number to plan a trip to that trailhead.

Gwanaksan Station exit 1 · Gwanaksan Park gate 관악산역 1번 출구 · 관악산공원 일주문
Institute of Construction and Environmental Engineering bus stop 건설환경종합연구소 정류장

Directions to Gwanaksan Station exit 1 · Gwanaksan Park gate on Google Maps · Open route in the Naver Map appDirections to Institute of Construction and Environmental Engineering bus stop on Google Maps · Open route in the Naver Map app

Trailheads checked 2026-11-09.

About Gwanaksan

Gwanaksan stands on the southern edge of Seoul, shared by Gwanak-gu and Geumcheon-gu with Gwacheon and Anyang. With dozens of rock peaks and old trees it was called the Little Diamond Mountains, and it was one of the five great peaks of old Gyeonggi.

In feng shui its fiery peaks faced Gyeongbokgung, so the palace guardians, the haetae at Gwanghwamun, were set up to hold its fire back. Today it is Seoul’s great weekend mountain, reached from subway stations.

The summit, Yeonjudae, is a small hermitage built on a pillar of rock; the name comes from a mountain shaped like a hat (gwan).

Through the seasons

Spring: Cherry blossom along Dorimcheon
Summer: Shade in the nut pine forest bath
Autumn: Autumn colour seen from the cliffs
Winter: A winter kingdom from Yeonjudae

Worth seeing

Yeonjudae 연주대A hermitage on a rock spire, first built in 677.
Yeonjuam 연주암Temple below the summit, founded by Uisang.

Written from the Korea Forest Service guide 꼭 한번 가 볼 우리 100대 명산, p. 44.