For our mid-week Memorial Day holiday, we thought to enjoy the day with a bit of a relaxing day hike. That was definitely NOT what our day on Gongjaksan (공작산) had in store for us!
We began on a remote route that I chose based on its seeming straightforwardness. Plus, we’d get to do a long, point-to-point route taking in most of Gongjaksan’s ridge. Sounds great, right?
It was, at first. Getting to Gongjaksan via taxi was surprisingly easy (albeit a bit far from Hongcheon’s city center). Getting started was also easy, as the trail began as an old, overgrown forest road. But there were no signs whatsoever, and for an uncomfortably long time, no ribbons.
We got definitely lost climbing up one way, and tried another. The trail would seem obvious at first, peter out, and then we’d find an ancient, tattered ribbon that would give us fresh hope to plod on. Finally, we lost all signs of trail altogether, but made the (poor) joint decision to just scramble up the crumbling soil to the ridge, where we could see blue sky through the trees. There, we were certain to find one of Gongjaksan’s many trails.
Or so we thought. After a steep and slippery scramble, we were finally atop the ridge, and there was no trail in sight. We were going to have to either descend, risking life and limb, or go on – another dangerous prospect. Doing fine while moving, I found that when we stopped, I felt a little frantic and unreasonable. Clinging to a branch in a vain attempt to adhere to the dramatic ridge was no way to have a conversation about our options.
There was no easy out. We were now on the steep slopes of Gongjaksan, and it seemed like we would have to keep going. Kent, for his part, did admirably well. We scrambled along, me leading us at a forced march through forested sections and Kent finding the way on steep, rocky climbs. We finally made it to a peak just off the main trail, where we heard people talking and looked down to see a dangling rope. Words can’t do justice to the relief I felt about having finally reached an official trail!
What an experience! It had taken us nearly three hours to traverse seven kilometers to this point. Gongjaksan had not turned out to be the walk in the woods we’d originally thought it might be!
The rest of the day was a little simpler. We ran quickly to the peak where we found one old and one new summit stele. Alas, we were not alone atop Gongjaksan, and the multi-sensory experience of a fellow hiker defecating in the bushes chased us away rather faster than we would have liked!
Descending onto a forested ridge, we quickly found ourselves on our own once more. It was shady and still in the forest, but not quiet. Bird calls resounded through the trees and echoed off Gongjaksan’s rugged rocks. We were happy to see lots of signs now that we were on an official trail! None of them seemed to specify exactly how far we were going or exactly to where, but that didn’t matter as much as the fact that they were there.
We carried on, running a long section of ridge before it got dramatically steep again. This route has so many ropes courses and metal rock ladders that it is basically an obstacle course. Although we’d been shaken up by our off-piste climb earlier, we enjoyed this kind of sanctioned gnarliness. However, we were happy we chose to devote a whole day to Gongjaksan, as we’d had no idea what we were getting ourselves into!
After plunging downhill to cross a remote forest road, we climbed again up the small but super steep Yaksubong. At this point, we’d been out for several hours longer, and making progress far slower, than planned. Kent and I had a little snack party with energy bars and Pocari Sweat, and then I literally lay on a bench. On my back, looking up butterflies flitting through the leaves and needles, I started to recharge. We really lingered, and I was glad of it.
Going down Gongjaksan’s bonus peak to the temple below was an exercise in staying upright. I mostly skied, but somehow arrived at the bottom unscathed. Wow. With such a long trail and such challenging ascents/descents, this mountain is not for beginners! We rewarded ourselves with a mountain veggie bibimbap and another long sit. this time in the park.
KNOW AND GO! GONGJAKSAN
TRANSPORTATION
Gongjaksan is Hongcheon’s mountain. It lies in the seldom visited center of Gangwondo: it’s neither coastal nor Baekdudaegan. But it’s not that tough to get to, at least from Seoul. There are direct buses to Hongcheon multiple times per day departing from East Seoul terminal.
Once in Hongcheon, the fastest way to the mountain is to take a taxi from the stand outside the terminal. Otherwise, you can transfer to the Sutasa bus, bound for the valley and temple of the same name on the west side of Gongjaksan. This is definitely the easiest access point, but be aware that it’s also the longest hike to the summit.
Alternatively, you could take the Dongmyeon-Seoseok bus around to the south side of the mountain for a speedier summit. But this option will add 30 minutes of bus time, plus a bit of road walking.
You can drive to Gongjaksan if you choose. The only drawback here would be that you will be limited to an out-and-back or smaller loop. Not the worst thing in the world, but this mountain does have options, exciting options, and it can be nice to make time for a longer explore.
HIKE & RUN
As you may have guessed from the name (if not my tale above), Gongjaksan is a rocky mountain. It lives up to this name with jagged cliffs and near vertical rock faces close to the summit. There are ridges too steep for trails and other ridges made accessible only with ropes and ladders.
Although there are many hikes you can do, I cannot recommend the approach from the north starting from Gulun village. First of all, you can only take a bus to the village and not beyond, so you’ll be walking on farm roads for a significant portion of your hike. But second and far more importantly, the trail is not being maintained and we lost it completely. After a very sketchy scramble, I swore I would take pains not to do something so risky again. Advanced hikers only – proceed at your own risk.
Whew! That out of the way, I’d like to highlight the fact that there are many long and thrilling routes on Gongjaksan, so it makes a great destination for a longer day hike and/or highly technical training run. Be sure to take in Yaksubong as well on your way to/from Gongjaksan!
STAY & EAT
Living in Inje as we did, we had no need to overnight in nearby Hongcheon. But there are many motels, so you certainly can on your trip! There’s also a campground (and a single pension!) near Sutasa.
I am so excited to report that yes, we ate at Gongjaksan! Once upon a time we routinely ate the mountain veg fare on offer at the national and provincial parks. But by the time we were doing our 100 summits mission, we were usually too busy to stop and sample the local cuisine. At Gongjaksan we lingered in the area after our run and refueled on a great mountain vegetable bibimbap: a highly recommendable post-exertion practice.
OTHER NOTES
Gongjaksan is a sharp and dramatic 887 meters and was selected for the Korea Forest Service 100 summits list – which you can check out here.
Kent and I explored Gongjaksan on our June holiday in 2018. Our 15 kilometer run was, in turns, terrifying and quite delightful.
Head to the 120 summits main page for more hike, run and scramble adventures! Have fun – and take care! – on Gongjaksan!