I love hiking Apsan Mountain (์์ฐ) itโs at my doorstep. But there are other hiking trails less than 2 hours away from Daegu. Each one is beautiful, can be hiked all year long, and all of them have something to offer the beginner, intermediate and expert hiker.
Hiking Daegu : 6 Trails Less Than 2 Hours Away
Hiking Daegu is More than Apsan
You want to take a hike in Daegu, but you think that Apsan is your only option. The landscape is too brown to be beautiful, and itโs January~~ Itโs too cold to go for a hike! I beg to differ. There are so many beautiful trails less than 2 hours away, and many of them are beautiful all year round.
Yes, itโs a little cool outside, but the mountainsย offer a great opportunity to enjoy nature, breathe some fresh air, and take a break from the hustle of South Koreaโs 4th largest city. Itโs also a huge contributor to my recent 60-pound weight loss. Here are my favorites including the approximate distance from Daegu.
Palgonsan (ํ๊ณค์ฐ)
๊ฒฝ๋ถ ์์ฒ์ ์ ๋ ๋ฉด ์น์ฐ๋ฆฌ ์ฐ 141-5

Palgonsan has many stunning vistas (accessible by cable car) and one of my favorite Buddhas~~ Gatbawi or the seated Buddha featured in this mountainโs temple. Those who make the trek to the temple are promised that one of their wishes will be fulfilled. I think thatโs fair, donโt you?ย Dongwhasa temple is also worth the hike and an awesome place to celebrate Buddhaโs Birthday and the lotus festival.
Total distance hiked: 42.7km

Hwangmaesan (ํฉ๋งค์ฐ)
๊ฒฝ๋จ ํฉ์ฒ๊ตฐ ๊ฐํ๋ฉด ๋๋ด๋ฆฌ ์ฐ 219
Hwangmaesan is beautiful all year round. BUT donโt sleep on the Azalea Festival from mid-April to mid-May. I love hiking in Daegu because there are several trails for every difficulty level. Iโve never seen a sea of pink and yellow flowers that beautiful anywhere~~ pictures donโt do it justice.

Distance: 94.3km
Biseulsan (๋น์ฌ์ฐ)
๋๊ตฌ ๋ฌ์ฑ๊ตฐ ์ ๊ฐ์ ์๋ฆฌ ์ฐ 3-1
Biseulsan is the closest hike from Daegu but has one of the longest stairways eva. But donโt worry, you can take the bus back down. The mountain blooms with flowers in spring offer a beautiful fog-filled valley in summer, falling leaves in autumn, and an ice-capped mountain in winter.
Distance: 34.7km
Geumosan (๊ธ์ค์ฐ)
๊ฒฝ๋ถ ๊ตฌ๋ฏธ์ ๋จํต๋ ์ฐ 33
Trust me, Geumosan is NOT a beginnerโs hike. ย The hike to Doseongul Cave, the Daehye Gate, and the Haeunsa temple with its beautiful lantern-lined catwalk is one of my favorite places to listen to the monks chant. Luckily you can also take the cable car.
Distance: 60.0km
Gayasan (๊ฐ์ผ์ฐ)
๊ฒฝ๋ถ ์ฑ์ฃผ๊ตฐ ๊ฐ์ฒ๋ฉด ๋ฒ์ ๋ฆฌ ์ฐ 162
Gayasan CAN BE by far the most accessible place for hiking in Daegu on this list. Itโs paved. There are two main attractions here. First, Hainsa Temple is one of the most revered temples in South Korea. The other is the stairway to heaven~~ this climb that seems never-ending, offering one hella panoramic vista.
Distance: 5. 64.3km
Hiking Tips
How to Enjoy Hiking Trails in Daegu
Hiking can be a fun experience, and even if you are traveling with a group, stay alert, prepared, and aware of your surroundings. As a fellow hiker (who also happens to be black), I support and encourage you to embrace diverse travel experiences โ to get off the beaten path per se. And hiking might be one of the best ways to do just that.
You donโt need much to enjoy South Koreaโs favorite weekend pastime. Hiking boots arenโt a prerequisite but offer stability on some of the more difficult trails.
I always wear a small backpack to hike hands-free when necessary. I pack my asthma meds, cash & debit card, tissue, hand sanitizer, and phone.ย And while many trails have restings areas with potable water, I never leave home without water. You donโt need much more because most trails can be hiked in a day.
If youโre an avid hiker, donโt miss out on this cute story by a first-time hiker. Click Here to read on hikerโs experience hiking Dragon Chicken Mountain.