Umyonsan Part 1

We are very lucky living where we do. Within 20 minutes we have three excellent hills and mountains in easy reach.

One of the many great things about living in such a high population density city like Seoul are the ubiquitous recreational facilities. Wherever you live in the city, you are guaranteed not to be far away from a hill or mountain with a myriad of trails of varying degrees of difficulty. Most come equipped with fresh water springs, hidden badminton courts and most bizarrely. complete outdoor gyms. It was getting too dark to take many photos this evening but I will include some in the next post.


Koreans, on the whole, are a very fit bunch who exercise regularly, perhaps as a necessity owing to the fact that they consume biblical amounts of fatty pork belly and flavored ethanol on a regular basis. On weekends mountains are covered with hikers and mountain bikers, church groups and school groups, all looking for their little piece of paradise. Unfortunately, with a metropolitan population of over 20 million people, that is seldom the case and reaching the peaks of some mountains in the Seoul area can be less challenging than keeping your patience.

The closest mountain to us is Umyonsan, which means Sleeping Cow mountain. I've been reliably informed that this name comes from its elongated shape and not the crazy homeless woman who hangs out around the entrance. At just under 300 meters it isn't the most testing walk but does provide a great relief from screaming kids and smelly classrooms.

Umyeonsan is part of a range that runs across southern Seoul and was originally connected to Gwanaksan until an expressway was cut through connecting Seoul and Gwacheon.


Given its strategic location it is not surprising that the top of the mountain is occupied by a military installation and most of the northern slopes are covered with extensive trenches and machine gun emplacements and most exciting of all; a mine field.

These don't detract from what is a beautiful mountain. Replanted after the war, like most mountains in the South, and not incidentally, in the north, it has a rich mixture of deciduous and evergreen trees. Wildlife is every where and it is unusual not to see with pheasants, squirrels or woodpeckers, even close to the main trails.

In part 2 I'll include photos from the peak and something on Daeseonsa Temple.