Geumjeong Mountain Fortress (금정산성), located in Busan and encompassing Godang Peak (고당봉) the highest mountain peak in the area at 801.5m, counts as one of the best places to hike in Korea that I’ve yet to find. This fortress was built in 1703, but some evidence exists that a fortress had been in the same location at an earlier point in history. Nowadays, there is a simple wall structure and some gates that have been restored.

There is a cable car that will take visitors to an area close to the South Gate (남문) where the wall’s trail can be found. The other common option is to start from Beomeo Temple (범어사) on the other end of the mountain. I started on the side of the cable car, but decided to walk up to the South Gate instead.

Mountain Shrine

Sanshin (Mountain Spirit Carving)

The trail is moderately steep and equally challenging. There were a couple of unexpected surprises waiting for me as I ascended the mountain. The first was a rock outcropping with a small cave that had what looked like Buddhist carvings and a Mountain Spirit (산신) carving on it. This happens to be the first Mountain Spirit rock carving I have seen.

View of Busan near cable car station

The second surprise was the view of Busan that was near the top just before the cable car station. One could take the cable car up and then descend the trail for a couple minutes in order to see it. I could see all the way to Gwangan Bridge (광안대교). But this was just the beginning. There was a lot more waiting for me along the fortress wall.

Playing Go-Stop and drinking makgeolli

The South Gate is 1.3 km from the cable car station. To get there, you have to walk past a number of small outdoor vendors who have plastic tables and chairs set up for customers. It looked like a fun place to be for the middle aged, older Koreans, and people like me who like to drink makgeolli (Korean rice wine) and play Go-Stop (a kind of card game).

A delicious looking Korean style picnic

At the time I went, the area around the South Gate was under repair, so I had to bypass the route along the wall by following the road that goes from the South Gate to the East Gate (동문). The road takes you past a couple of ponds before you will see a major roadway intersection. The trail heads up the mountain on the other side of the street to the left.

From here there isn’t much to see except trees until you get to about the third watchtower (3망루). But that’s where everything changes. The views from the third watchtower to Godang Peak are simply amazing.

View from Guemjeong Mountain Fortress

View from Guemjeong Mountain Fortress

Beautiful rocky crags line the trail that winds along the ridge line. Not only that, but you can see far distances in every direction. All the while, the fortress wall serves as a reminder of the strategic importance of this mountain for military purposes of times past.

View from Guemjeong Mountain Fortress

The fourth watchtower

Not all of the rocky crags are easily accessible from the trail, but there are enough to provide some interesting places to have a picnic or just enjoy being there. If you prefer to have a roof over your head while you rest, the fourth watchtower is bigger and easier to get to than the third watchtower.

North Gate (북문)

The next major structure along the wall is the North Gate (북문). It looks much different than any other gate I’ve seen in Korea. It was made with smaller, more natural looking stones which gives it a real ancient feel to it. You can fill your water bottles near here with mountain spring water.

Around Godang Peak (고당봉)

Another 20 minutes or so and you are at Godang Peak, a huge rock outcropping that offers some spectacular views. It is a great capstone to this hike. This is where I enjoyed my picnic.

Around Godang Peak (고당봉)

Back down at the North Gate the trail to Beomeo Temple can be found. The subway is right there too (Beomeo Station), so no worries about getting back home.

Dongnae Pajeon Restaurant

I made my way back across the mountain in order to take in the views another time, and also to get to some Dongnae Pajeon (동래 파전) restaurants I saw in the neighborhood between Oncheonjang Station and the cable car station. Dongnae is the name of the district and pajeon is a kind of seafood and green onion, batter-based pancake looking food. Dongnae is famous for this dish, so I had to give it a try.

Dongnae Pajeon (동래 파전)

I was not disappointed at all. I ate most of what was served to me, even though it could have easily fed two people. The service was friendly and that made me happy too. While eating my pajeon, a couple of older Korean men approached me and engaged me in some conversation. In the end, I shared some of my pajeon with them and they bought some makgoelli to share with me. It’s times like these when I feel the warmth of Koreans.

Sitting at my desk and looking back, Geumjeong Mountain Fortress makes it onto my all-star list of places to visit in Korea. Let me explain why. A cable car will do the hard work for you to get you to the South Gate. From there it is only a two hour or so mildly challenging hike to Godang Peak and the views along the way are stunning. The unique Seokbul Temple and Beomeo Temple are on the same mountain. And finally, if that isn’t enough, killer pajeon awaits for you in Dongnae.

Resources
Geumjeong Mountain Fortress (Korea Tourism Organization)
Geumjeong Mountain Fortress (Wikipedia)

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