K-Hiking! Meeting Uncle Goat 🐐 | Bukhansan National Park (Dobong)
Yune
3 days ago
If you also put together your visit notes for the national park, transportation, route info, what to prepare, photos, and more, it can become really useful information for other foreign travelers.
Introduction
As a loyal fan of Creatrip, whenever I had time during my Korea trip I would scroll to see what new events and discounts were out. Since I’d already visited most of the famous attractions, I wanted a different kind of experience.
Then I suddenly came across this event info: K-Hiking Challenge | Bukhansan National Park (Dobong&) Collect special event gifts 🎁 https://creatrip.com/spot/15665. Since I already love outdoor activities, I was so excited and planned it right away. After looking into it, there are actually five routes in total (also written about in this post: https://creatrip.com/blog/15128). The closest one to downtown Seoul is probably Bukhansan National Park. The Dobongsan route introduced on the site (Dobong Visitor Support Center → Cheonjinsa Temple → Uiam Rock) can be completed in about 1.5 hours one way, so I ultimately chose to hike Dobongsan.
Setting off
I started out at around 2 p.m. From the city, you can take bus 141 or 142 to Dobongsan Entrance. From there, it’s about a 10 to 15 minute walk along the main road to the Dobong Visitor Support Center. On both sides, there are convenience stores and street stalls selling snacks and rice cakes, plus shops selling hiking gear, including stores from well-known outdoor brands. Along the way I saw lots of Korean uncles and aunties who had just come down from the mountain, it really feels like a local spot.
After arriving at the Dobong Visitor Support Center, you can show your Creatrip voucher to exchange for a small gift. You can also rent hiking equipment, but since I started late and was worried I wouldn’t make it back in time to return it, I didn’t rent any gear.
Next comes the endless climb!
At the very start, the sign doesn’t mention Cheonjinsa Temple, but don’t worry, just keep going and you’ll run into signboards. At first there are lots of streams, and quite a few families come here to play in the water and soak their feet.
Turn left
A stream where everyone sits inside, soaking their feet and chatting
You’ll soon come across the first temple.
Follow the signs toward Cheonjinsa Temple
As you get close to Cheonjinsa Temple, you’ll see small lanterns along the way
Arrived! It was so hot I took out my little handheld fan
Cheonjinsa Temple feels quiet and peaceful, like a place meant for practice and meditation. There aren’t many visitors, so you can really feel the calm of the religion. One thing to note is that there isn’t a restroom here for hikers, so make sure you use the restroom at the base before climbing up. After that, it’s all the way up to Uiam Rock. This is already a section with hardly anyone around, and sometimes the path is narrow or has uneven steps and rocks, so watch your footing.
A little cat sleeping on a tree
A cool breeze blows in
It seems there was a sign saying the path on the right is safer (?)
So I took the detour on the right
In the end, to reach the platform where you can view Uiam Rock, you need to climb up a large exposed rock. But I got stuck at the previous big boulder and didn’t know how to get up. Just then, a Korean uncle who was hiking appeared. When he saw I couldn’t climb up, he immediately showed me how. He also shared Korean rice cakes and water with me, I was truly grateful. (Why do I call him “Goat Uncle”? Because the way he climbed up was as nimble as a mountain goat, it was incredible.)
My lifesaver appeared with delicious rice cakes
Later, Goat Uncle led me up another exposed rock where we could look out over Uiam Rock and Seoul, and you could also see Obong Ridge. On the bare rock he walked like it was flat ground, while I sat as far inside as possible, totally terrified.
Climb up the exposed rock itself and you can see Uiam Rock
Uiam Rock peeking out a little
The view up top was so beautiful, I was genuinely thankful that uncle showed up. Later he said he was heading to Wontongsa Temple, and since I was returning the way I came, we split up. I’m grateful for this wonderful chance encounter, see you again.
On the way down, I took the same route back and ran into that cat again, it followed me around in socks. If you can, remember to wear hiking shoes, it makes descending much easier.
In the end I took bus 141 back again, but by the time I came down around 7 p.m., most of the stalls had already packed up.
Afterword
Such a special hiking experience! There was basically no one on the trail, and I was already prepared to finish the whole hike alone. But then I met Goat Uncle, and I’m really, really grateful, it’ll be an unforgettable memory! The scenery was also beautiful and wide-open. And a reminder for everyone hiking in July, be sure to bring plenty of water!
