And up we went! Chuwolsan (추월산) was our second mountain of the day, and we were eager to see Damyang Lake from a high vantage point.
The descriptions of Chuwolsan we’d read online had been glowing, so we were shocked by the state of the forest we initially encountered. A thin layer of trees separated the lake shore from a wasteland of deforestation. It was an ecological disaster, in Kent’s apt assessment, hidden just out of view of the highway below.
This was a tough way to start up a mountain, but we didn’t give up on Chuwolsan: it just had to get better from here! We picked our way up a desolate slope, following what we could only guess must have once been the trail (the forestry road we kept crossing didn’t even show up on the map). Sure enough, it was just a few hundred meters of unpleasantness before we were in a living forest.
And thus our hipster ascent of Chuwolsan truly began. We were completely alone on this untrodden trail. The evidence we saw for other people was ancient (rusted cans of discontinued brands of beer, ribbons that had long since lost their writing). It was a little scramble-y, especially in areas that had leaves layered over acorns. This was a combination we compared to marbles plus banana peels; comedic in its slipperiness.
We had glimpses of the incredibly rocky face of the mountain through the foliage as we climbed up, up, up. It felt tough and relentless after we’d already put a significant number of kilometers and vert under our feet that morning. But we were really excited to meet a new peak and challenge ourselves, so we kept pushing on.
We traversed a rocky area above a cliff that dropped nearly down to the lake below, and continued to climb. Eventually we reached the main trail, just below Chuwolsan’s rocky ridge. There were a ton of hikers up there, many of whom were surprised to see us pop out from nowhere: the place where our trail met the main was especially steep and so we were probably invisible until we were pulling ourselves hand over foot onto it!
We joined busloads of other folks enjoying a pretty peak, on this fine, warm-enough-to-be-spring afternoon! The signs we’d been following promised a Boriam summit, which we didn’t quite understand. Was it a peak? A hermitage?
Boriam wound up being a very popular peak, complete with an ice-cream vendor! Kent had a melon popsicle and we were both very happy about this. It was a morale boost for us both, and we always like to support the vendors who hike up with their wares – what a cool side hustle for a mountain lover!
From there, Chuwolsan’s main peak was another 1.5 kilometers away. We were tired, slightly overwhelmed by the plentiful people, and there’s no denying that the air quality was poor – but we’d finally reached the beautiful views we expected to find! That, and the popsicle, helped to refresh us and keep us going strong.
Traveling down the ridge, we found a little tower in a field of grass, and several pretty rock outcrops from which we could gaze out towards the next one and guess at whether or not it could be the peak!
We were able to run on this ridge, and it was fun. I think we appreciated it all the more after all the slow, slippery climbing we’d done to reach the summit ridge. I was glad that we’d come to Chuwolsan; that we’d persevered.
Of course, we couldn’t expect to have the peak all to ourselves: it was the middle of the day – a Sunday – during fine hiking weather! But we’d beat the bulk of a huge tour group to the top of Chuwolsan, and some of the folks waiting in line generously let us cut in a take a few quick pics.
Although a little sad not to be able to do my usual summit lurking, I was happy that my impression of Chuwolsan had completely changed after experiencing its high ridge and multiple peaks. It’s a beautifully rugged mountain, with incredible views of the lake below.
The idea of descending to the parking lot via a new trail and then running along the road back to the car was tempting. However, we ultimately decided to return the way we’d come up. I was a little tentative, worrying about the extra steep and slippery bits being, as always, much more difficult on the descent. We were also tired. But more toughness training awaited us.
Back we went, and I was surprised to find myself glad that we were retracing our steps! Nobody took a tumble, and I’d conquered the little fear that had bloomed in me. I realized that the slippery bits just punctuated nice bits of running, quietly and alone, through a pretty fall forest. Things felt right in my world.
It’s always a little hard to say goodbye to a mountain. We zipped down the final few hundred meters of devastation to the car, where I did a stretch session on a bench near the car (luckily I didn’t find any of puddles of puke from earlier!).
Hopping back in the car, we quickly realized that our adventurous day was far from over. It was going to be a much longer drive than we’d anticipated: we were 5.5 hours from home!
We thought this was our ‘type B’ fun for the day: a very long journey by car after our very long journey by foot. But, to make matters worse, our rental car’s GPS was really outdated, and we accidentally relied on it at a crucial junction. Instead of swinging around Daejeon to the northeast, we went straight north towards Seoul, directly into the worst traffic we’ve ever been in.
Several more mistakes borne of tiredness and stress added up to make our return drive EIGHT HOURS LONG – way longer than our training run! We had to call the rental company and explain that we’d bring the car back tomorrow.
But you know what? We did make it home, safe and sound, with quite an adventure story to tell! Our Gangcheonsan to Chuwolsan epic was so worth it.
KNOW AND GO! CHUWOLSAN
TRANSPORTATION
You can transport yourself on foot if you’re coming from Gangcheonsan! At least, that’s what we did. There are, of course, a few other options too!
Chuwolsan is located between Naejangsan National Park in the west and Gangcheonsan in the east. Damyang is certainly the closest town, not to mention a nice place to stay! Take bus 60-1 to reach the nearest trailhead in just 30 minutes. Or, take the same bus an additional minutes to reach the main trailhead, just a little further north.
If you’ll be traveling to the area by rail, Jeongeup has a KTX station and is another good base. From there, you can take a Sunchang-bound bus and get out at Dapdong village to reach the most northerly trailhead (connect on the aptly named Gain road) or continue on to Yoongdong village and connect to bus 60-1 going in the opposite direction! Both options will take about two hours.
Driving is another option (unless you live in Gangwondo and need to return the same day as your run, that is).
HIKE & RUN
…over from Gangcheonsan for a big adventure!
The longest route on Chuwolsan is the trail along the mountain’s spine, which runs north to south. Access is primarily from the east side of the mountain. Although there are two trailheads on the western side, they don’t seem to be served by public transit.
The route we took, heading up on the mountain’s southern slopes, ranks highly for challenge but not as highly for scenery, due to some deforestation in the area. It’s actually an interesting old route, once you get past the past the first few hundred meters!
STAY & EAT
Jeongeup, while further away, is the largest city in the area near Naejangsan. I’ve had good experiences both staying there and eating mountain veg meals! Damyang is a whole lot closer and is a tourist destination in its own right. I’ve also had good experiences staying there!
If you’re looking to be a little closer to Chuwolsan, you’re in luck! There are all kinds of food and accommodation options on the northwestern arm of Damyang Lake. Your choices start in the parking lot (where you’ll also find the main trailhead), but extend up the 29 highway to the junction with the 792. Additionally, there’s a campground located north of the 792 near Yoongdong village.
OTHER NOTES
Chuwolsan can be found on the Korea Forest Service 100 noted mountains list, available here.
The summit of Chuwolsan measures in at 726 meters, this height made all the more dramatic by its lakeside location!
Kent and I ran up and down Chuwolsan in November 2018. We climbed two of our 120 summits on this eventful 32 kilometer run, starting with Gangcheonsan!
So many more mountains await you on the 120 summits main page.
Be open to adventures of all kinds, on Chuwolsan or wherever the trails lead you today!