Gyeryongsan National Park near Daejeon is probably the park I visited the most during my tenure in Korea, due to its accessibility and proximity to where I lived. The second designated national park in Korea (1968), GyeryongsanNational Park has 20 peaks with Cheonhwangbong being the highest at 845 meters. The name Gyeryong or “Rooster dragon” was given to the mountain, because its ridge line is said to look like a dragon with the crown of a rooster…I’ll let you be the judge of that for yourself. During the Joseon Dynasty, Gyeryongsan was argued to be the capital because of its excellent topographical Feng Shui and many religious services took place there.
Another interesting feature of the park is Nammaetap or Brother and Sister Pagoda. The legend of these pagodas is that after the fall of the Baekje kingdom, a man of royal decent
fled into the woods of Gyeryongsan to become a monk. One day the man saw a tiger that was suffering and helped the tiger by removing a bone that was stuck in its throat. To show its gratitude, the tiger brought a beautiful woman to the man. The man and women grew close, but because of his religious obligations they vowed to be brother and sister. The pagodas are where their sariras are preserved. Gyeryongsan has a number of courses and it’s pretty easy to hit a few peaks in one day, today I’m sharing a few of my favorite hikes.
Donghaksa Hikes
There are several hikes that you can start from near Donghaksa Temple and Cheongjeong Information Center, from this location you can also reach Brother and Sister Pagoda or Nammaetap and you can add in a stop to EunseonWaterfall. It is possible to hike from this entrance to others in point to point hikes, but both the hikes I’ll be covering will start and end in the same part of the park. This is the easiest part of the park to access from Daejeon as a bus runs from the National Cemetary stop on the subway line directly to the Cheongjeong Information Center.
Donghaksa Hike 1
This particular course takes you to three peaks: Sambulbong, Gwaneumbong, and Yeoncheonbong, the waterfall and pagodas. This course is considered more difficult as it has several sections with steep inclines, the hike is about 11.5km and it’s fairly easy to add in additional peaks if time allows.
Donghaksa Hike 2
This out and back hike is friendly to all level of hikers and takes you through the scenic Donghaksa Gorge to Gwaneumbong Peak which is the highest peak in the park. It covers around 4.5km and takes roughly 2 and a half hours. The hike will take you to Eunseon Waterfall, but not Nammaetap.
Gapsa Hikes
Although easier to access from Gongju, which makes it a great option if your exploring the
city for a weekend, it can also be accessed via a series of busses from Daejeon. Home to Gapsa Temple and a number of cultural relics such as; GapsaDongjong and Gaspa Budo, starting from Gapsa is a great way to learn a bit more about Korean history with your hike.
Gapsa Hike 1
This is a point to point course that starts at the GapsaInformation Center and ends at the Cheongjeong Information Center near Donghaksa Temple. A 10.4km hike that allows you to enjoy the scenery of the Orisup Forest, which is famous for apricot flowers in the spring and foliage in fall. The hike takes you to Yeoncheongbong, Gwaneumbong, and Sambulbong peaks, before taking the path to DonghaksaTemple.
Gapsa Hike 2
An easy 3.8km out and back hike from the Gapsa Information Center, this hike takes you Sambulbong Peak and back. With this being a more leisurely hike, you have the chance to also take a walk along the ecological path to learn more about the flora and fauna of the park and to see Gapsa Temple which is quite large and was built over 1,000 years ago, the temple is a very popular destination to see the fall foliage.
Sutonggol Hike
I’ve only done one hike from this area of the park, starting and ending at the Sutonggol Information Center as none of the trails connect to other areas of the park, it is more of a stand alone area. This hike was roughly 8.km and has some steeper sections that can be more challenging to climb. The hike is a large loop that allows you to hit all three of peaks in the area; Dodeokbong, Geumsubong, and Bingyesan. You do miss out on Sutong Waterfall Sutonggol Gorge, which are located in the … valley,I’ve heard it is quite pretty especially when the wild-flowers are in bloom. You can make a different loop through the valley to include the waterfall and gorge
No matter which area of the park you choose to hike from, or time of the year you are exploring, Gyeryongsan offers fun options and chances for great landscape photos. Until next time, happy hiking!
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