My (almost) namesake mountain: Garisan (가리산)! I remember the first time I saw this mountain: we were on the bus, heading from Seoul to Inje. We were carting all of our possessions across the country because we were about to move into our new home. It was late January. Fat snowflakes swirled outside. I had been watching them when my gaze landed on a tower high on a mountain ridge. What was that?
From then on, every time we traveled west of Inje, I looked for that tower. I noticed other details on each successive trip. There were three rocky peaks up there too, visible only from certain angles. My curiosity piqued, Kent and I looked this mysterious mountain up on a map. It was Garisan, and we were going to have to pay it a visit!
The time for our visit came in June 2017. Although Garisan is fairly remote – almost exactly in between Inje and Hongcheon – it was not difficult for us to get to. There is a little orange and white bus that regularly drives the route between the two Gangwon-do towns. We hopped on the first bus of the day to begin our adventure!
Honestly, even the bus ride was fun! We bumped along narrow countryside roads, peering into valleys and villages that we never have otherwise never seen. It was neither direct nor speedy, but it was definitely interesting.
Eventually, our bus dropped us at the side of the highway near a junction and a busy little restaurant. The trails began somewhere up a paved access road, but we would begin here. We strapped on our vests and set off, running up the road.
After about 4 kilometers. we reached Garisan Recreational Forest. This, we learned, is an area set up for camping and relaxing in the forest. A parking lot was full, and there were families everywhere. There was even a place for playing paintball! But we were forest-bound.
Almost as soon as we entered the forest, we began to climb. We were ascending on a long seam; a spur of Garisan’s main ridge. The forest here was not so dense that we couldn’t see down to the valleys to either side. But mostly, we concentrated on the trail and running uphill as swiftly as we could.
Up on the main ridge, we were surprised to discover a fork in the road. We had not expected there to be multiple trails up here, let alone routes to other peaks and descents to other villages! It was exciting and we felt tempted to explore more. But Garisan’s main peak was our mission for this day, and we proceeded with it.
Despite Garisan’s relative remoteness, far from any major population center, the trails were well-trafficked, trimmed and signposted. There were actually a variety of signs and maps alongside the trail. So we proceeded with ease: running along the ridge towards our target, in the cool shade of the forest.
Then, another fork in the road! One option was a direct route to the peak of Garisan; the other, a route over some nearby peaks simply named 1, 2 and 3. Of course, we chose the path to the bonus peaks!
Immediately after turning right, the dirt trail we’d been treading ended abruptly. In front of us was a massive rock wall. A long railing indicated the way up, and there were individual metal rings that could be used as steps or hand-holds. We began to climb.
We popped out above the forest on top of a rocky cliff. The first thing I noticed was how very green that forest was! From above, it was clear that Garisan’s forest was thriving in the warm sunlight of early summer. Then, I had a look around. The promised peaks were actually three massive boulders, perhaps the very ones we’d seen from the highway! They were clustered together, but with steep drops down to the forest in between.
All alone, we dropped our packs and spent some time hopping from one rock to another. We had incredible views! To the south-east, we could see all the way back down to the highway. We also had an eagle’s eye view of the recreational forest. But it was the north-west that was the most captivating. The forest dropped away sharply towards a lake. Ridges running downward folded and forked, making secret little valleys; unseen by human eyes. There were no forest roads or power towers marring the view. It looked like a real wilderness, and we wondered about what little lives were happening there.
When two other hikers joined us on the rocks, we decided we’d better carry on – to Garisan! The main peak had a large summit stele and a plaque on its flat top. I was delighted to pose with the stele of this mountain, whose name bears such a resemblance to mine! Although still impressive, the views from here were not as amazing as those that we’d had from the rocks. Trees ringed the summit, giving it a cozy feeling.
A few steps down the other side of the summit, we had another vista to enjoy. From here, we had great views of the tower that had originally caught my attention! But our illusions about this being a pristine forest vanished. We gazed over a huge swath of deforested land that stretched between us and the tower. A thin, minor trail lead through the tree trunks towards the tower. I had so wanted to visit that tower! But I didn’t want to pass through the remains of the forest; it seemed too sad. Ultimately, we decided to descend through the forest on the main trail.
Back down we went, and back along the road. We ran until we got to the highway, and there we stopped. We stepped into the little restaurant for some lunch and to reminisce about our Garisan adventures. This mountain had provided us with a great day of mountain running. And I was so happy to have finally seen this highway beacon up close!
Know and Go! Garisan
Transportation
I truly believe we live in the best place in Korea. Inje’s proximity to this mountain and others – including Seoraksan National Park – make it kind of a paradise for trail running. In this case, it made it really easy to go to Garisan for a quick morning trip.
The town of Hongcheon is actually somewhat closer and has jurisdiction over the mountain. Unless you live in Hongcheon, chances are you will be coming from far away. The good news is that Hongcheon is well-served by the Dong-Seoul bus terminal. You can get from Seoul to Hongcheon in about an hour. Chuncheon and Wonju are slightly closer still, and also have direct bus routes. So actually, you too could make this a day trip if you’re based in one of those places!
From Hongcheon, you can take one of the local buses that ply the route between Hongcheon and Inje. Depending on which bus you take (they all have slightly different routes to serve small communities), you should be at the base of Garisan in 30-45 minutes. It’s a bit of a journey for a taxi, so I’d definitely recommend taking the bus. But remember, the mountain trail is still a fair ways up the road from the bus stop.
Hike & Run
When I initially researched our route, it seemed as though there was just one big loop, starting and ending in the recreational forest. But the ridge actually extends really far to the north! There are several peaks along the way, and multiple ways down to Soyanggang Lake. There are also some minor trails descending that way from near the summit, and a trail that connects Garisan with the observation tower you can see from the road.
Although these were interesting to us, we decided to stick to the main loop. As it seems to offer the easiest access, I’d recommend it to you as well – particularly if you’re using public transit.
Yes, I know these maps are not ideal. You’ll just have to trust me that there is a trail up there – and it’s a nice one! Then trust the mountaintop signs not to lead you astray.
Stay & Eat
Because Garisan makes a relatively simple day trip, I won’t spend too much time explaining your sleeping and eating options here. But, in case you are interested, there is a new resort just across the highway from the mountain, and you could always choose to camp in the recreational forest to prolong your time at Garisan. There are additional accommodation options in nearby Hongcheon (and Inje!).
In terms of food, I really like eating mountain veggies, so it is with regret that I can’t recommend the little restaurant at the junction. It was not at all what I expected. Indeed, it was such far cry from other mountain eateries I’ve visited, I think it was a different kind of restaurant altogether. The menu seemed to feature mainly meat in various soups and stews. We were there at lunch time, and it was packed with workers drinking and making merry. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, necessarily, but it wasn’t what we were looking for. In the end, Kent ordered a bibimbap, which he said was decent, while I opted to eat an energy bar instead. This particular place seemed to be the only option in the immediate area.
Other Notes
Garisan is on both mountain lists! It’s on the Korea Forest Service 100 noted mountains list, available here, and the Black Yak 100 mountains list, online here.
Our 17 kilometer run took us just over three hours and twenty minutes. We visited Garisan on a beautiful day in June 2017.
Garisan is 1,031 meters tall. The three peaks nearby are at similar, but unrecorded heights.
Garisan has its own website, but it’s only in Korean. I couldn’t find much English information about this mountain online when I initially researched it. Hopefully this wee page will help with that in the future!
As always, if you’re interested in more mountains, head back to the 120 summits main page!