Gyeyangsan is my third and final post that I’ll make for this Best Hikes in Incheon Series. This hike is probably my favorite in Incheon and it’s also the favorite for a lot of other people as well as it is typically more busy than the other two hikes I wrote about which are Cheongryangsan and Munhaksan. Through this article, I’ll tell you how to get to Gyeyangsan, a bit about the hike and also why it’s one of the best hikes in Incheon.
Best Hikes in Incheon – Gyeyangsan
How to get to Gyeyangsan
Gyeyangsan is located in the north part of Incheon. For myself, I drove there and found a parking lot nearby where I had to pay a few dollars to park for 3-4 hours. However, Gyeyangsan is also accesible from the Subway system. You will just need to walk a little bit from the subway stop to reach the hiking trails.
So to get there by Subway, get on the Incheon Line 1 Subway and get off at Gyesan Station. If you walk out of exit 4 or 5 and turn up the road toward Gyeyangsan Museum, there is a nice trail that starts up the mountain to the right side of the new museum they are constructing. You can kind of see this on the a map that I’m linking to here: Gyeyangsan Map
I really recommend starting at this trail as it will take you past the old fortress wall area which is really beautiful and then up to the summit. From the summit there are other ways down, but I recommend just coming back the way you came to easily get back to your car or subway stop.
Hiking at Gyeyangsan
Gyeyangsan is the 2nd highest peak in Incheon as Manisan on Gangwha Island is the highest. At aroung 395m high, it’s not a very difficult hike, but is a high enough vantage point that it gives you wide sweeping views all along the ridge and pathway.
In fact, along the way and at the summit you can see the whole way into Gangnam in Seoul, Seoul Tower, Gimpo Airport, Gangwha Island, Songdo, and Incheon City Proper. It’s probably the best views of Incheon and surroundings out of any of the mountains in the city. I think that is why the trail and mountain is so popular.
At the summit there is a lot of wooden walkways and places to sit down and lots of vantage points to enjoy the views!
In particular, toward the beginning of the trail around the old fortress wall area, the views towards Seoul are fantastic and this mountain is really popular for people doing night hiking or taking selfies at night from the top as the city views are phenomenal. I haven’t gone at night yet, but it’s on my list of things to do.
As for the difficulty of the trail, it’s not super difficult. There are a lot of stairs though, so your thighs will get a workout. You can take many breaks though and enjoy the views while you are on your way up Gyeyangsan.
It’s pretty hard to get lost on this mountain as well. There are lots of signs and as long as you follow the ones for the summit (정상), it should be pretty easy to navigate your way to the top.
Tips for Hiking Gyeyangsan
- Compared to the other two hikes that I wrote about in Incheon, this hike takes a little bit longer and has more stairs as it is higher in elevation. It is still a pretty easy hike though.
- If going at night, don’t forget a headlamp and carefully head up and come back down. If it’s a weekend, there will likely be other people there at night if it’s just past sunset time.
- Be sure to explore the fortress wall area and learn about the history of this mountain.
- Because there are great views facing East, this is a popular mountain to climb for the first sunrise of the New Year on January 1st.
Where to stay near Gyeyangsan
If you are wanting to stay near Gyeyangsan, there are a few hotels in the area that you could stay at. However, if you want to make a trip or small vacation out of it, then I would recommend staying in Songdo at the southern part of Incheon.
This purpose built city is beautiful with many great parks to explore, many international food options and lots of shopping. So below I’m listing just a few hotels there in Songdo that are worth the money.
*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links through booking.com, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.
Oakwood Premier Hotel – Beautiful luxurious hotel in the tallest building in the city
Holiday Inn Songdo – Great option if you don’t want to spend as much money
Sheraton Grand Hotel Songdo – Great rooms and nice location overlooking central park
Gyeongwonjae Ambassador Songdo – Traditional design hanok hotel with all the modern ammenities.
There you have it. We hope you have enjoyed this small series on hiking in Incheon. Don’t forget to check out our other two articles about Hiking Cheongryansan and Hiking Munhaksan.
If you have any questions or comments about Hiking Gyeyangsan, please let us know in the comments below.
[…] If you are looking for other hikes in Incheon, check out our other article about hiking Munhaksan and hiking Gyeyangsan. […]