After the Beginner's Course on Gwanggyosan, the Real Thing Begins

For people in Yongin, Gwanggyosan isn't some big challenge — it's more like the hill behind the neighborhood. There are several routes that are perfect for a light workout on a weekend morning followed by a solid lunch, and for first-timers, the route starting from Dongcheon Post Office is the one most often recommended. It feels more like a walking trail, so there's not much pressure, and on the way down, an alley full of hearty food is waiting for you. You don't need hiking boots or any big resolve for this course — today we'll walk you through it step by step, all the way to that food alley at the trailhead.

If You're a Beginner, Start at Dongcheon Post Office

There are several ways up Gwanggyosan depending on direction. Some start from the sports park on the Suji side, others connect from the Gogi-dong direction, but if you're meeting Gwanggyosan for the first time, the Dongcheon Post Office route is the safest bet. The stretch from the trailhead to Mireuksa Temple isn't completely flat, but overall it's a gentle path closer to a walking trail, so sneakers are more than enough — you don't need hiking boots. Even round trip, an hour and a half is plenty, which makes it a great course if you don't need to push for the summit and just want a taste of one ridge before heading back down. Since you don't have to clear out half a day for it, plenty of office workers pop in for a quick trip on weekday mornings, and you'll often see families out for a stroll, hand in hand with their kids. Another reason this course keeps its steady popularity is that the trailhead is just a short drive from downtown, and for anyone meeting Gwanggyosan for the first time, I can confidently say it's a choice you won't regret.

On the Way Down, Your Stomach Clock Rings First

Don't underestimate the mountain just because it's not huge. Even on a gentle path, your body honestly burns energy as you go up and down. Right around Mireuksa Temple, when everyone turns back and starts the descent, people's pace tends to pick up all at once, for one simple reason — hunger kicks in. Luckily, the trailhead area near Dongcheon Post Office is a neighborhood where restaurants that have long served hikers have naturally formed into an alley. Since it's a neighborhood with a steady stream of hikers, the restaurants have settled into that rhythm too, and on weekends it's not hard to spot people sitting down to a meal still in their full hiking gear. One ingredient that shows up often on the tables around here is acorn. Dishes made by pressing mountain ingredients, like acorn jelly (dotori-muk) or acorn noodles (dotori-guksu), stay on the menu year-round. Rather than a hot broth, the flavors here lean cool and mild, so they go down easy on a body that's just worked up a sweat coming down the mountain. Side dishes like tofu and pajeon (scallion pancake) naturally come along with the table too, and that's part of this alley's particular character. The spread isn't fancy, but that's exactly why it's so good for comfortably filling that post-hike emptiness, and just glancing over a few side dish bowls, you can feel how long this neighborhood has been serving hikers.

Here's What's on the Table in the Dongcheon Alley

The menu range is fairly wide too. Some places serve fish dishes with a smoky char, like mackerel grilled over a wood-fired oven, while others are hanjeongsik or home-style (baekban) restaurants that pile the table with enough side dishes to make it groan. When a group gathers after a hike, this kind of full spread is especially popular. If you're eating alone or with just one other person and want something light, noodle dishes like acorn noodles or makguksu that you can slurp down quickly are plenty satisfying too. Given the steady stream of hikers this neighborhood sees, you get the sense that no restaurant here skimps on portions. If you have a bit more time to spare, it's also worth heading over to the other side of Gwanggyosan, toward Gogi-dong. The makguksu place at that trailhead is famous nationwide — on weekends there's an opening rush and a wait line — which just goes to show how much the combo of 'hike, then makguksu' has become something like a formula in this area. The Dongcheon side tends to have more relaxed seating, so on days when you don't feel like waiting in line, it's better to head to the Dongcheon alley first. With hiking-then-a-meal culture settled on both flanks of the same Gwanggyosan, you won't waste a trip either way — if anything, it's fun to pick based on your mood that day.

So, When's the Best Time to Go

In summer, I'd recommend setting off right at sunrise. Even on a walking-trail-like path, going up and down under the midday sun burns through your energy very differently. If you head out early in the morning, your descent naturally lines up around lunchtime, so you'll arrive right when the alley restaurants are liveliest. On the other hand, if you come down in the late afternoon, some places may be in their break time, so it's best to time your trip around lunch if you can. There's a saying that summiting lives on in photos, but the meal after the descent lives on in memory. Rather than pushing yourself to bag the summit, the days when you go up light and finish full tend to stick with you longer. Next time, it might be worth being a little more ambitious and exploring the alley on the other side of Gwanggyosan too.

🐉 Real Photos, via Yongi