The hike up to Go-Dang Bang yields a really great view of the area around Beomosa Temple and is a great way to spend an afternoon.  We’ve been twice in the last couple of months, and if we lived closer to Beomosa, it would probably become a regular part of our hiking workout routine.

Unlike a lot of Korean mountainside hikes, this one is pretty well-marked and easy to navigate with clearly delineated trails.  Start at Beomosa Temple and, instead of going into the temple proper, turn right.  There’s a sign marking the Go-Dang Bang hiking trail.

If you haven’t done so, you should definitely stop by the little offshoot of Beomosa that is located off the start of this trail.  It’s a tiny temple area with a cluster of the usual red and green religious buildings, but what is really awesome are all the Buddha statues.  Several dozen of them fill a small area toward the back of the temple grounds.  It’s worth your time to wander around and check them out.

After that, it’s back on the trail, which slopes up with an intensity and ferocity only common in Korea.  Seriously, these people don’t believe in switchbacks.  The path winds pretty steadily upward for the next couple of kilometers.  There’s one poorly marked left turn, but other than that it’s easy enough to find your way through the woods.  Interestingly enough, this side of the mountain is still wild enough to have some small animals here and there, which is a rare find in Korea.

Just when you’re tired of all the up, the trail will level out in a field-like clearing of sorts.  Heading to the right will take you along the ridgeline of the mountains near Beomosa and supposedly spits you out somewhere near Geumjeong Fortress in the Oncheoncheon area.  Ric and I tried this the first time we hiked it but missed the trail somewhere along the way and ended up turning around and coming back to the temple before we got even more lost.

Heading left takes you to the Go-Dang Bang observation area.  This is a photo of Go-Dang Bang taken from the crossroads.

From this point, you’re only about 300m away from the summit, but it’s all uphill.  The best we can tell, there are two paths up, one more strenuous than the other.  We have hiked both paths,and the difficult one it’s that hard and appears to be a little shorter.  However, I don’t know that I would hike it without wearing pretty supportive shoes, especially on the way down, as the trail gets pretty steep.

The climb is worth it for these views of the area around Beomosa.

Plan on about three hours for the entire hike without any long stops.  The second time we went in October, the maples were changing color and the trail was really beautiful.  Any time of year, it’s a great hike that’s pretty easy to access.

Directions:  Beomosa subway station, exit 5 or 7.  Turn left at the corner and walk a block or so to the bus stop, where you’ll catch bus 90 and ride it up the mountain to the temple.