It was the middle of a long run, in the middle of a Saturday. We’d been alone all day, but now a busload of Naejangsan National Park (내장산국립공원) hikers were hot on our heels. Kent was determined that we should reach the peak before the crowd, so we needed to switch gears. After a strong uphill sprint, we arrived on Baegamsan (백암산), sweaty and smiling!
It’s hard to recall Baegamsan without also remembering the rest of the day’s peaks! We’d begun before dawn: summiting Bangjangsan at sunrise, and running its long ridge before descending into the flat Honam farmland. In order to link up with Baegamsan, we also climbed up and ran through Ibamsanseong!
In a day chock-full of complicated logistics, this was the trickiest part. We’d looked at all of the different ways to reach this mountain fortress in advance, trying to find the trail most likely to still exist and be open. After a little rural road running, we spotted a beacon: a national park sign! We were delighted to return to Naejangsan National Park – one of our absolute favorites from our original mountain mission! And this was a brand-new, remote and unique part of the park.
It was very remote indeed. As it turned out, it quickly became clear that we were the only people to be using this particular national park trail, perhaps in a very long time. The signage was great, and there were nice benches along the trail: hallmarks of all Korea’s national parks. But there were no signs of people. The trail was overgrown, despite the fact that it was fall. We relished this: all of the security and convenience of a national park trail – with none of the crowds. We knew this was about to change, so we savored it.
The trail up to the north gate of Ibamsanseong was only 1.5k long, but it was almost straight up. On a couple of switchbacks near the top, we had great views back down to where we’d recently been running, along the train tracks and among the farms.
We popped out of the forest and onto a ridge, and were surprised once again! There was a sign to commemorate a long-lost stone gate. It seemed as though the fortress was unrestored and off limits, but there was an open route cutting through the middle. This would lead us down the other side of the mountain, where we’d eventually link up with another trail cutting over to Baegamsan.
I’d initially hoped for dramatic stone walls and traditional gates. But actually, Ibamsanseong was perfect just as it was. The fall colors were spectacular! A little river flowed south alongside our beautiful single-track trail. The rolling dirt was perfectly suited to running. There were little wooden footbridges over the stream that reminded me of Nepal or the Alps. We were joined now by a few hikers; all of us united in enjoying the beautiful trail and the warm, sunny day.
If you’re ever in doubt, go run a mountain fortress in Korea, and you’ll be so glad you did! We thought about all of the pretty mountain fortresses we’ve had the good fortune to explore on foot (Namhansanseong and Geumseongsan sprang to mind) – and how they’re always absolutely delightful places to play.
We ran, happy as could be, through a tranquil meadow between Ibamsan’s two tall ridges. With such glorious scenery and perfect running, it was tough to leave! But eventually, we headed downhill, threading through the hikers just starting up, until we reached the trail that would lead us to Baegamsan.
We climbed up another hidden, magical valley filled with dazzling fall foliage. I was blown away by the views around every bend. Turning onto this trail, we had a section of glorious forest all to ourselves. We were so mesmerized by the leaves that we got a little lost, and had to scramble back up to the trail from the riverbed. But it was both beautiful and tremendously fun! I felt energized and delighted with every step.
As we got closer to Baegamsan, we found the crowds again. There were huge tour groups, out to see Naejangsan National Park’s famous fall foliage. In the flatter areas, we were able to simply blaze beside them. But there were a few areas of thick bamboo grass where we simply couldn’t pass. This frustrated Kent to no end – but maybe it also motivated him!
As we approached Baegamsan, it got steeper and more crowded still. In the lead, Kent was pushing us like never before. We were definitely clocking our fastest times on some of the day’s toughest terrain! I was starting to get hungry, and could barely keep his pace.
We landed on the main ridge, turned left and zoomed over to Sangwangbong – the local name for Baegamsan. Of course, the peak was busy too – but somehow we managed to sneak our way to the front of the line to greet the stele! But with more people on the summit than space to hold them, we couldn’t linger.
Luckily, this was not the end of our adventure! We still had lots of time to spare, so we could enact my plan of running the remote ridges over to the main section of the park. Almost as soon as we left Baegamsan behind, we also left the crowds.
The next area was tranquil, runnable ridge that we both absolutely loved. We dashed over the trail to a three-way junction, where we turned right, towards the main part of Naejangsan National Park. There was another high plateau, complete with a babbling brook. Large groups were few and far between, so the forest was quiet.
We descended a little, then began to climb up again: gently at first, then more steeply. The leaf-covered trail plunged over the edge of a cliff, then climbed again! This second section of remote ridge was busier and hairier – making it difficult to run!
But we persisted, and our reward was another summit: Kkatchibong, one of the peaks of the main Naejangsang amphitheater! This peak was one of our favorites from our previous visit. We loved its bald, rocky summit with stupendous views of the two parallel ridges stretching away from this central point.
On this visit, the peak was packed! After some high fives and photos, we began to descend into the heart of the park. We dodged hikers to zoom all the way down. It’s a steep descent at first, but lots of stairs eased our downward progress. Soon we were on the rolling, runnable trails leading to Naejangsa.
Here, there were a truly unbelievable number of people. We hopped over a barrier and ran on the road because we couldn’t fit on the sidewalk! It was easy to see why though: Naejangsan is famous for its fall colors – and they were truly splendid. The mountain seems to be exclusively maple forest, so you can only imagine the sight: beautiful!
We wound up stopping just shy of the entrance area, so that I too, could partake in the leaf viewing. After 8 hours and 3 minutes of running, we walked straight into two bowls of bibimbap. We were absolutely starving! We admired the foliage while we refueled, feeling delighted about our perfect day in this pretty park.
Know and Go! Baegamsan (백암산) -Sangwangbong (상왕봉)
Transportation
Once you’re in Naejangsan National Park, the easiest point of access for Baegamsan is Baekyangsa temple. This large temple is located just south of the peak. Take a bus to nearby Jangseong town, and transfer onto a local bus. You can also route through Gwangju, which has a direct bus to the temple. The trailhead at Baekyangsa offers the quickest and most direct route to the summit.
However, if you’re a Naejangsan fan or you’d like to get better acquainted with this nice park, consider taking a bus to the park’s main entrance. From there, you have a few options to get to Baegamsan that will be described in the section below.
Hike & Run
There are so many options for reaching this peak! Let’s start with the simplest.
From Baekyangsa, there are actually two trails that lead to the peak. Stay right for the most direct route and to reach the ridge fastest. Go left for a lesser-traveled route through the valley.
There’s a lovely trail that links Ibamsanseong with Baegamsan, but that’s a little tougher to get to. You can climb Ibamsan from the west, but your starting point is far up a farm road above the tiny village of Habu-ri.
But for a longer adventure, you can connect Baegamsan with the main massif of Naejangsan. This makes for a great route in either direction!
If you start on the Naejangsan side, you can hike through the valley past Naejangsa, climb up to Kkatchibong and head west into the remote middle section of the park. You also have the (excellent) option of doing a half-circuit of the main amphitheater: head south for Janggunbong followed by Sinseongbong (Naejangsan’s main peak!) or head north over Seoraebong for some of the most thrilling sections of the main ridge. From there, carry on along the ridge, following signs for Sangwangbong.
Alternatively, plan your route in the opposite direction by starting at Baekyangsa. This direction will have you summit Baegamsan at the start of the day, and then you’ll head over to Naejangsan via Kkatchibong. You can decide exactly how you want to finish your day later!
Stay & Eat
There are campsites on either side of the mountain, at the main entrance and near Baekyangsa temple. The main entrance of the park definitely has more options when it comes to other kinds of accommodation, but there are some motels close to the temple, too. You might also choose to stay in Jangseong for more options and its convenient bus link to Baekyangsa.
For once, I have insight into the local food! There are so many mountain vegetable restaurants here, and they’re all delicious. Made with plants collected from the nearby hills, the food is fresh and tasty. Go for some bimimbap (mixed veggies with rice) or some gamjajeon (potato pancakes)! Once again, there are more options at the park’s main entrance, but you do have choices close to Baekyangsa as well.
Don’t forget to pack some snacks too! The long routes crisscrossing this park are going to make you hungry, and peak picnics are the very best.
Other Notes
I’ve mostly referred to this 741m mountain as Baegamsan (백암산) . That’s because it’s on both of the 100 summits list as such: the Korea Forest Service listing is here and you can find it on Black Yak’s hiking club app (limited info on the map here). But Korea National Park Service calls this peak Sangwangbong (상왕봉) on all of the KNPS maps. This is not so uncommon: Korean mountains often have multiple names!
Kent and I climbed Baegamsan as part of a wonderful long run in November 2018. This run was around 36 kilometers with around 2500 meters of elevation gain making it definitively a big adventure. We also visited Bangjangsan earlier on this fun run – please check it out as well!
Head back to the Naejangsan National Park main page for more of this nice park!
Next, explore some more 120 summits stories or venture forth into other national parks!
Here’s to an excellent Baegamsan run or hike!