South Korea is not large – its landmass is roughly half the size of the United Kingdom, one quarter of Japan, or one hundredth of that of the USA. It also only shares its northern border with North Korea, with the rest of its border coastal. Yet, many of the cities are landlocked, thanks to its fairly uniform shape, which means it is home to a range of environments, including many scenic parks, mountains, and forests.

Daegu, located a little inland north-west of the coastal city of Busan, lies in a valley surrounded by mountains. Not particularly tall, they make for excellent places to bask in the greenery of nature or work off the lavish offerings of Daegu’s varied cuisine on a good hike. Within the borders of this little city, there is no shortage of inclines to challenge yourself after a long night of plentiful eating.

We attempt to traverse two of Daegu’s three most famous mountains, ApSan (앞산; Mt. Ap) and PalGongSan (팔공산; Mt. Palgong), setting aside BiSeulSan (비슬산; Mt. Biseul) for perhaps another day, though totally not because its lack of a cable car service ruled out any options of taking the easy way out. In any case, our legs were due for a stretch and our bellies some digestive aid, so a good walk was a great idea.

ApSan Mount Ap (앞산)

ApSan is located south of Daegu’s main city, a small mountain considered more as a wilderness park with a peak of only 600m (2,000ft). The size seemed manageable, with the walking trail to the peak suggested to be only about an hour at a steady pace. Fuelled on a breakfast of convenience store bread, instant ramen, and flavoured milk from a convenience store, we were carb-loaded and feeling good for the upcoming climb.

Walking Up

Our confidence was cemented by the sight of old folk and young children, who braved the trails alongside us, at varying paces. There are multiple entrances to the walking trails which are labelled clearly and the paths paved to ensure there is no chance of getting lost. We begin our ascent from the SinGwang Temple entrance (신광사), which is about 10 minutes’ walk from AnJiRang Station (안지랑). You can refer to this map for more entrances and walking trails.

The walk begins with a fairly steep incline on a paved road that is shared with cars and other vehicles that deliver food and other supplies to Anil Temple, which lies around halfway up to the Observatory. Much of this is guided by a string of colourful lanterns overhead, which adds to the canopy of leaves in the surrounding bush area. Be advised that this isn’t the easiest of walks as it becomes incrementally steeper the higher you go, but it is a popular place to walk for people of all ages so it is manageable as long as you pace yourself and remain hydrated.

Anil Temple is difficult to miss as it is colourful and framed by more bright lanterns. It is at this point that the path changes; opposite the road to the entrance of the temple is a set of stairs that go further into the bushes. This is the path that continues to the Observatory. From here, the 800m (half mile) to the top is predominantly, if not all, stairs. From there, it is a constant uphill trek, with a little bit of uneven footing where you are made to walk on the forest floor. For the most part, however, the stairs are very solid and steady.

As suggested, with constant, steady walking, we reached the Observatory in around 1 hour. While we were warm, sweaty, and just a little puffed, it is difficult but most definitely manageable if you are prepared. Be sure to have good walking shoes and plenty of water to stay hydrated.

The Cable Car

The cable car entrance is a little hidden, located a few minutes’ walk from the NakDong River Victory Memorial Hall (낙동강승전기념관), which is accessible from the nearest train station by bus. You can refer to the website for more information on how to access the site (Korean only). The hours of operation of the Cable Car varies according to the month, and on weekdays compared to weekends, which is also listed very clearly on their website (Korean only).

One adult’s ticket is ₩7,500 (US$6.10) one way, and ₩10,500 (US$8.55) round-trip, with discounts for groups over 30 people and children up to and including elementary school age. It should be noted, however, that despite the presence of a cable car, it is not the most wheelchair-friendly place in the world. There is a walk between the top station of the cable car and the Observatory, which includes some uneven ground and stairs. The Observatory is also located on top of the restaurant, both of which are at the top of a short flight of stairs. We felt that this is important to mention, in the case that anyone is looking to visit that may need to know about accessibility.

The Observatory

At the top of ApSan is the Observatory, as well as a restaurant that offers a simple menu of light meals and drinks for basic refreshments. The Observatory is located on top of the building, accessed via stairs from outside. The view is stunning, and even if it is not a very clear day offers an expansive panorama of Daegu. This is a highly recommended place to visit if you’re short on time and want to include a scenic walk or visit a mountain without venturing too far from the city.

PalGongSan Mount PalGong (팔공산)

If you have a little more time on your hands to splurge on a bigger mountain, PalGongSan (팔공산; Mt. PalGong) is an excellent alternative. Located around an hour’s bus ride from Daegu city, its elevation is twice that of ApSan at close to 1,200m (4,000ft) above sea level. It is home to a number of cultural and heritages sites, as well as orchards of Daegu’s famous apples in its surrounding area. It is a popular spot to visit during weekends, with a village of accommodations, restaurants, and other services at the foot of the mountain.

Getting to PalGongSan: Bus

If you aren’t driving or taking a taxi, the most common way of reaching PalGongSan is by bus. The Geup-Haeng 1 (급행1) bus is bright red, departing from Daegu from a stop a couple of minutes’ walk from JungAngNo Train Station (중앙로). The bus comes once every 12 minutes, and takes around 1 hour to reach the foot of the mountain. For more details, follow this link for the Google bus route to PalGongSan.

Walking Up

We didn’t.

But you can, with routes varying from 1-2.5 hours of walking, depending on your starting location and pace. We don’t expect it to be on the same calibre as ApSan considering its peak is twice as tall, and while we can’t comment on the reality of the walking tracks we expect that our advice would be the same: stay hydrated, and wear good walking shoes, and the path is likely sturdy for safe walking. You can refer to this map for which routes to take.

The Cable Car

The lower station for the cable car itself is a tiny mission to get to. From the bus stop, one must first traverse a short but steep road up through the village (encountering a couple of convenience stores along the way, fortunately), then climb a flight of stairs to the ticketing office. There, you can purchase tickets at ₩7,500 (US$6.10) one way, and ₩11,000 (US$8.95) round trip for adults. There are discounts for groups of 25 or more, seniors, disabled citizens, and children up to and including elementary school age.

That being said, the entire facility doesn’t seem to be wheelchair-friendly. There are stairs, first going up to the ticketing office as mentioned, but also to the boarding platform. The 6-seater cable cars have seats in the middle facing out, which is good for the view but would not be able to accommodate the size of a wheelchair. Once at the top, the presence of stairs is also rampant, including to access viewing platforms outside of the small area exiting the top station. Without using stairs, only a fraction of the area can be accessed.

The cable car does not operate on Mondays.

At the Peak

At the top of the station there are plenty of places to take photos, varying from a wooden path through the bushes with elevated platform as well as balconies around the station with a look out over the city. With the use of space, there is virtually 360° view around the mountain, including on the opposite side from the city where you’ll find other peaks. Thanks to its elevation, it is much cooler at the top than in the main city, and exceptionally quiet, save for any birds screaming its birdsong.

There are plenty of extra walking trails at the top, which vary in length and expected walking time. Plenty of brochures are available during the purchase of your cable car ticket in various languages which can direct you to the options for these.

There is a cafeteria as well, which offers an impressively extensive menu of meals, snacks, drinks, and even desserts such as bingsoo shaved ice (빙수). Despite the extra transportation involved, the price of the food is not all too different from what you’d find in the city.

PalGongSan is such a refreshing change of pace from typical Korean city life that it’s excellent for a half- or full-day trip. It’s Noms’ pick as a recommended activity for if you’re in the city of Daegu.

BiSeulSan (비슬산; Mt. BiSeul) is the third of Daegu’s most popular mountains to hike, located a little further south of city from ApSan with a height of almost 1,100m (3,600ft) and walking trails of around 1.5-2.5 hours. There is a handy tourism website for Daegu which outlines BiSeulSan’s walks, as well as ApSan and PalGongSan in better detail which is accessible via this link. Regardless of your travel style, it’s a great place to visit if not for the walks but for the scenery or the photo opportunities.