Mountain park north of Seoul, South Korea
The
Bukhansan National Park
(
Korean
:
北漢山國立公園, 北漢山國立公園
) in
Seoul
and
Gyeonggi
covers an area of 79.92 km
2
(30.86 sq mi) and was established on 2 April 1983.
Bukhansan
means "mountains north of the
Han River
."
The park contains forested areas, temples and granite peaks. The three main peaks are Baekundae, 836.5 m (2,744 ft), Insubong, 810.5 m (2,659 ft) and Mangnyeongdae, 799.5 m (2,623 ft). Due to its popularity with hikers and Seoul residents, some trails are closed on a rotation basis to protect the local environment.
The
Bukhansanseong Fortress
is located in the park, together with its 9.5 km (5.9 mi) long defensive wall. A fortress was first built on this site in 132 AD to protect
Seoul
from foreign invasions, and it was expanded to its current size in 1711. It was reconstructed after damage sustained in the
Korean War
. Despite its name, this mountain is in
Seoul
, South Korea, so this mountain should not be confused with
North Korea
(also referred to as 北韓,
bukhan
).
Name
[
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]
There is a current movement to have the name of Bukhansan reverted. For many years up until now, the three main peaks of the park have collectively been called "Bukhansan"; however, the original collective name of these three peaks was
Samgaksan
, meaning "three horned mountains". The
Gangbuk-gu
District Office in
Seoul
is leading a petition to have the central government change the name back to the original. Civilians, religious leaders, other district offices, and groups, such as the
Korean Mountaineering League
, are assisting in the lobbying to have the name of the three original peaks reverted to
Samgaksan
.
Features
[
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]
Trails
[
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]
There are many trails and the most known routes include Baegundae (
白雲臺
), which is Bukhansan's highest peak at 837 meters, the fortress wall, and the Insu-bong (
仁壽峯
) which rises up to 810.5 meters.
[3]
The 70 kilometer Dulle-gil Trail (
둘레길
) connects forested paths along foothills and villages, 21 sections out of total.
[3]
Dobongsan
(
道峯山
) is another popular entry point into the park featuring a trail that starts near
Dobongsan Station
. This hiking route features steep climbs using handrails and is a popular rock climbing area.
[4]
Gallery
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]
-
Azaleas
in bloom on the mountain (2006)
-
Looking over Seoul (2005)
-
Looking over Seoul at night
-
Bukhansan in the fall (2018)
-
Bukhansan in the winter (2022)
-
Hiking path covered in snow (2005)
-
A Buddhist temple on the mountain (2008)
See also
[
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]
References
[
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]
External links
[
edit
]
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Mountainous national parks
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Marine and coastal national parks
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Historical national parks
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