SEOUL FORTRESS TRAIL - 21K
Runner on the ground - YERI
Seoul City Wall, also known as Hanyang-doseong, is a restored stone wall that wraps around the the city’s core. Hanyang-doseong literally meaning city fortress for Hanyang, former name for Seoul during the Joseon Dynasty. Built in 1396, the wall stretches approximately 18.6km up and over the four mountains that surround the city–Inwangsan, Bukaksan, Naksan, and Namsan. Our course will be a loop that is little under 21km, around 1,000m elevation gain, and it will consist of hills, rocky trails, wooded areas, and roads. Expect around five or more hours depending on your running ability and the course condition of the day.
The city of Seoul provides a “stamp tour” for those attempting to complete this 20km tour following the wall. The map is provided at the starting point, and the deal is to get it stamped at four different stamp posts along the way. You’d get a completion stamp on your map, a finisher’s badge, and a sense of pride that you had toured over 20km of the historic Seoul City Wall.
For our tour, we will meet at Seoul Station and move towards Sungnyemun Gate, also called Namdaemun (South Gate), where the trail begins. We will grab our map, take a photo in front of one of the eight Great Gates of Seoul Fortress, and then off towards Inwangsan Mountain. The trails leading up to the summit are partially rocky but manageable with running shoes. We will take in the breathtaking view of the city below, then walk up the stairs of Bukaksan. We swiftly run downhill toward the Hyehwa neighborhood. Where we finally get out of the mountains and into the city. Hyehwamun is known as the Northeast Gate and it is situated in Seoul’s arts and theatre district. We will stop by for a quick snack break before we hop over to Naksan Park, a city park famous for its amazing nightscape from its observatory spots. Our path will lead us to the hustle and bustle of the shopping district in Dongdaemun, literally meaning the Great East Gate. We will struggle through the street vendors and the crowds, and jog through the impressive architecture of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) building. Our final leg will be the stretch of trails over Namsan, the well-known tourist destination bearing the Seoul Tower. The last bit of uphill will be tough but worth the beautiful photo taken with the tower and the surrounding view.
The Seoul Fortress route has so much stories to tell. We will run, hike, stroll, and chat as we move through the major landmarks of old Seoul. This is a great half-day tour to fully explore Seoul from its history to present days.
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