How many steps to the top of Wat Saket (the Golden Mount)?
The hill is entirely artificial: an earlier chedi collapsed into a mud mound during the reign of Rama III, and rather than clear it the mound was reinforced with concrete and built on. The 344 steps spiral around the outside past bells and prayer flags, so the climb is a circumambulation rather than a staircase. In the nineteenth century the temple was where Bangkok's cholera dead were brought, and vultures gathered on the mount. It is one of the few high points in an otherwise flat city.
The numbers
- Steps
- 344
- Reaches
- the golden chedi at the top of the artificial hill, at 58 m
- Public access
- Open to climb
- Where
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Height climbed
- 58 m — 190 ft
- Average rise per step
- 169 mm
What the climb is like
15 minutes, shaded and gentle. One of the easier temple climbs in Southeast Asia.
Published counts for the same structure routinely disagree by five to ten per cent, and nearly always for one of three reasons: whether intermediate landings count as steps, whether the final platform step counts, and where the climb is deemed to start. The figure here says what it reaches.
How it compares
Only the ones marked open to climb can actually be walked.
| Structure | Steps | Reaches | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Castillo, Chichén Itzá | 365 | the temple at the top of the pyramid — climbing has been prohibited since 2006 | Not climbable by the public |
| United States Capitol dome | 365 | the top of the dome — staff-escorted tours only | Not climbable by the public |
| Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey | 350 | the abbey church and the west terrace, from the village entrance | Open to climb |
| Wat Saket (the Golden Mount) | 344 | the golden chedi at the top of the artificial hill, at 58 m | Open to climb |
| Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) | 334 | the belfry, where the Great Bell hangs | Restricted — events or permit only |
| Washington National Cathedral central tower | 333 | the top of the Gloria in Excelsis tower, the highest point in the city | Restricted — events or permit only |
| Strasbourg Cathedral | 332 | the platform at 66 m, at the base of the spire | Open to climb |
Common questions
- How many steps to the top of Wat Saket (the Golden Mount)?
- 344, reaching the golden chedi at the top of the artificial hill, at 58 m.
- Can the public climb Wat Saket (the Golden Mount)?
- Open to climb. 15 minutes, shaded and gentle. One of the easier temple climbs in Southeast Asia.
- How high is that climb?
- 58 m, about 190 ft, which averages 169 mm per step.
Related pages
- Temples All 7 here
- How many steps up Batu Caves? 272 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up El Castillo, Chichén Itzá? 365 steps · not climbable by the public
- How many steps up Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suea)? 1,237 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up Wat Phra That Doi Suthep? 306 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up Mount Haguro stone stairway? 2,446 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up Kotohira-gū (Konpira-san)? 1,368 steps · open to climb
Sources
- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)