In my Best Hikes in Incheon series, I’m wanting to present you Munhaksan. This is another hike that is easily accessed from within Incheon City. It’s a relatively easy hike and offers great views over the cityscapes of Incheon. Through this artice, I’ll provide details on how to get there and bit about the mountain and the path.
Best Hikes in Incheon – Munhaksan
How to get to Munhaksan?
In comparison to Cheongryangsan which you can find in one of my other articles, getting to Munhaksan is quite a bit easier to get to with public transportation.
In fact, the easiest way to get to the trail is to take Incheon Subway line #1 to Seonhak Station (선학역). This is just one stop away from the more popular Munhak Sports Complex Station where you go if you want to watch an SK Wyverns Baseball Game.
From Exit 3 of Seonhak Station, walk straight until you reach a road crossing. At the road, take a right and walk up that street. When you reach the T intersection, walk to the left and then there is a small road to your right and that is where you can continue up to the path up the mountain.
The thing about Munhaksan, in similarity with Cheongryangsan is that there are many many entry and exit points to the mountain. So as long as you are okay being able to call a taxi or find your way when you get back down, you can just spend the day exploring the many pathways on the mountain.
Hiking Munhaksan
The hike that I did on Munhaksan started from Seonhak Station, I went to the summit where there is a big open space with many wooden platforms for viewing and then I made my way down towards Cheonhak Hyundai Ipark Apartments where I caught a bus back to Songdo.
For you, your hike may look different as there are some many possibilities. I do recommend for your hike at Munhaksan to definitely reach the ridge and the summit as that is where the best views are. The summit has both historical importance and also amazing views of both Songdo and Incheon City. You can’t go wrong going to the top and the reward of the views is worth the small effort to get there.
The trail itself is well marked and if you follow signs for 정산 (Jeongsan) those will take you to the top of the mountain. Surprisingly, the peak of the mountain was closed off to the public for many years due to US and Korean Military installations until 2015 when it was finally opened for the public.
As for the historical importance of Munhaksan, is that it is where the kingdom of Michuhol began and is widely considered to be the beginnings of Incheon City which used to go by the old name Michuhol. Also, at Munhaksan you can find remnants of a fortress wall which you will see along the way.
All along the hiking path and summit though you have fantastic city views so is a great way to spend an afternoon. The total hike depending on where you head back down will take anywhere from an hour to a few hours depending how much you want to explore.
Tips for Munhaksan
- If you love city views at night, the view from the mountain is a great place to get night shots. The top of the peak I believe does close down at night though, however there are still some lower parts of the mountain that would be great for night shots. Don’t forget your tripod though.
- Best season for hiking is during fall and late summer, however can definitely be hiked in all seasons.
Where to stay near Munhaksan
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Munhaksan being near the Incheon Line 1 Subway, I would recommend spending the night in Songdo. With central park there, great shopping and an awesome new city vibe, it’s a great place to spend the night. Especially with a wide range of nice hotels, you can’t go wrong there. I’ll recommend just a few hotels below:
Oakwood Premier Hotel – An upscale hotel located in the tallest building in Songdo guaranteed amazing views over Songdo and Central Park.
Holiday Inn Songdo – A lower priced option for Songdo, but still nice rooms and amenities.
Sheraton Grand Hotel Songdo – Nice rooms and great service with beautiful views of central park.
Gyeongwonjae Ambassador Songdo – A beautiful upscale hotel right at Central Park. Designed as a traditional hanok building, everything about this place is stunning.
We hope you enjoyed this article. If you have any questions or comments about hiking Munhaksan, please let us know in the comments below.
If you are looking for other hikes in Incheon, please check out our other articles about Hiking Cheongryangsan and Hiking Gyeyangsan.
[…] If you are looking for other hikes in Incheon, check out our other article about hiking Munhaksan. […]
[…] as it is typically more busy than the other two hikes I wrote about which are Cheongryangsan and Munhaksan. You can go to those posts by clicking on the names. Through this article, I’ll tell you how […]