A short little run, but a good one! We were up to the summit of Hwangmaesan (황매산) and back down in under an hour.
That’s because this strange summit has not one but two parking lots at 800 meters. On one side of Hwangmaesan, there’s a campground – and on the other, there’s a movie set. It’s kind of a crazy place!
To be honest, that wasn’t all that was crazy. Our weekend adventures got off to a rough start when we took our little fur baby to Busan for her official adoption. We struggled to say goodbye to our small, fuzzy love. Afterwards, we were too emotional for sleep, so we kept driving until two am. Somewhere, we took a tiny nap, only to rise again at four am to start the day’s mountain missions.
At Hwangmaesan, we found an enticing rocky spine of a ridge that was stark in it’s rugged fall beauty. To me, it was somewhat reminiscent of Gyeryongsan. But unlike our long adventure on Gyeryongsan’s ridge, Hwangmaesan was just going to be a short little outing for us.
Although it felt like cheating, we drove up to the high parking lot beside Hwangmaesan’s movie set. Functioning on less than two hours of sleep, and with another summit still ahead of us, we didn’t mind this shortcut as much as we otherwise might have.
As we drove up, the dawn was painting the slopes and misty valleys a beautiful rose color. We parked, alone in Hwangmaesan’s huge parking lot – and started running. The trail was well-manicured, following a man-made river. We wondered if this might already be part of the movie set!
We went up a little ways, and joined a wooden walkway running through a field of gorgeous silver grass. This was amazing: the rising sun made the tips of the grasses glow, and it was a glorious scene. Ahead on the trail, the rocky summit of the mountain beckoned!
There were many stairs heading up Hwangmaesan, so we covered a lot of vert in a short amount of time and distance! We could see into the shadows of the west side of the mountain – and down to our lonely little car in the parking lot below!
We were not alone on top of Hwangmaesan. There was a photographer looking back down towards the silver grass, and on the helipad just over from the summit, several campers were waking up and breakfasting.
There were amazing views in every direction from the extremely rocky peak, and we wondered if we could see our next destination, Hwangseoksan. We took our time admiring the scenery and basking in the warmth of the newly risen sun. With no wind, it was almost too pleasant for November!
Kent suspected there was a way to make a loop heading back down Hwangmaesan. We looked for it, but weren’t sure if any of the trails were heading the correct direction. Mindful of the time, we wound up returning the way we came. But this was no problem for me – it meant another glimpse at the beautiful silver grass!
We were no longer the only car in the parking lot – but it was still too early for most day-trippers. The only folks around were a pair of workers in a small truck. We drove down the mountain in convoy with them.
KNOW AND GO! HWANGMAESAN
TRANSPORTATION
Hwangmaesan resides in Hapcheon county, at the western edge of South Gyeongsang province. There’s a long trail up Hwangmaesan starting from remote Huiyang village, and you can get there in just under and hour on the Hapcheon-Bongsan bus. To reach Hwangmaesan County Park, you’ll need to connect through Samga, and your journey could be up to two and a half hours.
You’re more likely connect through Sancheong city if coming from afar (say Seoul or Busan). From Sancheong, you’ve got options! A half hour’s journey on the Nongeocheon bus will have you at the western trailheads in Silmae village. Or you can take a journey of a similar length to reach Beobpyeong village, which is on Hwangmaesan’s southern slopes. Last but not least, you can take the Chahwang bus to Jangbak village from Sancheong for a longer hike.
An important note about this mountain that affects both driving and hiking: there are roads almost all the way up to the summit! While that makes Hwangmaesan exceptionally accessible, it does mean it’s not much of a wilderness experience – especially if you’re hiking up on the road with the cars. Maybe this just means it’s your opportunity to try car camping – or opt for the more remote trailheads at Huiyangri or Jangbakri.
HIKE & RUN
As mentioned above, a lot of the trails depicted on maps of this mountain are actually roads. And that’s because Hwangmaesan hosts a whole bunch of attractions on its slopes! There’s a movie theme park on one side, a county park on the other, and loads of camping. It’s part of what makes this mountain unique, so I say embrace it. Go for a short summit stroll, linger in the golden grasses then play tourist for a bit.
But if you want more from Hwangmaesan, Hwangmaesan has more to offer. Try the long trails starting in the villages on the northeastern side of the mountain. The routes from Huiyangri and Jangbakri might offer more of a wilderness experience – and will certainly make for a longer trek. In fact, if you can figure out transportation, you can hike all the way from Sangbong in the northeast to Buamsan in the southwest – a very nice long traverse! Plus, since you can stay near the summit, this is actually a great opportunity for backpacking!
STAY & EAT
If you want to camp on the top of a mountain, this is your opportunity! Hwangmaesan has not one but two campgrounds on its upper slopes. Another option is to stay at a pension, of which there are a couple at each of the trailheads. If you’re looking for a little more luxury and more options, stay in transit at either Hapcheon or Sangcheong.
For our trip, Kent and I slept somewhere just off the highway after a very late night spent in – and getting to – Busan. I do not recommend this. I do recommend always being prepared with your own snacks!
OTHER NOTES
Hwangmaesan is 1108 meters tall – and for a mountain of this height, it sure is an easy hike! More importantly, Hwangmaesan has been recognized for its exceptional beauty in all four seasons by both the Korea Forest Service and Black Yak. See their respective Hwangmaesan listings here (KFS) and here (BY).
We took in the sights on Hwangmaesan on a November morning in 2018. Our out-and-back was just less than 4 kilometers – round trip! Shortly thereafter, we checked out nearby and similarly named Hwangseoksan.
I hope you have fun on Hwangmaesan! And if you want more, there’s always the 120 summits main page…
