With the weather finally warm enough and the semester finally in swing-enough, I fetched my trusty sling backpack, my sunhat, and loaded up the tunes on my phone. Spring is a time for exploring and I needed to think about something other than work so out I went. Late last fall, I ended up somewhere in Saha district 사하구 on the 4-2 course. I ended up taking a few different buses to get there, but it’s also walkable from the orange line #1 Nat-gae Station 낫개역. I’m not suggesting you go here though unless you want to continue on one of the roughest paths of the trail system. Or maybe if you like to get lost. I found it to be one of those ‘Am I on the right path?’ experiences where the Naver map course and the pink and blue real-life ribbons don’t usually match up. Sometimes you’re following along right next to the ocean (where the coastal courses typically run) and there’s a dead-end for whatever reason. It could be construction or a private section of the coast for a business. The point is you can’t get through unless you wanna go for a swim. (Keep reading though! 4-3 was much better!)

Walk under here. Then up there.

Once you get to Morundae peninsula 물운대, you’ve made it to Course 4-3 and it’s much more enjoyable! Pro tip: Skip Course 4-2 altogether until 2023! [Korea’s always improving so it might be better by then] There’s a stamp booth on the right as you enter the peninsula. On Morundae 물운대, you can see some historical sights and enjoy the ocean views. I recommend going there for a weekend picnic if you don’t want a long walk some day. It was forested and pretty quiet for Busan. The trails are pretty narrow and there was good tree cover too.

Right next to Morundae is the Busan-famous Dadaepo Beach. This is where I took a break at Starbucks and refueled.

After Dadaepo, head due north toward Sasang. The route goes up, up, up some stairs and through a Lotte Castle sprawling apartment complex on the side of Amisan 아미산. The stairs might be a bit much, but the views are completely worth it. Islands and sandbars for miles. In the spring, there are cherry blossoms and other beautiful flowers all over the mountain. The people who live there must have been really good in their previous lives.

Okay, this is important. Do not skip this part! After Amisan, the path splits and there is one correct choice to make. Take the recommended section 추천코스!!! I took the other one because it was shorter and I discovered it was a dingy, boring route.

Fortunately, Course 4-3 is pretty well-marked with ribbons and yellow road paint so I never felt lost. Once you get down off Amisan and onto the section next to the Nakdong River 낙동강, it’s one long road to the Nakdong River Estuary Bank Bridge 낙동강하굿둑. There are a lot of bicyclists and birds to watch as you go. Once you get to the end of Course 4, you’re in a transportation deadzone so take the overpass just north and walk east toward the orange line #1 Hadan Station 하단역 and take the subway or a bus home!