One of the best viewpoints over Busan and further afield the Geumjeongsan Hike is well worth doing if you’ve got some time to kill whilst visiting one of the coolest cities in South Korea.
If you want panoramic views over the city skyline, other mountain vistas, or a fortress that is hundreds of years old, then this hike is for you.
Nothing too challenging, and or steep, you can expect to see people of all ages at the summit of Geumjeongsan. In typical Korean fashion, the trail is well-marked, guided, and easy to access so you’ve no worries about getting lost of taking a wrong turn.
Definitely recommend reaching this relatively small summit, because the view you get whilst eating your lunch is most definitely worth it.
How to get to the Geumjeongsan Hike in Busan
You’ve got two options, but I am going to recommend one and that is from Beomeosa temple.
The temple is easy to access from the metro station and you can either walk up towards the temple, or you can catch a bus or a taxi. The walk itself isn’t too long from the station, but sections of it are quite steep.
If you’re just doing the Geumjeongsan Hike then I would recommend hiking up from the metro station as it’ll make it a longer, and more worthy hike.
Once you’ve got to Beomeosa temple and explore the wonderful hillside temple, then the trail runs from the backside of the temple itself, and through the car park.
The trail weaves through the trees and is a wonderful trail to follow. It is steep, and there are many steps to climb, but the beauty and scenery take your mind away from the effort you’re putting through the legs.
Once you’ve come out of the trees, you’ll be faced with the Fourth Gate of the old fortress. From here, follow through and under, and turn right to the big hill in front of you.
That’s Geumjeongsan.
The trail here is only short, and you’re nearly finished for the day!
My Experience with Geumjeongsan Hike
This wasn’t actually on my agenda for the day. After climbing slowly from Beomeosa, and seeing the peak from the fourth gate, I could help but imagine what the views would be like from the summit.
Despite only being 3 miles into a 10-mile round trip, I decided to go for it.
It was worth it.
The trail from the fourth gate wasn’t too difficult and actually shorter than the sign had originally said, so that was a nice surprise.
The summit top itself is a huge rock with some boardwalks on it to keep you safe.
Also, weirdly. There was a summit cat. No idea how, or why, there was a cat at 850m but there we have it.
As to be expected from such a prominent peak, the views were outrageous and I didn’t have the best of conditions that day either. I can’t imagine how incredible coming up here for a sunrise or a sunset would be, but it would be special that is for certain.
If you’ve any questions about the Geumjeongsan hike then drop them in the comments below and I’ll be happy to help.
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