Seoul Silver Grass & Pink Muhly Spots: Autumn 2026

Autumn in Seoul is usually sold as red and gold: maples, ginkgo, palace walls. The quieter show is silver. For about a month the hills along the Han River turn into fields of 억새 (eoksae, silver grass or Japanese pampas grass), and in the late afternoon the seed heads light up like fibre optics.

Its louder cousin is 핑크뮬리 (pink muhly), the candyfloss-coloured grass that took over Korean Instagram in the late 2010s. This guide covers where to see both in and near Seoul in 2026, when they peak, what they cost, and one thing about pink muhly that most photo spots will not tell you.

When is the best time to see silver grass in Seoul?

Mid to late October. That is when Seoul city schedules its silver grass festival, and the timing is deliberate: the plumes open in early October, turn fully silver through the middle of the month, and hold into November before drying to a pale gold.

Pink muhly runs slightly earlier and shorter. It usually colours in late September, is at its most vivid in early-to-mid October, and fades to a dusty beige by the start of November. If you want both in one trip, the first half of October is the overlap.

Haneul Park: Seoul's silver grass hill

하늘공원 (Haneul Park, “Sky Park”) is the obvious first stop and deserves to be. It sits on top of the former Nanjido landfill in World Cup Park, Mapo-gu, and its flat summit is almost entirely planted with silver grass. The story of how a rubbish mountain became Seoul’s best-known autumn field is in our Haneul Park history guide.

The Seoul Silver Grass Festival 2026

Seoul city has confirmed the dates. The 25th Seoul Silver Grass Festival (서울억새축제) runs from Saturday 17 to Friday 23 October 2026, open 10:00 to 21:00, under the theme “Silver grass, the comfort nature offers”. It is organised by the Western Parks and Leisure Center (서부공원여가센터).

The official programme lists an opening ceremony with performances and a lighting show, a silver grass bouquet-making workshop, photo zones, busking across several genres and a “Re-born Market” selling upcycled goods and planters. The 21:00 closing is the part to notice. For the rest of the year the park is closed at night to protect its wildlife, so festival week is the rare chance to walk the grass after dark.

Seoul city asks visitors to come by public transport, because the car parks and access roads jam during festival week.

The 291 steps vs the electric shuttle

There are two ways up. The free one is the 하늘계단 (Haneul Stairs), a zigzag timber staircase of 291 steps up the side of the old landfill. It is steep but short, with landings to catch your breath, and the view back over the Han River and the World Cup Stadium is part of the point.

The other is the 맹꽁이 전기차 (Maengkkongi electric shuttle, named after the narrow-mouthed toad that lives in the park). It runs from the Nanjicheon Park car park up the park road to the summit.

🚐 Maengkkongi electric shuttle fares and hours (Seoul Parks, 2026)

Opening hours and getting there

Seoul Parks lists World Cup Park opening at 06:00 in October and 06:30 in November, with closing around 19:00 to 20:00 (versions of the official table and 2025 reports differ). Outside festival week, plan to be off the hill by dusk. The park is free. The car park charges 300 won per 10 minutes between 09:00 and 22:00.

From World Cup Stadium Station or Mapo-gu Office Station (both Line 6), the festival page quotes about 40 minutes on foot to the festival grounds on top. Most of that is the flat approach through the park before the climb.

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According to a September 2025 report, Haneul Park also has smaller plantings of pink muhly and red-turning kochia (댑싸리) near the silver grass, so you may get all three colours in one visit.

Other silver grass and pink muhly spots in Seoul

Noeul Park

노을공원 (Noeul Park, “Sunset Park”) is the second landfill hill, directly west of Haneul Park. It is less about a single field of grass and more about space: wide lawns, a park golf course, a campsite, outdoor sculptures and an observation deck facing the river. Seoul Parks describes it as the place to see Seoul’s most beautiful sunset, and it earns that. Pair it with Haneul Park on the same afternoon. Route 2 of the electric shuttle goes to the top, one way only. The park is closed at night to protect wildlife.

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Olympic Park

Olympic Park in Songpa-gu is Seoul’s easiest pink muhly outing. The city’s own media hub has featured the pink muhly beside the wildflower area near 몽촌토성 (Mongchon Fortress), about 10 minutes on foot from exit 2 of Hanseong Baekje Station (Line 9). Planting changes from year to year, so check recent photos before crossing the city for it alone.

The flower fields are the more reliable part. In its 2023 bloom notice, the park operator listed yellow cosmos at 들꽃마루 (Deulkkotmaru) A, near South Gate 2, from mid-September to early November, and sensation cosmos at Deulkkotmaru B, near the Rose Square, from mid-October to early November. Entry is free.

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Yangjaecheon

The Yangjaecheon stream in Seocho and Gangnam has silver grass and reeds planted along its walking paths between Yeongdong 3 and 4 bridges. Seoul city has also featured a pink muhly patch under Milmiri Bridge, reached from exit 4 of Maebong Station (Line 3). It peaks later than the parks, usually into mid-November, and it combines well with the stream’s autumn foliage. The pink muhly report is from 2019, so treat that patch as a bonus rather than the reason to go.

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Silver grass day trips from Seoul

Haneul Park is a planted field on a hill. For silver grass on a real mountain ridge, you need to leave the city.

Myeongseongsan and Sanjeong Lake, Pocheon

명성산 (Myeongseongsan) rises above Sanjeong Lake in Pocheon, north of Seoul, and its upper slopes hold one of the best-known silver grass fields in the capital region. The hike from the lake up to the grass takes a couple of hours each way, and the lake itself is an easy walk if you do not want to climb.

Pocheon’s silver grass festival is being held for the 29th time in 2026. According to Newspim and Asia Economy, the city has set it for 16 to 18 October 2026 (opening ceremony on the 17th), with a water fireworks show on the lake, silver grass experience booths, makgeolli tasting and a new rest area with views over both the lake and the grass. Check Pocheon’s tourism site closer to the date. The 2025 edition was free to enter, with some hands-on programmes at 1,000 to 2,000 won.

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Mindungsan, Jeongseon

민둥산 (Mindungsan, 1,119 m) in Jeongseon, Gangwon, is the big one. Its name means “bald mountain”: residents used to burn the slopes to encourage wild greens, and silver grass took over the bare summit. Jeongseon County describes the festival as an annual event running from September to November, with the grass at its peak from mid-October to early November.

For 2026, Kukmin Ilbo and other regional media report that the 31st festival opened on 18 September and runs to 8 November, with a closing fire ritual on the last day, so it is already under way. This is a full-day trip or better an overnight. Jeongseon is far from Seoul, and the climb to the summit is a proper hike.

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Which spot should you pick?

For a first-time visitor with one afternoon, Haneul Park during festival week wins: most grass, least effort, and the only chance to see it lit up at night. Pink muhly hunters should start at Olympic Park. Hikers who want silver grass on a real ridge should give a full day to Myeongseongsan.

🌾 Silver grass and pink muhly spots compared (autumn 2026)

Is pink muhly bad for the environment?

It is not banned, but Korean authorities are wary of it. Pink muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris) is a North American grass that Korean parks and cafés planted widely in the late 2010s because it photographs so well.

In practice this means fewer new pink muhly fields each year and some old ones replaced with native grasses. The practical takeaway: look at recent photos before you travel to a pink muhly spot, and do not take seed heads home.

How to photograph the grass without damaging it

Every autumn Seoul’s grass fields get trampled into bare patches by people stepping in for a better shot. Park staff put up ropes for a reason.