Korean Trails

North across Hwawang Highland Basin to Hwawang-san (left), with Biseul-san in the far distance filling the saddle

Hwawang-san is the dominant peak of the Yeolwang-jimaek, a connected group of four ridges which fork off the Biseul-jimaek range, and divide Changnyeong County in the west with Milyang City to the East. The ridges run south and west to the Nakdong River, shaping its eastern bend to Busan, having run largely north-south from Mungyeong in Gyeongsangbuk-do.

Hwawang-san stands on a western fork of this system, rising sharply above wetland running east from the Nakdong river to Changnyeong town, which lies directly below its summit, on the northern edge of the county park.

Western Circuit. Changnyeong Entrance - Hwawang-san - Hwawang-sanseong - Changnyeong Entrance.

The western trailhead from Changnyeong, up the Chiha-gok gorge, is the most popular entrance to the park, and is the most direct route to the summit of Hwawang-san.

From town to the entrance is easy enough, it's just the highest street, and the only road that runs into the mountain.

The paved road into the mountain runs just over a kilometre from the ticket booth to the Buddhist hermitage of Doseong-am, passing a dozen or so restaurants and cafes which line the road next to the stream.

Doseong-am 도성암

Doseong-am was established in 809 by the monk Jiwol, during the reign of Silla Dynasty King Hyeondeok, however it was burnt completely to the ground during the Imjin Japanese Invasion of the late 16th century. For 200 years thereafter the area remained vacant, with just burnt stone pillars giving any sign of its former presence.

The area was considered to have bad pungsu-jiri , and a series of accidents and tragedies occurred on the steep slopes around the vacant temple location.

The steep Northern Face of Hwawang-san

The trail heads into the trees to the right of Doseong-am's carpark, and climbs north-east to the summit ridge. It's only a short hike (1.5km) but its a hell of a steep one, over the first half in particular, before reaching the ridge and becoming a gentle easterly stroll to the summit, the highest point on the northwestern edge of the highland basin.

The summit is celebrated by a large grey stone stele, which looks out west over Changnyeong town, the Upo Wetlands, and the Nakdong river. On a clear day you will see Gaya-san to the north-west, and Jiri-san to the west. The mountain directly north is Biseul-san, while to the east are the major peaks of the western Yeongnam Alps; Unmun-san, Gajii-san, Cheonhwang-san and Jaeyak-san. 

The Eastern Fortress, stretching to Nam-bong

Hwawang Mountain Fortress is thought to have been built in the 5th or 6th century, during the dying stages of the Gaya confederacy, and was in sporadic use right up until the middle years of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897).

The fortress walls stretch 2.7km above the forbidding cliffs of the mountain, encircling the high grassy plateau and basin, which served as an excellent long-term strategic military location during periods of conflict and unrest. The eastern walls of the fortress were built of stones, and after recent restoration, including the rebuild of the eastern gate, look brand-spanking new. The western walls, standing above the already formidable western cliffs, were made from a mix of stone and soil, and are not as prominent, in places non-existent.

In the lowest point of the grasslands, one of the large catchment pools remains in the swampy low highlands, and looks to have been recently restored. It's quite impressive really, probably 6m x 6m at a guess, and would make for a great mountain-top bath - if the waters had some flow and were a bit cleaner.

A large stone monument between the pool and the east gate tells the origin story of the Changnyeong "Jo" family, and suggests that pools have been present on the mountain top for a millennia before The Red General.

It was here, during the reign of Silla King Jinpyeong (579-631), that Yehyang, the ailing daughter of royal scholar Yi Gwang-ok, took a bath to treat her illness. The story I heard gives no indication as to whether she bathed alone, but upon returning from the mountain Yehyang began showing signs of pregnancy. An angel identified the baby as the son of a dragon, and foretold that he would bear a dragon's mark.

Yehyang had a boy with a prominent birthmark under his armpit, in the shape of the chinese character "Jo". Upon hearing this story King Jinpyeong sent for the boy, and confirmed the tale. He granted him the family name "Jo", and named him Gyeryong (Dragon), Jo Gye-ryong; the founder of the Changnyeong Jo's - proudest family in the county.

The 2.4m high monument was erected and inscribed in 1897 by one of Dragon's descendents, Jo Shin-yeong, the then governer of the province.

From the eastern gate a dirt road runs east just over a kilometre to the film set of "Heo-jun", a popular TV show about the life of the famous court physician of the same name (Heo-jun 1539-1615). From here trails run south east a further 1.5km to the summit of Gwanryong-sa (753m), continuing on down to the Okcheon entrance at Gwanryong-sa.

The Jo foundation legend is referred to in the Illustrated National Geography (1760's), Towns in Gyeongsangdo (1832), and Towns in Yongnam (1895)

North along the ridge to Hwawang-san, the outer shoulder trail to Doseong-am in centre.

For returning to the Changnyeong entrance there is the option of taking a direct, central track down from the west gate, where picnic tables are set up in summer months, and a lovely couple sell refreshments - this track will get you back to the Doseong-am junction in 1.2km.

I chose to walk south along the ridge a while, then take the outer southern shoulder down to Doseong-am.

Climbing south out of the basin the grassland ends at a massive rock called Bae-bawi. From here the landscape becomes extremely rocky, a complete contrast to the grasslands of the Hwawang plateau. The trail enters low forest and follows the "Jongju" (ridge apex) south-west toward the looming cliffs of the north-facing shoulders.

Jaha-jeong Jeongja

You'll meet the junction down to Doseong-am about 1km south-east of Bae-bawi. From here it's just over 1.3km down to the hermitage.

It's possible to keep walking along the southern ridge, which ends about 3-4km further at the pass of Bideul-jae 비들재, where a rarely used road runs throught the mountains from Changnyeong to Okcheon.

This trail down from the ridge is a real doozy, winding through a landscape of massive granite boulders, which could be a lot of fun for anyone who likes an off trail scramble.

1km down from the ridge the trail meets a large jeongja (right), from where the trail enters shade forest, following small cairns through an exercise/picnic park, and down a short stretch of road to the Doseong-am juction.

Soi-salmusa 쇠살무사 pit-viper

It might be worth mentioning that along the rocky trail leading to Doseong-am, I saw two of these snakes.

As anyone who walks Korea will know, it's not unusual to see the odd snake, but to see two of the same species over the space of a couple hundred metres may suggest it's a favourite spot for them.

The Salmusa 살무사 , and the Soi-salmusa 쇠살무사 are vipers, and apparently pack a pretty nasty punch. There are a few sub-species with different colours and markings than the one on the left, but they all seem to blend in pretty well!

It might be wise to pay attention to the track in these areas :)

South over Yongseon-dae and the Okcheon Valley

The Okcheon entrance to the park is near the end of pleasant country road 1080, running north east up the Okcheon valley from Gyeseong-myeon, the small town some 7km south of Changnyeong. The road passes through quaint farmland, a number of shrines and temples, and the Okcheon resorvoir, alongside of which are a number of nice looking cafes and restaurants.

This is a much more scenic entrance to the mountain than that in Changnyeong, and there is a sense of a long history in this idyllic countryside, certainly the most famous temples reside on this side of the mountain, facing south from the face of Gwanryong-san.

Guardian Deities of Gwanryong-sa lower entrance. Male left and female right

The road up to Gwanryong-sa follows first the narrowing Gyeseong stream, before turning off at the entrance to Okcheon-saji, the ruins of former Okcheon-sa temple, which unfortunately I was too late to visit on my way down the mountain, but looks a very popular destinantion (for these parts anyway).

A few hundred metres before reaching the temple itself are the old stone guardians of Gwanryong-sa, which are quite unique in my experience, with their big bulging eyes they look a little like the famous guardians of Jeju Island.

Gwanryong-sa and Byeongpung-bawi ridge of Gwanryong-san (753m)

Nestled under the southern face of Gwanryong-san, or Guryong-san (the mountain of nine dragons), Gwanryong-sa is the largest and most important temple in Hwawang-san County Park, and one of the eight major temples of Silla.

There are two possible dates for Gwanryong-sa's foundation during the Silla Dynasty, either in 349 during the reign of King Heulhae, or in 583 by the monk Jeungbeop-guksa during the reign of King Jinpyeong. Either way it's early history was shaped by the great traveling monk Wonhyo-daesa (618-86).

Trails to Gwanryong-san

There is a nice little circuit 2.5km from Gwanryong-sa to Yongseon-dae, and up to the Bunpyeong-bawi rock face to Gwanryong-san and back down to the temple.

From the north-eastern edge of Gwangryong-san a trail heads to the Hajun film set and across to Hwawang-san.

I'm kicking myself a bit for not getting up this side of the mountain beyond Yongseon-dae, but such is the life of the weekend warrior!

I reckon I'll be back to have a proper look up Gwanryong-san, and check out it's high hermitage, Cheongryong-am.

Transport

To Changnyeong

Cheongnyeong has it's own exit on the Jungbunaeryuk Expressway 45.

The exit is west of town, the expressway exits onto National Highway 20 which takes you east into the town.

Non expressway drivers coming from the north in south will arrive on NH 5, which runs from Masan in the south to Daegu in the north.

Coming from the east (Ulsan/Milyang) follow NH24 west to Changnyeong.

The County Seat of Changnyeong (pop. 75,000) occupies the flat, fertile ground east of the Nakdong River and the famous Upo Wetlands to the Peaks of Hwawang-san. The town doesn't get high tourist numbers, but is a pleasant place with some interesting things to see in addition to Upo, and is the hub for both major entrances to the mountain.

The old market and downtown is centred around a nice park at the foot of Hambaek-san, a foothill of Hwawang-san. At the parks centre is a large single grasstopped structure, which looks identical to an old Silla tomb. This is the old town refrigerater, thought to have been built in the early 18th century. Made with thick clay walls, and a complex ventilation system the fridge could apparently keep ice in its solid state throughout the summer months.

Changnyeong Yeongsan Man-nyeon-gyo

For bridge lovers, Changnyeong boasts two fine design examples from their respective periods of history.

Yeongsan Mannyeon-gyo crosses the Yeongsan-cheon stream as it meanders through Hoguk Park in the centre of Yeongsan-myeon, just south of Gyeseong town. The bridge was first built in 1780 by the reknowned rock-mason Baek Jin-gi, and rebuilt by mason Kim Nae-gyeong in 1892. "Mannyeon-gyo's unique curves and arches remind one of a rainbow on the surface of the water" - translated from local info.

Namjicheol-gyo- bridge

Namjicheol-gyo is certainly the most stylish entry point to Changnyeong, crossing the Nakdong River from Namji-eup in southern Changnyeong to Gyenae-ri in Haman-gun.

The truss constructed iron bridge was built in 1931, during the most recent of Japanese occupations of Korea, and is regarded as one of the most beautiful iron bridges built during the time, particularly noted for its subtle 'wave-rise' shape.

Beside the large traffic bridge is a pedestrian bridge, well worth checking out.