Section 7-2 has a reputation among Gamnaetgil’s full-trail walkers as one of the genuine mountain-hiking days on the whole route, and the forecast for our attempt — light but persistent rain — only added to the sense that this one would test the group. My friend Doyoon and I met at East Gate with the rest of the challenge series regulars, everyone pulling on rain gear before the morning briefing even finished.
The quiet forest trail beyond East Gate, calm despite the misty conditions overhead.
Route waypoints
Into fog toward the 4th watchtower
The initial climb out of East Gate settles quickly into forest, and within half an hour the whole ridge had disappeared into thick fog — a genuinely different Geumjeongsan than the clear-day version, quiet and strange in a way that made the group linger at overlooks rather than rush past them. Since visibility only seemed likely to worsen, our guide made the call to skip the usual rest stop at the 4th watchtower and push through while conditions allowed.
Wonhyobong without a view
At Wonhyobong, the trail’s highest point on this section, there was nothing to see beyond a wall of white — a real disappointment on paper, but the group settled into a good-natured acceptance that a foggy summit still makes for a memorable one, just for different reasons. Snacks were shared, everyone found what shelter the treeline offered, and the descent toward North Gate began carefully over slick rock.
A stone river underfoot
The stretch below North Gate runs over Beomeosa’s dramatic “stone sea” — a wide field of massive boulders, formed over centuries by freeze-thaw cycles splitting the rock and gravity slowly settling it downhill, extending far enough that it’s said to run over two kilometers along the mountainside. In the rain, every step demanded real attention, and the group moved slower than usual, occasionally splitting into a faster group ahead and a more cautious one behind as the terrain sorted people naturally by pace.
Beomeosa’s shelter and a stone gate marker
Reaching Beomeosa felt like a genuine relief — wide covered rest areas gave the whole group its first real break from the rain, and the temple’s quiet grounds, damp stone and dark wood under grey sky, had an atmosphere that felt appropriate to the day rather than diminished by it. Past the temple, the trail’s midpoint marker sits near a well-restored plaza, a stark contrast to how cluttered the same spot had looked on an earlier visit.
East Gate’s stone archway, the starting point for this section of the trail.
The long flat stretch to Hoedong Reservoir
Past Yongcheonsa Temple and a steep residential descent into Jakjang Village, the trail flattens out for a genuinely long, shade-scarce stretch through Nopo-dong’s bus terminal district, along Nopocheon Stream, and down Suyeongcheon’s waterside path — the kind of unglamorous urban connector every long-distance trail needs but nobody particularly enjoys. On a clear day this stretch is exposed and hot; in the rain, it was simply wet and long, everyone counting down the distance to Hoedong Reservoir’s viewpoint near the end.
Trail info at a glance
- Distance: approx. 13–14 km
- Walking time: about 4–5 hours, average pace 2.3–3.2 km/h
- Difficulty: Challenging — real mountain terrain including a boulder field below North Gate, plus a long flat urban stretch to finish
- Start: Geumjeongsanseong East Gate
- Finish: Sanghyeon Village, near Hoedong Reservoir
- Highlights: Wonhyobong summit, Beomeosa Temple, the stone-sea boulder field
Map of the route
The route at a glance
A few practical notes
This is genuinely one of the harder Gamnaetgil sections — the boulder field below North Gate demands real care in any weather, more so when wet. Trekking poles are worth bringing. The stretch from Beomeosa to Hoedong Reservoir has little shade, so plan water accordingly regardless of season. Buses run between the East Gate trailhead and Oncheonjang Station roughly every 10 minutes on weekends.
For getting to Geumjeongsanseong and Beomeosa, see our guide to getting around Busan.
Walked in early summer under steady light rain and thick fog along the ridge, part of an ongoing full-trail challenge series.
More walks nearby
Other walks in Northern hills: Beombangsan to Hoedong Reservoir on this site: