Chilgapsan(칠갑산)

An unusual visit to an unusual park! Chilgapsan Provincial Park (칠갑산도립공원) happens to be near Daejeon, a city that we planned to visit on bikes for our Korean thanksgiving holiday. It wasn’t directly on the bike trail that we would ride between our starting point in Gunsan and our ending point in Daejeon, but we figured we would find a way to make it work.

So, on a very rainy morning immediately after we finished our bike trip, we found ourselves on the curb outside our motel, looking for a taxi. Although initially expressing shock over the great distance we wanted to go (70 kilometers), we finally found a driver who would take us. How we would get back was the kind of potentially stressful question best saved for later, we decided. So, off we went!

Arriving in the park, the downpour had turned into a drizzle. Lucky for us! So we set off as fast as we could, funny feelings in our legs from having been biking and not running over the past few days. Undoubtedly funny looking too, in our wet cycling apparel!

An image of the author running up a dirt path in the forest. The blurriness around her feet and hands makes it clear that she is in motion. She is looking down towards the trail, but she has one fist raised high in the sky in joy!
Always a good time in the provincial parks!

One of the first unique things we discovered about Chilgapsan Provincial Park was its massive, chili pepper themed pedestrian bridge! A dramatic installation above a man-made lake, we had some good laughs about it. Turns out, chili peppers would remain the theme of our adventure that day! Arriving on the other side of the bridge, we dashed up a staircase to find a signpost – modeled after chili peppers, of course!

An image of one of the featured attractions at the base of Chilgapsan: a giant suspension bridge over a man-made lake. Entrance to the bridge is guarded by two towering red chili peppers. This image was taken on the bridge, looking back at the chili peppers. It is a grey, drizzly day, but the foliage above the lake looks lush and green.
One spicy suspension bridge…
An image taken from on high. This shot shows the suspension bridge stretching across a narrow part of the little lake. The two bright red chilis dominate the image with their vibrant color. Tiny humans are visible crossing the bridge, and the image is framed on all sides by green foliage.
The spicy spectacle from above
An image of the author, standing beside the signpost that points the way to the peak. The signposts themselves are long, curving red chilis, in keeping with the theme of this park!
Spicy signposts too!

We ran our way to the summit under the cover of some damp foliage. This not being a terribly tall peak, we were quickly atop it! The top was an expansive area, with a stele, another map (I did a particularly thorough job of taking photos of every map on this outing – see below – although it seems to have been at the expense of documenting much else!), and a helipad! The peak was completely lost in a thick, wet fog. But though we didn’t have terrific views, we did have a terrific time frolicking around and doing silly poses.

An image of the author and her husband, posing with the summit stele, as usual. He holds the camera, and is smiling while wet curls of his hair fall over his forehead. She is standing back beside the large stone stele, one hand on it and one hand raised in a fist. The summit stele is streaked in places from the rain.
Summit selfie!
An image of the author in flight pose on the triangular helipad that takes up much of the flat space on the peak. Her arms are raised to either side, and she is balancing on one leg in front of the large H on the ground. Behind her, the mist is thick; partially obscuring some signpoints and a map, and completely obscuring the view below.
Fun on the helipad…

And then we ran down! We ran down the way we came, because although there were other routes, we thought the mostly likely way to find transportation back to town was at the main entrance. We enjoyed a little break for some bibimbap, and were indeed able to summon a taxi to return to Daejeon. A funny little trip, but in the end a successful summiting adventure!

An image of some sculptures near the park entrance/exit. There are two little figures embracing, both with peppers for hair. Beyond them is a group of two large, realistic pepper sculptures, one green and one red. Both sets of sculptures rise out of grassy ovals set in a wide, paved square.
More pepper-themed art

Know and Go! Chilgapsan

Transportation

In the case of this park, I would like to strongly advise you against doing what I did! It was a long, expensive taxi ride, and there are buses to be had. We did what we did for a host of complex reasons, but it really isn’t your best way to go.

Instead, take a bus to the nearby town of Cheongyang, where you can take another local bus to the park, or a much shorter taxi trip. Cheongyang is no bustling metropolis, but it’s close to Daejeon, so if you can’t get directly there from where you live, head to Daejeon first. This park is in remote, rural Korea, so your challenge will be more in getting here than the hiking itself.

Hike & Run

Chilgapsan Provincial Park has five entrance/exit points; spread out like the arms of a starfish. They all lead directly up to the summit, with distances as short as 2.1 and as long as 4.7 kilometers.

An image of the trails in Chilgapsan Provincial Park, although in this park, the trails are drawn in small on the mountain, and the chili pepper bridge is large and dominant.
If you are looking for that bridge, here is where it is…
An image showing the five main trails to Chilgapsan's summit. They radiate outwards in all directions, with the path to the right (east) being the path that the author took.
A better map of the Chilgapsan Provincial Park trail network
A third image of a sign depicting the trail network in Chilgapsan Provincial Park. This one shows all the trails as red lines on the mountain slopes and valleys and clearly indicates their distances.
And one more, for no apparent reason…

Stay & Eat

The main tourist village seems to be near Cheongjang lake – the area is called the Chilgapsan rest area as a clue. Here you can have bibimbap and other mountain vegetables fare. There are also the usual array of libations, including local rice wines.

There didn’t seem to be any motels, pensions or even minbaks immediately nearby, and a quick look at some maps seems to confirm this. If you have your own transportation, the village of Seojeong is just up the road from Cheongjang lake. If lack wheels, you’re likely better off staying in Cheongyang and/or making this a day trip based in nearby Gongju, Saejong or Daejeon.

Other Notes

Chilgapsan’s cozy peak is an achievable 561 meters. Chilgapsan is a summit on both of Korea’s 100 mountain lists. Explore the Black Yak and Korea Forest Service entries about it.

My husband and I did an 8 kilometer out and back run of Chilgapsan in September 2016, starting and ending in the tourist village around Cheongjang lake. This was the 16th provincial park we visited during our mountain mission year.

More mountains, anyone? Provincial parks are here and more of the 120 summits here.


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