This is a major mountain: a high peak on the Baekdudaegan mountain spine. But Kent and I had a funny, odd little experience on Deokhangsan (덕항산).
Perhaps it’s where we started. Although we would have loved to explore more of Korea’s definitive ridge, now was not the time to do so. Deokhangsan was our second mountain on a short winter day, so we sought out the quickest way up.
This trailhead was very remote. To access it, we drove up a long, winding mountain road and found ourselves at…an abbey? A monastery? A cluster of stylized stone buildings really surprised us. An internet search later reveal this to be Jesus Abbey, but for for the moment, we were mystified!
The route up to Deokhangsan’s peak from the abbey was short. It was part road and part trail, and all snowy. We hurried up this route to keep the chill of the afternoon at bay.
Soon, we were back on the Baekdudaegan, with views from the roof of Korea! The summit ridge was forested, but thinly, so we had a few excellent views to the east from this high vantage point.
Deokhangsan isn’t a very prominent peak. It’s simply the highest point on the ridge. There are numerous directional signs and a very small stone stele to mark this otherwise unprepossessing spot on the trail.
We’ve perhaps gotten used to dramatic steles and observation platforms on Korea’s summits! Deokhangsan made no such statements about itself, but we were happy to be there nonetheless. All peaks are precious.
Continuing on down the ridge, we encountered a huge hiking group! We were coming from opposite directions, so we greeted one another as Kent and I passed through their midst. They were doing a much longer hike than we were, and getting ready to stop for a late lunch at the summit. I admit that we were slightly jealous of their point-to-point route on Deokhangsan, but we had also enjoyed an adventurous, multi-mountain day!
Gubusiryeong was a hilltop junction on Deokhangsan’s long ridge. We stopped there to take in the views once again, and add a stone to the wishing tower.
Then we hustled back down from whence we’d come to avoid becoming icicles – and to wrap up our very first road trip in Korea by returning the rental car on time!
KNOW AND GO! DEOKHANGSAN
TRANSPORTATION
I won’t joke around, Deokhangsan is pretty remote! Deep in southern Gangwon province, the nearest settlements are Samcheok in the northeast and Taebaek to the southwest.
The best public transit option is to take the Hwanseongol bus or bus 61-1 from Samcheok. This will take about 90 minutes and deposit you in Daei village/valley, from where you can begin the climb.
Taking the train isn’t really recommended. Although you can take a slow train to one of many small villages on the eastern slopes of the mountain (like Machari – green tea village!), there are no trailheads on this side of Deokhangsan.
Another route is to bus into Taebaek. From there, you can transfer to the daeche bus bound for Yeosuwon, which will take just under an hour. You might want to tell the driver where you’re headed so he knows where to stop.
Alternatively, save time and not money by renting a car. For the fastest mountain access, take highway 35 directly north from Taebaek, or connect to it by way of the 28 if coming from Donghae. The area below Deokhangsan doesn’t have a village and there are very few landmarks. But you can use Naver maps to spy the main entrance, which is past a church and across a bridge over the Golji stream. Search for Yeosuwon.
HIKE & RUN
Deokhangsan is another peak on the Baekdudaegan, the mountainous spine that divides Korea into distinct eastern and western halves. This is great news for long hikes and runs: you can do really big adventures to or from Deokhangsan!
The shortest way up the mountain is from directly below it on the west side, starting from Yeosuwon. However, there’s a lot of scenery around, so you might want to consider making one of a number of possible loops. For a small loop, you can take in Gumisabong in addition to Deokhangsan’s main peak. A longer loop, especially if hiking from Daei village, could incorporate the caves and waterfalls in that area.
STAY & EAT
Limited options exist in Daei village, if you’re starting your climb from the east. There are no convenient options on the western side of Deokhangsan. Consider staying in Taebeak or Samcheok – or somewhere in between: Dogye has multiple motels, for example!
We drove home after our Deokhangsan outing, and spent the previous night at the foot of Eungbongsan.
As for eating, there do seem to be a handful of restaurants in the Daei area – but there are zero options on the west side, so come prepared. For our two-day, four-mountain trip, we brought a 2 pound bag of carrots, a similarly sized one of apples and about 20 PB&J sandwiches – and now you know how it’s done!
OTHER NOTES
Deokhangsan’s 1071 meter summit commands excellent views of the valleys below the mountain and sea of nearby peaks. It’s on both the Korea Forest Service and Black Yak 100 summits lists – see the former here and the latter here.
Kent and I did a short outing on Deokhangsan: we did a loop of just under 5 kilometers in February of 2018. Earlier in the day, we climbed Eungbongsan; the previous day we explored Dutasan and Hambaeksan!
Find more mountains on the 120 summits main page, and enjoy your Deokhangsan excursion!
