Welcome to Naksan Park, home to part of Seoul’s old-school fortress wall. It goes without saying that the city has grown far beyond the walled interior, and this is a great place to see that growth in a dramatic fashion.

(By the way, this park should NOT be confused with Namsan Park, where the Seoul Tower lets you see most of the city in a wonderful 360-degree view.)

Naksan’s name comes from ‘nakta’, or camel, since the hill looks like a camel’s hump according to one city tourism website (why Korean has a word for ‘camel’ is beyond me), and ‘san’ for mountain. Getting there requires a walk through an older (and a bit rundown) residential area, but I’m sure you’ll make it just fine.

Along the main street – one example of how artsy this area is.

This part of the uphill hike doesn’t look so old…

About halfway up towards the park – some nice reconstruction work here. I especially love the stone staircases.

Almost there – but a few staircases remain.

Made it! Up the side entrance.. D’oh!

Welcome to the main entrance – one I found by backtracking aways since the directions I originally had weren’t very good. I need the exercise…

What was I saying about being an artsy area?

Even after you enter the park, guess what – more stairs. This is a mountain after all.

Once you arrive at the top of all the stairs, you’ll find a nice flat area with some benches, a few exercise machines so common at Korea’s parks, and a hiking trail running alongside the fortress wall. None of this is particularly picture-worthy, so let’s move on.

Looking from the outside in (and up) – some kind of construction / beautification project probably taking place.

One look out from the walled city out to what Seoul has become. It’s kind of to see how far the wall snakes through the area.

The highest trail follows the wall for awhile, past some other open areas with workout equipment. Not pictured (and like some other parks in the area) are a few other walking trails at different levels up the mountain. Some are dirt while others have a softer rubberized feel over the concrete, but most run roughly parallel around the mountain.

Naksan Gallery – telling the story and history of the area. There’s enough English to make sense of the story – all the place needed was a little more light. Noisy pictures are uncool.

Bring your hiking boots and some water – the area is worth at least a couple hours of good hiking; more if there’s anything happening at the top. Also nearby the subway station (but unpictured) is Marrioner Park. With its own stage, a basketball court, etc. it’s a good place to people watch with a snack or drink in hand.Directions to Naksan Park: take line 4 of the Seoul subway system to the Hyehwa station. Take exit 2 to street level, then take the first left up the hill (you’ll see a reflective metal sphere on the sidewalk). At the T, go right, then take the first left. You’ll be walking through a residential area with few straight streets. If you get turned around, keep going uphill and you’ll get there eventually. To get to the TOP of the park, it’s 284 steps up four staircases from the main entrance (and yes, I actually counted). Free admission and open 24 hours (the Naksan Gallery is only open from 9am-6pm). If buses are your thing, look for buses 140, 143, 149, 150, or 160; get off at the Hyehwa Station stop.