We got a bit of a late start on Cheonghwasan (청화산). After renting a car last-minute (we picked it up at 10 am on a Saturday!), we drove straight to the mountain. On the way, we worried about where we would park and if the trailhead would be clearly marked. Although it was basically in the middle of nowhere, the trailhead for Cheonghwasan was obvious.
Or so it seemed. We did a bit of bushwhacking when the trail promised by our map turned out to be a farm instead. I was so grateful when we finally did emerge onto a wide, proper path: we would climb Cheonghwasan after all!
I was using the HR monitor function on my watch for the first time on this hike. It may not have been the best representation of my fitness. A combination of lack of calories and caffeine overload had me kinda freaking out! I was shaky, my heart was pounding and I had real difficulty warming up and settling in to a normal pace. Kent was far ahead of me all the way up.
He stopped to wait for me on a lookout platform, where we stood still for a spell to admire the view. Then we did a little bit of rope-assisted scrambling on our way to the peak. Up top, we shared the summit with a quiet, friendly man who took our picture and fed us fresh, cool watermelon. This seemed to fix all that ailed me on the climb.
Cheonghwasan’s summit was a cozy one: nestled in the trees and lacking big, open vistas. But we loved the peak nonetheless. After my slow slog up, I wanted to run down,. So when we departed, I led the way. We saw a few more people on their way up the mountain, mostly other couples!
We opted not to revisit our bushwhack, but rather follow a proper trail down to the road. There, we found the biggest stone stele ever that marked a road crossing of the Baekdudaegan! Really cool! We lingered for a while before running down the road and back to the car we’d left in a farmer’s field.
KNOW AND GO! CHEONGHWASAN
TRANSPORTATION
Cheonghwasan is just east of Songnisan National Park! Alas, you can’t connect the two unless you’re really intrepid (willing to hike on closed trails and/or along the highway).
This mountain is also directly west of its nearest urban center, which happens to be Mungyeong – home to Mungyeong Saejae Provincial Park!
Also of note: it’s on the Baekdudaegan – that mountainous spine that divides the watersheds of both North and South Korea.
Obviously there’s a real wealth of connecting hikes to be had here – bear that in mind when planning your Cheonghwasan outing! (The best being the connection to Daeyasan, described in more detail below.)
But also consider that public transit in the region is long and discontinuous. If coming from Seoul, your best option might be to take the express bus to Songnisan, and transfer to a local bus there.
Expect to connect and spend about three hours in transit if coming from Mungyeong. Bus 42 will take you as far as Hwabuk town. Sangju, although slightly further afield, offers a two and a half hour trip on bus 840 that will drop you closer to the trailhead.
For this (and obviously many other) trips, we rented our own wheels so that we could accomplish our mountain goals on our schedule. On this outing, we left the rental just off highway 32 on the side of a small farm road. To find this trailhead while driving, keep your eye peeled to the south of Baekaksan rest area.
HIKE & RUN
Though there’s so much hiking and running you can do from Cheonghwasan, the main route up is short. It’s just 2.6 kilometers from highway 32 to the summit.
But a quick glance at a map illustrates a world of possibilities. To the south, you can connect to Dojangsan (and from there, almost to Songnisan!). To the north is even better: hike over multiple peaks all the way to Daeyasan on a stretch of the Baekdudaegan!
STAY & EAT
Refueling options exist on the map: there’s a restaurant named for Cheonghwasan in a little village to the north of the mountain on highway 32. And then there’s the nearby rest area. We, however, relied on what we brought with us: efficiency being the name of the game on many of our mountain missions, especially after the late start on this one!
In terms of sleeping (and perhaps eating too!), you’d be best served in the Songnisan area where there’s a wealth of options in the tourist village. Sangju, Mungyeong and Cheongju are all nearby to provide still more options.
OTHER NOTES
Cheonghwasan measures in at a height of 970 meters and is listed on the Black Yak 100 summits list: view the notes here.
We hiked up and ran down Cheonghwasan in June 2018, on a brief outing that was just under 6 kilometers in length. We did a straightfoward out-and-back on the most direct trail. However, if we’d known about the link to Daeyasan (and had other plans for transportation), we would have done things differently!
Join us for more mountain exploration on the 120 summits main page! We visited delightful Daeyasan on the same day, and its not to be missed – it’s part of Songnisan National Park!
Happy Cheonghwasan hiking!