Climbing Suraksan (수락산)

After an ill-equipped hike up Dobongsan (도봉산), I came (almost) fully prepared with proper hiking boots and quick-dry, lightweight attire. And unlike the previous climb, there were 9 other Singaporeans on this Saturday excursion which was arranged by Peichi and Jimmy.

Here’s the party of 10. 

On the opposite side of Dobongsan is the lesser known Suraksan which is just as easily accessible to anyone. There are various trails to explore and the one we took was the one which begins at Jangam Station on Line 7, with the peak at 637m. Suraksan isn’t as crowded as Dobongsan where you’re typically never alone. And as soon as you embark on the trail, the scenery quickly morphs from urban landscape to dense forest.

The lower reaches of the trail are pretty easy to scale, but as you ascend, it becomes steeper, and occasionally, you get a preview of what’s to come as you break through the thick foliage. 

Once you reach the upper peaks of Suraksan, you actually have to do a bit of rock climbing to reach the peak, so a pair of proper hiking boots is highly recommended. 

Fortunately, ropes and railings are available for most of the steepest climbs. Optional, but also recommended is a pair of gloves because occasionally you’ll need to grab tree branches (or whatever seems fixed and secured down) for support when scaling and descending the mountain.

From here on, you can pick one of the several peaks (or rocky pinnacles) to climb, but the most popular one is the Suraksan peak which stands at 637m above sea level. One of the more impressive sights aside from the scenery is the enterprising uncle who sells ice cream, snacks and beer at the peak of the mountain. It’s a monopoly here, so prices are noticeably marked up. But chilling out with a stick of melon ice cream after a hike is oh-so-rewarding. 

You have to hand it to these uncles who hike up and down the mountain with huge cooler crates like these. The best part? They come prepared with trash bags for everyone’s garbage. Most people pack lunch and have a picnic at the summit, so it can get rather crowded.

Taking a lunch break before we start the descend.

Suraksan is a moderately easy day hike, although it can get rather challenging at some point where you almost have to be on all fours. But if you want to be away from the crowd during the climb, then Suraksan (compared with Dobongsan) is worth considering.