A New Landmark on Seoul Trail Course 4! Walking Above the Forest at "Yongmasan Skywalk"

Seoul is home to about 26 mountains. Among them, Yongmasan Mountain is the highest in Jungnang-gu, standing 348 meters above sea level. It boasts outstanding scenery and various attractions, such as the Yongma Waterfall Park. Along with the neighboring Mangusan Mountain, it is part of the Seoul Trail Course 4 (Mangwu & Yongmasan).

This course starts at Hwarangdae Station, passes through Mangwu History & Culture Park, Yongmasan, and Jungnang Camping Forest, traverses Achasan, and ends at Gwangnaru Station. With a total length of about 13.2 km and a duration of roughly 4 hours and 30 minutes, it is a course that even beginners can walk without burden.

Recently, a new hotspot was added to this course, which is already known as a great walking section. It is the Yongmasan Skywalk Observatory, where you can enjoy breathtaking scenery.

Forest and City at a Glance! Yongmasan Skywalk Observatory

Hearing the news that a new landmark had opened on Yongmasan, I headed out along my favorite Seoul Trail course. Until November 28th, it was in a temporary opening period, so there were no signposts yet, and few people knew about it. I started my hike from Sagajeong Park, asking passersby for directions, and eventually found it like a hidden treasure.

How to get there:

• Public Transport: Take Subway Line 7 to Sagajeong Station (Exit 4). Head to Sagajeong Park and walk up towards the barrier-free deck path or the "Kkalttak Pass" direction, moving towards Mangusan.
• Car: You can park at the Mangwu History & Culture Park Public Parking Lot.

Walking on an S-Curve Above the Trees

The newly built Yongmasan Skywalk boasts a grander scale than I expected. It is a 10-meter-high observatory created by extending the existing barrier-free deck path leading toward Mangusan. It consists of a flexible S-shaped wooden deck path that cuts across the forest, spanning about 160 meters in length.

Walking on it, you can feel the thrill and understand why it’s named "Skywalk." The panoramic view unfolding from the observatory is particularly impressive. It is surprising to realize that Yongmasan, already known for its views, held such a magnificent hidden landscape. The scenery of Dobongsan and Bukhansan Mountains stretching out beyond the observatory is truly overwhelming.

A Path for All Seasons

The walking path leading to the Skywalk overlaps with Seoul Trail Course 4, the Yongmasan Jarak-gil (Foothill Path), the Jungnang Trail, and the Manguri Side Path. This means it is a well-verified, excellent walking path.

I visited once during a summer midday, and the dense forest shade made the heat much more bearable. In the season when hydrangeas bloom, flowers along the path delight the eyes. With the construction of the observatory, a "Charming Garden" considering ecological diversity has also been created. In autumn, the colorful foliage makes it perfect for an atmospheric fall stroll.

Nearby, the Yongmasan Kkalttak Pass is also a famous spot. As the name implies (Kkalttak suggests gasping for breath), it is known for its steep 570 continuous stairs.

Seoul Trail 2.0: Getting Even Better

Just like the new Skywalk, "Charming Spaces" are being expanded throughout the Seoul Trail as part of the "Seoul Trail 2.0" revamp. The goal is to reorganize the existing trails to match recent forest leisure trends—expanding functions from simple walking paths to experience-oriented forest trails where you can walk, rest, enjoy, and learn.

Following Yongmasan, another Skywalk observatory is scheduled to open on Hoamsan (Seoul Trail Course 12) by the end of December.

With the number of Seoul Trail finishers reaching nearly 93,000 as of October, the milestone of 100,000 finishers is just around the corner. With the existing 8 courses now subdivided into 21 courses, new challengers will be able to enjoy these new landmarks and improved walking paths.

Yongmasan Skywalk Info

• Location: Yongmasan, Junggok 4-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.
• Transport:

• • 1 hr 30 min walk from Yongmasan Station (Line 7)
• • 1 hr walk from Sagajeong Station (Line 7)

• Facility Specs: Length approx. 160m, Height 10m observatory.

Source: Seoul Newsletter