Jessica's Travelogue

Hiking Path. I started at Gwanggyo Station and hiked up to Hyungjebong Peak (형제봉). This is probably the most popular hiking trail. It takes around 40-50 minutes to hike to and there will be people all around. From what I saw, most people tend to go up to Hyungjebong Peak, take pictures, rest, and head back. A man also sold ice cream up here. A handful of people also headed to Birobong Peak and Gwanggyosan but most people turned back.

The hike up to Birobong Peak was the hardest and most tiring of them all. I think it’s because you have to hike up a few steep hills then climb rocks up to Birobong Peak. You can skip Birobong Peak and just follow 토끼길 to Gwanggyosan. There isn’t really much to see at Birobong Peak unless you are looking to rest at the traditional Pagoda resting place. The view is alright but you get better views at Baekunsan and Hyungjebong Peak.

I asked a couple how to get Gwanggyosan, since there weren’t exactly markers pointing the way from Birobong Peak. And they told me to go around a huge boulder. The path to Gwanggyosan is a bit harder since there is a lot of rocks you have to climb down from and there are steep stairs and less resting spots. But it was relatively easier since you don’t have to climb up as much. I hiked a long ways then I finally arrived at Gwanggyosan. Gwanggyosan was busy too. Not as busy as Hyungjebong, but there were definitely a lot of people resting at the top.

So after finishing my ice cream, I took a couple pictures and headed off to Baekunsan. To get to Baekunsan, you have to go back down the way you came (make a U-turn) then take the other path. The hike to Baekunsan was oddly quiet, peaceful, and lonely. Not many people hiked to Baekunsan so I only ran into people every once and a while. Once you get closer to Baekunsan, the hiking path becomes very odd. You hike on narrow paths, some paths stop and you have to climb up with no steps. You also had to walk around factory-like places. It was quite odd. But once you reach Baekunsan, you will really like it! There is a lot of resting benches, it is less crowded, the view is good, and there were less people. I really really recommend going to Baekunsan.

Yay~ I completed my goal of hiking to Baekunsan! To get off the mountain, you can either hike back the way you came (Another 5-6 hours) or go down from here. I decided to go down from here. Using Kakao Map, I hiked towards 관음사. It was steep way down and the stairs were super far apart so I put a lot of weight on my right knee and ended up hurting it ㅠㅠ Definitely be careful when coming down and don’t bring too much water like me. I was prepared for a 8-10 hour hike so I brought a lot of stuff with me. But I think it’s better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. I met a couple of people last time I came hiking here who didn’t bring water with them. They were super dehydrated and I felt so sorry for them.

When you get down to the mountain, you are welcomed to a valley in between the mountains. This a popular tourist spot as it has lots of pensions and cafes. Many people were spending their time here with their family/significant others and I felt so out of place. But there is a bus stop for a 마을 bus here. Take 마을 bus 14 to Migeum Station (미금역) and you can find your way home from there ^^

That concludes my 6 hour, 14 km hiking trip. Definitely try hiking here some day~

Path Taken: Gwanggyo Station ( 광교역) –> Hyeongjebong Peak (형제봉)–> Birobong Peak (비로봉)–> Gwanggyosan (광교산)–> Baekunsan (백운산)–> Gwaneumsa (관음사).