Geumsan (Namhae) (금산(남해))

Turning right onto the Namhae peninsula, we entered brand new territory. One of the last places in Korea that we’d not yet been! We were bound for Geumsan (Namhae) (금산(남해)), one of our last summits and part of Hallyeohaesang National Park (한려해상국립공원).

A portrait of the author's husband Kent standing on the top of Geumsan in Namhae. This wintertime image reveals all the interesting rock formations and rugged ridges of the mountain. You can also see down to a blue sea dotted with islands - this is Hallyeohaesang National Park! In the foreground, Kent stands smiling into the camera. He's wearing a red jacket and sunglasses - a bright figure against a monochromatic backdrop.

I’d remembered Geumsan from studying maps of Hallyeo years earlier. And now it was finally time to explore it – and revisit this lovely marine park! Along the way, there were lots of surprises.

The first surprise was the discovery of a road leading all the way up to a little temple just below Geumsan’s peak. Often these roads are closed to the public – but not this one. Our advance online investigations revealed that this road clearly had a bathroom and even a parking lot at the top! Our map app refused to provide directions up to it, but we didn’t see any reason why we couldn’t go if there was an actual parking lot up there.

The second surprise occurred when we eventually turned onto that road in person. There was a national park office, complete with English speaking staff who invited us to wait in a line to drive up to the high parking lot. So we did! Kind of funny to wait in a line to drive up to the top of the mountain – but it was perfect for our three-mountain adventure day (we also visited Dongaksan in the morning and Muhaksan in the evening!).

Once a few cars had left the upper parking lot, we were invited to proceed up the road. The drive was nearly 600 meters up over 3 kilometers. The road was windy, but not overly narrow or sketchy.

The parking lot at the top was bustling; full of cars and even tour buses! I thought it was crazy busy until I realized that it was now noon on a Saturday that happened to be both sunny and clear. Unusually fair conditions for a KnC adventure, that’s for sure! No wonder we were sharing it with the masses!

A classic view of Hallyeohaesang National Park, taken from near the top of Geumsan (Namhae). This image focuses on the sea, bright and sparkling in the distance, and blending seamlessly into the sky. In the foreground, undulating mountain slopes and barren branches frame the view.
Sweet sea views!

Before we set off, I went into the public restroom and managed to drop one of my brand new gloves into the toilet. I was pretty upset about it – but at least I had an extra pair stashed in the car! Not exactly a great start to this adventure, but I was able to laugh it off.

Getting started in earnest, we rushed past the crowds up the short path to the temple. But we opted to bypass it in favor of heading straight to the summit. There, we were delighted by a tiny dog enjoying an illicit picnic with his humans. We enjoyed some canine interactions and the massive summit stele that was enclosed by rocks on one side and forest on the other.

A vertical portrait of the author at the top of Namhae Geumsan. She's standing alongside the massive summit stele, which is almost as tall as she is - and several times as wide! She's wearing black leggings and a purple sweater, and her hair is in long pigtails. She's grinning at the camera, her face and the stele half in shadow.
Geumsan!

A couple of stairs led up to a high viewpoint above the forest. There, we had incredible views of the sea and the shapely rocks of this mountain.

A pretty landscape photograph featuring a tree that's grown up on the side of a large flat boulder. There are large Chinese characters inscribed on the rock's surface, and the tree only begins to branch and bear leaves at the very top of the boulder. The sky above is blue with tufts of white cloud.

I was once again reminded of why it’s so wonderful to explore in the off-season: we didn’t need to line up for photos with the scenery or hurry our enjoyment of it. Although the naked branches of the forest seem somewhat stark, the sea was sparkling, the air was clear and we could see details in the rocks around us!

A vertical shot of the author perched on a stone railing on the Geumsan lookout. She's smiling, with her hands on her hips. The scene behind her is beautiful: waves of mountain ridges undulating down towards the sea. The sea itself is calm, flat and sparkling with reflected sunlight. There are a few clouds in the bright blue sky.
High above Hallyeo

We got some oranges from the puppy picnickers on our way back through the clearing, and we made our way over to the Dangun shrine on the other side of the peak. It wasn’t anything special, actually: a few statues and a house.

The temple we’d skipped earlier was another story! We took a parallel path back over a helipad crowded with resting hikers. Then we descended through several neat rock formations down to this dramatic temple perched among them.

A striking scene: the traditional slate roofs of a temple seen from above, clinging to the side of a rocky cliff. The temple is perched high on Geumsan's rocky slopes. In the distance, jagged islands rise up out of the blue sea. It is a stark winter scene, without foliage - but it is beautiful.
Boriam
A second portrait of Boriam from another angle. Here, we have a low vantage point. The camera looks up at a standing Buddha statue, beyond which is the temple on a slightly higher plane. A rough, rocky peak towers above the scene, piercing the clear blue sky overhead.

Alas, we didn’t spend too much time enjoying it, however, because we really had to get going to make it to our third mountain of the day! So we dashed back down the road we’d come up on and hopped in the car. Onward – but happy to have been to the gold mountain! For such a short hike, it sure was a scenic one.

A vertical photograph featuring Kent standing below one of the most dramatic rock faces on the mountain. This rocky section of Geumsan is situated immediately above Boriam temple.

Know and Go! Geumsan

Transportation

Geumsan is a little off the beaten track. Unless you happen to live in Namhae, expect to spend some time getting out to this far-flung peak. Or make a longer adventure of it and explore more of Hallyeohaesang National Park!

There are direct buses from Seoul and elsewhere to Namhae town. However, once you get here, you need to get to the mountain, which is located still further south. If you’re using public transit, most of the local buses can take you down the 19 highway to the west of the mountain. Ask the driver to let you out at one of the two Geumsan trailheads. Or, save time (if not money) but getting a taxi in one or both directions.

If you have your own wheels, you’re really set. Not only can you drive up to the high parking lot, as we did, but you could also take the time to drive the winding coastal roads. There are great sea vistas and exciting bridges to experience!

Hike & Run

The shortest route begins just a few hundred meters below the top of the mountain! This is not Geumsan’s most strenuous hike, but it is the most accessible if you’re coming by car – and the best if you’re short on time. Normally, I’d consider taking the road to be cheating – but in this case it really is the main route to the top of this mini mountain.

This is a photograph of the trailmap for Namhae Geumsan in Hallyeohaesang National Park. The shape of the Namhae peninsula is green against the blue sea. Trails are indicated in red, while highways are indicated in white. We can see that the trails on Geumsan are short compared to other national parks, particularly the one starting from the high parking lot!
Geumsan trail map

Alternatively, two slightly longer routes start from the number 19 highway on Namhae’s west coast. You could hike up one way and down the other for a longer Geumsan excursion.

Stay & Eat

Regrettably, I can’t comment at all about the options in Namhae! We neither stayed nor ate here. In fact, our plan had been to stop in at Jinju – one of our favorite places in the area – but we wound up running out of time (no stops but mountain stops!). We actually didn’t even really see Namhae aside from driving quickly through it. So I apologize for not being able to offer any personal advice – but on the plus side, Namhae is yours to discover!

Other Notes

Geumsan is on the Korea Forest Service 100 noted mountains list, available here, and is also part of Hallyeohaesang National Park!

Kent and I did a mini loop of Geumsan in December 2018. A truly mini loop of just 2.5 kilometers, in around 40 leisurely minutes.

Reports differ on how tall this mountain is, and the summit stele is unmarked. Naver lists Geumsan at 709 meters – but Korea Forest Service claims it’s 681 meters tall. Either way, rising directly from the sea, it seems very tall indeed when you stand on its summit. It commands incredible views of the marine national park!

In addition to the summary on the Korea Forest Service website, you can also have a look at Geumsan and the rest of Hallyeo on the Korea National Park Service site here. There’s another short write-up on Geumsan on this Visit Korea page, but there’s limited information about hiking.

Want more of Korea’s marvelous mountains? Head back to the 120 summits main page, or the Hallyeohaesang National Park page. You can also check out other national parks around Korea if ya want!


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