Won Su Mountain in Sejong: A Hidden Gem for a Light 1-Hour Hike with Your Dog
A review of the Won Su Mountain trail, starting from 'Dalmaeteul Neighborhood Park' behind Dorem Village Apartment Complex 18.
On a beautiful weekday morning,
I took a hike with my dog to 'Won Su Mountain' behind Dorem Village Apartment Complex 18 near my home.
<Sejong Won Su Mountain Dog-Friendly 1-Hour Hike Summary>
– Dalmaeteul Neighborhood Park (behind Dorem Village Apartment Complex 18) → Won Su Mountain Summit and back: Approximately 1 hour
– The beginning is a walking path, the latter half is a sloping hiking trail with stone steps and ropes.
– Dog leash is essential, hiking shoes and sticks are recommended, and you can go to the summit together.
The starting point is near Sungdeoksa (Deokseong Seowon), I entered through the entrance next to The Sup Kindergarten.
This area is also collectively called Dalmaeteul Neighborhood Park. Rather than a rigorous hike, it's more like an interval walk + hike course perfect for walking with your dog, so it's not strenuous and it's nice to go for a light walk in about an hour.
Before starting, check the restroom! There is a public restroom next to The Sup Kindergarten near the entrance. It's surprisingly very clean, and toilet paper is provided, so it's perfect for using before a walk. The location is marked with a blue dot. After visiting the restroom, you can start right away! For car parking, after passing Deokseong Seowon, there is a white road leading to the right where the parking lot is.
You'll come to a dead end.
The parking lot on the left is for the kindergarten and cannot be used. Go to the right, and you'll find it.
If you come along the back road behind the kindergarten, you'll see this sculpture.
I passed it and entered the walking path.
The first 3 minutes are a paved road + gazebo rest zone. The start of the walking path is made of brick and concrete, so it doesn't feel like a mountain path, but rather a well-maintained park atmosphere.
There are many gazebos and benches in various places, so it seems good for a picnic, and even elderly dogs or beginner dogs can climb without difficulty.
There was another path to come up. There's another dead end on the right side of the map, right? You can park there too. There are two parking lots.
Entry of motorized vehicles with two or more wheels (motorcycles, etc.) is prohibited, and it is announced that a fine will be imposed for violations, so be sure to pay attention. For reference, there is a separate path for MTB bicycles, and there is a section that slightly overlaps with the hiking trail, so be careful when going up.
There was a sign at the entrance of the mountain warning of the appearance of wild animals such as wild boars and snakes. I didn't actually encounter any, but when taking a dog, always keep the leash tight so they don't bark or run away!
After walking along the road for about 8 minutes, I arrived at the wetland ecological park.
There is an arch on the left to enter the wetland ecological park. This is where the biodiversity project called BioBlitz Sejong was carried out in the past. The wetland ecological park is quite large. It's great for a walk.
There is a well-maintained deck path over the wetland, so it's nice to walk on, and the dog can walk without straining their feet.
There is a lotus flower habitat in the middle, and a cute frog sculpture, perfect for taking pictures!
I took a picture with my dog in front of the frog. It was a great photo spot.
Now, let's go up to the summit of Won Su Mountain.
Following the sign, you'll find the neighborhood park. There's a tall children's park with slides and iron bar facilities, so it felt very much like a park.
Up to here, you can walk comfortably with your dog, and the path is flat enough for even elderly dogs to manage. The time of departure from Dalmaeteul Neighborhood Park was 9:25 AM.
From passing the park, the dirt road begins in earnest!
It's slightly uphill, but the slope isn't steep, so it's nice to climb slowly. It took 15 minutes from The Sup Kindergarten to here.
After walking for about 5 minutes, I came to a four-way intersection, and the "Won Su Mountain Nuri-gil → Summit Direction" sign is very well marked, so there's no need to worry about getting lost at all.
An announcement welcomes you that there are 400m left to the summit.
⛰️ The full-fledged hiking section begins.
If you go up about 50m past the sign, you'll see wooden stairs + a mountain first aid kit.
(For reference, the first aid kit does not open...)
From this point on, the route overlaps with the mountain bike course, so there was a caution sign. Make sure to keep your dog's leash short as you may encounter bicycles!
⛏️ 9:35 – Steep slope begins.
The steep slope started around 9:35. From this point on, the road becomes quite steep, and there are many stones and unstable footholds, so I felt that hiking shoes are essential.
I climbed with my dog's leash around my waist, but it can be really dangerous to have a strong dog by your side. Especially on the slippery stone path, hiking sticks are essential! Only for trained dogs!
From the point where the stone uphill begins, it's uphill all the time. In particular, the path is irregular and there is no resting place in the middle, so I recommend climbing slowly while controlling your breathing.
The last 15 minutes were surprisingly difficult, making me wonder, "Was there such a mountain path?"
There were ropes in very steep places.
After climbing diligently, at 9:48, the summit is finally in sight.
Sweat dripped down my face.
I took a picture with the Won Su Mountain summit marker. Although it is a very cute mountain at 251m above sea level, the last 15 minutes were quite challenging as it was constantly uphill.
There is a deck at the top where you can eat water and food. But there were a lot of mosquitoes, so I got bitten once.
A lesson to spray repellent before going up!
There were three information boards for the observatory where you can look around the surrounding scenery.
While resting briefly at the summit, I saw that 38 minutes had passed since I started hiking.
Now it's time to go back down....
The dog enjoyed the hike so much that she dug a little dirt on the hiking trail and pulled me up the mountain with excitement, panting ^_^
The way down is easier than going up, but you have to be careful as there are many stones and you can slip.
Although it's a short distance, it seems safer to have hiking sticks.
And there were quite a few chestnuts on the dirt path between the hiking trail and Dalmaeteul Neighborhood Park. You have to be careful not to let your dog step on them.
The time I was coming down, there were a lot of children from the Forest Kindergarten going on a field trip.
Lila doesn't really like children (she's scared because their actions are big and unpredictable), so her tail gradually went down and at some point she sat down and refused to go;;
You can see her tail going down, right? lol
But I coaxed her well and brought her home.
It took about 1 hour and 20 minutes including taking pictures from entering the hiking trail to descending, and taking a short break at the summit.
If you come alone or walk at a fast pace, you can easily go and come back in less than an hour.
The dog is very energetic.
Hiking is great for draining the energy of puppies.
This concludes my introduction to <Won Su Mountain> <Won Subong>, a great place to hike with your dog near Sejong City!
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