SONGNISAN (속리산) Hiking Routes

HIKE 1: THE CHUNGBUK RIDGE LOOP – 17.9 km / 4.5 hours
Difficulty Rating: 3 - Intermediate

I chose to do a loop this time around, starting at Beopjusa, climbing to Cheonhwangbong, continuing across the ridge to Munjangdae, and returning to Beopjusa from there (see map in previous post). It’s a nice easy, half-day hike overall. The 7.0 km from the temple to Cheonhwangbong is not particularly steep or rugged. In fact, the first 4.2 km is a gravel road rather than a hiking path, which winds alongside a placid lake. The last 2.8 km to the peak follows a well-maintained footpath with stone steps. Views of the valley are scattered here and there once you break from the trees. Unfortunately, it rained for the first 2 hours of my hike, so I could see very little below me. It took me about 90 minutes to reach Cheonhwangbong at a steady pace.

From there it took another hour to do the 4 km along the ridge to Munjangdae. The ridge section, which is studded with interesting rock formations like Ipseokdae and Gyeongeopdae, has little in the way of elevation change, so you can move at quite a rapid pace.

Once at Munjangdae, the weather cleared a little and I was able to look north over an impressive collection of small mountains nestled in the clouds. Munjangdae is famous, because King Sejo supposedly recited a poem at the spot. Now a set of steel steps leads up the side of the rock to the top. The top of the rock is fairly small and can become crowded quickly. If I do this hike again, I’ll get there earlier in the morning before most of the pack gets going. There’s a small store just below Munjangdae that sells water and snacks and blares the Korean national anthem at an obnoxious volume from time to time (luckily you can’t hear it at the top).

Ideally, if you had more time than I did, you could continue west for 11.2 km and eventually end up at the end of the Chungbuk Alps in Shinjeong-ri. Getting an early start, it would be possible to do the entire thing in one day and head home from Shinjeong-ri.

The 7.1 km trek from Munjangdae back down to Beopjusa takes about 90 minutes, passing through lush forest areas and by small waterfalls. The entire route has good signage, both in Korean and English.



HIKE 2: BEOPJUSA-MUNJANGDAE LOOP - 15.5 km / 3.5 hours
Difficulty Rating: 3 - Intermediate

The route begins at Beopjusa, ascends to Munjangdae, via the (A) Trail, and returns to Beopjusa, via the (B) Trail.

HIKE 3: BEOPJUSA-MUNJANGDAE ALTERNATE LOOP - 17 km / 4.5 hours
Difficulty Rating: 3 - Intermediate

The route begins at Beopjusa, ascends to Munjangdae, via the (B) Trail, continues to Shinseondae, and then descends to Beopjusa, via the (C) Trail.

HIKE 4: BEOPJUSA-MUNJANGDAE-CHEONHWANGBONG LOOP - 19 km / 4.5 hours
Difficulty Rating: 4 - Strenuous

The route begins at Beopjusa, ascends to Munjangdae, via the (B) Trail, crosses the ridge to Cheonhwangbong, and returns to Beopjusa, via the (D) Trail.



HIKE 5: BEOPJUSA TO SHINJEONG VILLAGE - 29 km / 7-7.5 hours
Difficulty Rating: 5 - Very Strenuous

The route begins at Beopjusa, ascends to Cheonhwangbong, crosses the entire ridge (past Munjangdae, Gwaneumbong, and Myobong), and finishes at Shinjeong Village.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Start early. The earlier, the better. Small national parks like this one are flooded with pushy, noisy local day-hikers from about 10 AM on-ward. If you want to enjoy nature with relative peace and quiet, time it so you can be on your way down by the time the crowd arrives.

(Contributed by Alex)

GAJISAN (가지산) Provincial Park: The Basics

CLICK here for high resolution printable trail map (999 KB).

Gajisan Provincial Park is located between Miryang, Ulsan, Cheongdo, and Gyeongju, about 90 minutes north of Busan by bus. The mountains are part of the Baekdu-Daegan Mountain System and are popularly referred to as the Yeongnam Alps. A Korean tourist website for the park boasts that the “balanced beauty and heroic feature (sic) are greater than the Alps in Europe.” Though it’s probably hard to take such a strong claim seriously, these mountains are very beautiful and definitely worth some exploration.

At the top of Gajisan--the highest peak--you can look north over a tumbled landscape of mountains reaching into the distance. The northern portion of the region includes Gajisan (1,240 m) and Unmunsan (1,188 m) peaks, as well as the famous rocky points, Ssalbawi and Gwibawi. There’s nothing here that warrants multi-day hikes, but there are lots of options for half or full-day excursions.

ENTRANCES TO THE PARK

The primary entrances to Gajisan Provincial Park are at its four major Buddhist temples:

(1) Seongnamsa (Temple) in the southeast near Eonyang and Ulsan
(2) Unmunsa in the north near Cheongdo
(3) Daebisa in the northwest
(4) Seokgolsa in the west near Miryang

GETTING THERE

From Busan, there are two options:

(1) Take an intercity bus from Nopodong Terminal to Eonyang Terminal and tranfer to a local bus for Seongnamsa (25 min).

BUSAN Nopo-dong Terminal ► EONYANG Bus Terminal
Fare: W3,200
06:30 ◄ 20 buses per day ► 21:00
Duration: 40 minutes

(2) Take Busan City Bus #12 from Beomosa Subway Station, Yangsan City Hall, or Dongnae Lotte Department Store. It runs all the way to Eonyang Terminal, but because it makes frequent stops, it takes longer to get there. Once in Eonyang, you still have to transfer to a local bus for Seongnamsa.
Fare: W2,300
Duration: 90 minutes

SLEEPING AND EATING

There is a good selection of motels and minbak not far from the Seongnamsa parking lot, where the bus drops hikers. Head down the main road back towards Eonyang. It’s a 10 minute walk. As usual, bargain with the proprietors. A typical minbak should have clean, simple rooms for a single person for around W20,000 (W30,000 for two people). There are a few ratty restaurants and a row of identical convenience stores in the Seongnamsa parking lot, but not many other choices for food.

SEONGNAMSA

Seongnamsa stands just below the main ridge at Gajisan. Though small, I found the temple complex to be one of the most visually satisfying, perhaps because of the influence of its residents. The temple is occupied entirely by nuns. Important relics include a round stone tower, which contains the remains of the temple’s founder, and a 3-tier stone pagoda. If you go there in the evening, you can witness the prayer ceremony, where dozens of nuns sit together facing the primary prayer hall and chant together as the light fades from the sky. It happens around 6 PM.