The Search for Cherry Blossoms in Korea - Gwanaksan (관악산)

Entrance at Seoul National University

Spring is here again (so quickly!). It is almost one year since I was chasing after the cherry blossoms, I thought it's time to introduce more places in Korea for cherry blossoms viewing. One of the most convenient places for me while I was studying at Seoul National University was none other than Gwanaksan. 

Address: Sillim9-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul-si 서울 관악구 대학동

From the main gate of SNU, the entrance to Gwanaksan is on the right of the arch, about 200m away. Walk about 300m from the front gate and you can find the stream! 

Perfect weather for a stroll along the stream

Picnic under the cherry trees

Hiking 

While the cherry trees come and go, Gwanaksan still remains a popular place for hiking and strolling. Early spring is too cold for hikes, I'll recommend May or June for an enjoyable hike up the mountains.

There are several courses up Gwanaksan, you can refer to this website for details. We climbed to Yeonjuam, before my legs turned jelly seeing the narrow rocky path in front of me. I decided to give up and try again the next time.  

Rocky terrain

Rock piles

Most of the trail was rocky and uneven. It may be a short 60-90min climb to Yeonjuam hermitage 연주암, but it's definitely not easy. Many experienced climbers zoomed past me, especially the middle-aged aunties and uncles, leaving me feeling embarrassed about my fitness level. Nevertheless, I still made it to somewhere at the top!

Area around Yeonjuam Hermitage, where you can see the temple Yeonjudae 연주대 (in red) on the right.

Yeonjuam Hermitage offers a good view of the surroundings, and is the perfect place for a tea break (or makgeolli (rice wine) break as many Koreans do). It was quite crowded on the Saturday we went, but the summit was wide enough to hold at least 50 people around the area. But of course, many were just passing the area to get to Yeonjudae. Getting past the narrow path definitely needs some courage and leg muscles!