We had some trouble finding a place to park in the remote countryside below the ridge. But we could already see that Deokryeongsan (덕룡산) was going to be a very exciting and rocky run!
We got warmed up on a little road first. Reaching the end of the pavement, we headed straight into a bamboo thicket. Then it was onto a twisting, turning trail that took us over rocks and through little glades of trees up to a grassy saddle on the ridge! We were surprised to turn north, but delighted to see a sign at last, pointing our way towards the twin peaks of Deokryeongsan!
On the summit ridge, there were more rocky features and some runnable grassy ridge, and I was delighted by both! But the final climb up Seobong was pretty gnarly! Long, weather-worn ropes dangled over sheets of solid, exposed rock. There were even a few ladders!
Reaching the top, I gasped. Seobong’s summit view was incredible: we could see along the jagged ridge to twin peak Dongbong! Overwhelmed, in quick succession I lost and then found my mittens behind the stele.
Our descent from Seobong was slow and careful, almost immediately followed by a similarly thrilling ascent to Dongbong! On this peak, we met some other friendly hikers also doing the 100 peaks plan. Dongbong was absolutely amazing, featuring a huge hole to jump over, a razor thin ridge balancing act and many more ladders and ropes!
After a little time with Deokryeongsan’s second summit, we retraced our steps: enjoying the ridge once more, then racing down to the car in the last light of the afternoon (sound familiar?). From there, our journey continued with one very long drive exactly diagonally across the country.
KNOW AND GO! DEOKRYEONGSAN
TRANSPORTATION
West of Haenam and south of Gangjin, Deokryeongsan is located near the rugged, southwestern edge of the Korean peninsula. It’s a bit of a journey from elsewhere, but that’s part of what makes Deokryeongsan an adventure!
You can take an intercity bus directly to either town from Seoul and various cities in South Jeolla province. From Gangjin, you can take a number of public buses (#70 and #15-5, for example) to reach Suyang village and the two trailheads nearest the peak. This journey will take about an hour – but you can also hop off slightly earlier at Doam village for a longer hike. From Haenam, the best option appears to be a 40 minute long jaunt on a bus bound for Naedong. Keep your eyes peeled for Osojae: after disembarking, head north on the ridge to reach Deokryeongsan!
It’s fairly remote, so while not essential, driving (or renting a car as necessary) doesn’t hurt. Full disclosure: we used a set of rented wheels to attend a far-away friend’s wedding and sneak in two of our summits on the same weekend!
Also, while you’re in the area, consider visiting some other amazing mountains nearby, like Duryunsan (see below!), Wolchulsan or Dalmasan!
HIKE & RUN
Although access to the summit ridge is via a short trail (1.5 kilometers from the west side!), this mountain’s trails are anything but easy! This is especially true once you’re on the ridge: brace yourself for ropes, rails and rocky scrambles! Note that there are two jagged summits to visit for you to visit here, Seobong and Dongbong (west and east peak, respectively). Be sure to visit both!
If you can’t get enough of this jagged ridge, I’ve got good news for you: there are also options for going long on Deokryeongsan! In fact, this mountain is the beginning of a much longer ridge! If you go south, you’ll reach a junction where you can turn left for Jujaksan or continue along the ridge. If you do the latter, you can reach Duryunsan Provincial Park on foot – and that’s one of my favorites! In theory, and with a not-insignificant amount of bushwhacking or road walking (neither of which I can recommend), you could connect still further to Dalmasan.
Kent and I started and ended in Suyang, north of the lake.
STAY & EAT
You can camp in Jujaksan Natural Recreation Forest near Suyang village! There might be a couple of small pensions or minbaks in the area too. However, be aware that the options in this neck of the woods are not abundant, so you might want to stay elsewhere.
If you want to stay in the general area, consider the cluster of motels near Duryunsan, or stay in either Haenam or Gangjin.
As for Kent and I, we stayed and stocked up in our old hometown of Suncheon! We were actually down south to attend the wedding of a friend of ours, just sneaking in our mountain missions afterwards!
OTHER NOTES
Little Deokryeongsan is just 432 meters high. But don’t be fooled: it’s small stature can’t measures the massive, rocky fun that can be had on this mountain! Accordingly, Deokryeongsan is listed on the Black Yak 100 summits list: view the notes here.
Our Deokryeongsan journey took place in February of 2018. We ran/clambered six kilometers out-and-back to visit the mountain’s twin peaks.
Hop over to the 120 summits main page to keep exploring Korea’s mountains. We also visited Dalmasan on the same day, and so could you, if you wanted to!
Hold onto your hat and happy Deokryeongsan scrambling!