It’s funny how people are less interested in exploring areas near where they live than they are in exploring foreign countries. Tourist sites that exist around our home towns seem to be either too mundane to make us excited or easily get pushed further and further back on the things to do list. I fell into the same trap while living in Daegu as it took me 1.5 years to finally climb the mountain called Apsan (앞산) that is literally in my backyard.

Early spring on Apsan

At only 658m in height, Apsan is just a little mountain. I assumed it would also give me just a little pleasure in hiking it. Boy was I wrong. Korean’s have the saying jageun-gochi-mepda (작은 고추가 맵다 ), which means “small peppers are hot” and can be interpreted as “even small things are powerful”. I would do well to remember that the next time I prejudge a mountain.

Rock outcroppings are ideal spots for picnics

There are several trails up and around Apsan. A trail map can be picked up at any of the park offices located at certain points of entry. I climbed Apsan twice over two weekends from different trails. The first was from the cable car entrance at the Apsan Park bus stop (앞산공원) and the second was from the Daedeok Restaurant bus stop (대덕식당건너).

People are small, but not insignificant.

I didn’t take the cable car up the mountain, but I called Daegu information (053-1330) and they said it costs 6,000 won for a round-trip ticket. Operating hours are between 8:00-17:50. If you ride the cable-car, when you get off, simply descend the mountain for a minute to get to the Bipasan Observatory (비파산 전망대) to take in a great view of Daegu from high above.

This is where I ate my picnic!

The three trails that lead up the mountain from around the lower cable-car station will take you to a ridge between the peak of Sanseongsan (산성산/653m) and the peak of Apsan. If you want to take in the view from the Bipasan Observatory (비파산 전망대), you will have to take a right at the ridge and walk for a few minutes until you can take another right to descend past the upper cable-car station to the observatory. The location of the lower cable-car station doesn’t have a direct trail to the upper cable-car station.

It's ALWAYS amazing to see Korean cities nestled between mountains.

The faster trail to the observatory starts from the Daedeok Restaurant bus stop. Once you get to the observatory, another minute of walking gets you to the upper cable-car station. You can, as I did, continue up to the ridge and take a right so as to pass around the Police Signal Post tower. This trail will lead you to Elephant Rock and Daedeoksan (대덕산/584m) while giving you even more opportunities to view Deagu, the Nakdong River, and the surround counties.

Mountains cover 70% of the peninsula; space is limited.

On my first trip, I met a Korean man who guided me down the mountain to the Daedeok Restaurant bus stop. On my second trip, I walked all the way past Daedeoksan and down the other side. I could see my home in the distance and guessed, correctly, that I could walk there.

Descending Daedeoksan, Nakdong River in the distance.

Sitting at my desk and looking back, I can’t believe I waited 1.5 years to hike Apsan. As far as things to do in Daegu related to nature, history, or culture, Apsan ranks at the top. To me, it’s better than Palgongsan Provincial Park, better than Donghwasa Temple & Daedeok Cable Car, and better than the Bullo-dong Tomb Park. Daegu is Korea’s fourth largest city with a population of over 2.5 million. Looking down at such an enormous city surrounded by mountains is something you will never forget.

Resources
Apsan Park (Daegu City)
Daegu Bus Info (Daegu City)
Daegu City (Wikipedia)

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