Hiking in Korea : Sinbulsan and Jangsan

Hiking is very popular in Korea. I mean VERY popular. This shouldn't be surprising given that South Korea is mostly mountainous, and lowlands make up only 30% of the total land area (thanks Wikipedia!). But I didn't expect hiking to be such a big thing. A few years ago, the Washington Post even ran an article about hiking as a national identity. Every day, our apartment being not far from the starting point of a hiking trail, I can see many groups of hikers in brand new flashy hiking gear ready to conquer the mountain. It seems to be both about exercising and socializing. Of course, you do want to make it to the top, but  being in a group, enjoying noodles or gimbap and rice wine at the top (and playing music from your phone on the way, too) are apparently as important. 

A group of Korean hikers in Jangsan

Since I moved to Korea, we have hiked two mountains : Sinbulsan in the Yangsan area, and Jangsan, near Haeundae (Busan). The trails were reasonably crowded, but I've heard they can get very busy sometimes. And, of course,  hiking is safe, too...as I have already mentioned on this blog, CCTV is everywhere in Korea!

CCTV in the mountains

Sinbulsan is located in what Koreans call the Yeongnam Alps, which I must confess made me smile, because the highest point is at about 1,200m, not even remotely comparable to Mont Blanc... 

 

Several different hiking trails in Sinbulsan

Sinbulsan

Anyways, for a novice like me that was already pretty steep at times, especially near the top. I was surprised that there were not a lot of signs and it wasn't always easy to find our way. But you can always ask (or follow) somebody, so there's no risk you'll get lost in the mountains after dark. We went to Sinbulsan in October because it's famous for the numerous reed fields near the top and that's when they're most beautiful. Once at the top, as I said before, a lot of people eat and drink, without forgetting to take a picture next to the summit sign (waiting in line patiently, as you would expect from Koreans).

Sinbulsan reed fields

Waiting in line to take pictures of the summit sign

View from Sinbulsan peak

Another ritual on Korean hiking trails is rock stacking. Apparently it's about making a wish, which should come true if the stack doesn't collapse (and if no evil wizard casts some kind of spell on you ;-) )

Rock stacking

Rock stacking and evil wizard

Jangsan was a much easier hike (about 600m, with few steep inclines), but it offers a unique vantage point on the city of Busan. Going in early spring was a good choice, as the trees are in full bloom, and it's not too hot. Just make sure you pick a sunny day and there isn't too much fine dust pollution so you can have a clear view of the city (fine dust pollution can get pretty bad here, I'll post about that some day I guess). The nearest peak is about 4 km from Daecheon Park in Haeundae, but there are a lot of different trails for those who want more. 

There are a multitude of different trails starting from Haeundae

You can also exercise at one of the many "physical parks" (with public workout machines, like in a lot of public spaces all around Korea). It's pretty easy to find one's way, at least at the beginning. Signs are in Korean and in English, and the trail is paved, but this doesn't last and then, like in Sinbulsan, it can get a little tricky. The signs are often in Korean only, and the maps are not very clear, even to Her, who's a native Korean speaker. 

A map that doesn't help much...

Sometimes there are even signs that don't mention the peak at all...That was a little confusing. And there are signs that you'd rather not come across, like this one (you'll understand that we didn't really want to walk off the beaten tracks).

Actually the area was cleared of landmines a long time ago, but you can never be 100% sure that all of them have been removed. Anyways, thanks to KakaoMap, which I think works much better than other smartphone apps in Korea, we could find our way when we weren't sure where to go. To make it simple, my advice is to cross this bridge after the biggest physical park (which seems to be the actual starting point of the trail). This route is not very steep, not too long, and quite beautiful. There are stairs when you get near the top. So you can  choose another trail if you're a die-hard hiker and you don't like stairs.

I still haven't figured out what the signs on this post mean...

Don't worry about the signs  and just go up the stairs.

Once at the top, you get to enjoy a magnificent view of the city. I heard that sometimes, on very clear days, you can make out the Japanese islands of Tsushima, but I guess it wasn't clear enough when we went.

Haeundae from Jangsan

View of Busan from Jangsan

The evil wizard is keeping a watchful eye on the town

In short, as always, I didn't know much about hiking, let alone hiking in Korea, and I think I like it, so I'll just need to drop by the nearest hiking gear store in order to comply with the dress code, and I'll be good to go again.