Gajisan (가지산)

We were hiking through a spring paradise! The leaves of all the trees were light green and soft to touch. Pale pink blossoms bloomed on branches and scattered their petals over the trail like pastel confetti. What a welcome to Gajisan Provincial Park (가지산도립공원)!

A close-up image of two azelea blooms. Both are pale, pastel pink - darker where their petals overlap. The background is a sea of green leaves, dotted with blurry pink patches.
Pink perfection

We’d had a bit of a moral dilemma, visiting this park when we did. This was to be our first official provincial park visit during our mountain mission year! We were wowed by early morning KTX trains speeding by Ulsan station as we disembarked from our own train. A short cab ride later, our hike was nothing short of provincial park perfection!

An image taken from a rocky outcrop, looking out over a valley. The valley is carpeted by light green forest, sloping downwards from either side to meet in the center. There are some azalea blooms in the foreground, next to the jagged grey rocks on the left side of the frame.
Over the valley

After climbing for a while, we found ourselves at a corrugated metal cabin in a warm and sunny clearing. A man with a weathered face and bright smile poked his head out. He was boiling water to make coffee, and offered Kent one as we all enjoyed the sun’s warm glow. We divided our break between playing with a lovely white dog, and looking out over the forested valley below. It was a beautiful morning, and I felt happy to be alive. Just the right place, at just the right time!

An image of Kent in a low, comfortable squat over some loose rocks. He is wearing a green jacket and sipping a small paper cup of coffee with the sun's warm rays warming him from behind. There is a rocky formation and a stele behind him.
Coffee break!
A close-up image of a white Jindo dog - Korea's national breed. The dog has an off-white coat, perky ears and large paws. He wears a faded red collar and a sleepy expression, looking out of the frame to the left.
Doggy break!
An image of giant boulders rising up out of a spring green forest. The rocks, illuminated by the sun, appear almost silver in color. Their sides are nearly vertical: in some places jagged, and in others worn and weathered. There are splashes of green on top.
Gajisan’s rocks, in all their glory!

Looking up, we could see the grey forms of rocky peaks rising out of the forest. We were excited to head up there, so we continued onwards. As we trekked up, the trees started to change character around us. The greens were lighter and lighter, and we found ourselves suddenly on a trail surrounded by blooms! It was incredible, and I had a sense that we were in an enchanted forest. The only sounds were the cheerful chirps of birds and the rustling of squirrels jumping from tree to tree and scurrying across the forest floor.

An image of the author standing on a dirt trail, looking back at the camera. She is surrounded by azalea trees in bloom. The canopy above her is pale green and pink, and many branches laden with flowers rim the frame.
Fantasy forest!

But, like many precious things, our time among the blossoms was fleeting. A few hundred meters further up, we seemed to leave spring behind. It was as though winter had resumed on top of the mountain! Harsh, cold winds whipped the steep, bare ridge near the summit. The blue sky and warm sun we’d enjoyed below disappeared behind a thick, stormy layer of cloud. I blew puffs of warm air onto my freezing fingers and zipped up my sweater.

An image of the author and her husband in front of the Gajisan summit stele. It is inscribed with Chinese characters. The sky above the stele is a bright, featureless white mist.
At the summit
An image of a second, larger summit stele. This one is inscribed with Korean characters and bears the logo of the Yeongnam Alps. Surprisingly, this stele claims Gajisan to be a meter higher than the old stele, which is visible on the rocks behind this stele.
Another summit stele – one meter higher?

While our time with the peak was shortened slightly by the brisk weather (and our lack of proper gear for it!), we nonetheless enjoyed our summit stop immensely. There, we learned  that Gajisan is just one peak among many, in a range known as the Yeongnam Alps! We vowed to come back one day to explore more! And on the way down, Kent was positively delighted by a makgeolli vendor on the trail! After one last pause to enjoy the moment (and the makgeolli), we made our way down.

An image of the small, green, corrugated metal hut of a makgeolli (Korean rice wine) vendor. There is a small table outside with a cluster of makgeolli bottles, and the operation is set just slightly off the trail in the vibrant green forest.
Makgeolli, anyone?

Know and Go! Gajisan

Transportation

Gajisan Provincial Park’s closest transportation hub is the city of Ulsan. High-speed KTX trains serve the area, as do buses from all over Korea.

Once in Ulsan, there’s some evidence to suggest that local buses serve the main trailhead, but we opted to take a taxi to make the most of our single day there. With a line of taxis waiting outside the train station, it was easy to get over to Deokhyeon-ri. If I recall, we also wound up taking a train back to town to start the usual daisy-chain back home.

Hike & Run

Before we visited this provincial park, I had no idea about the wealth of hiking opportunities in this part of Korea! Trails run throughout the Yeongnam Alps, and are popular for multi-day hiking trips. There are at least 9 peaks over 1000 meters, the most popular of these being Gajisan and Sinbulsan. Running and hiking options abound!

An image of the author indicating the peak of Gajisan on a map of the provincial park. This map shows the route the author and her husband took, starting and ending from Seoknamsa Temple, below the ridge in the center of the image.
With the Gajisan Provincial Park trail map

To explore Gajisan, Deokhyeon-ri might be your best best, especially if you’re planning to hike a loop. For an alternative adventure, check out Tongdosa Temple in the southern part of the alps. You can take in the main temple and some secret hermitages as you begin your hike. Where you go from there… is up to you!

Another reference map image, this time highlighting various routes through the Yeongnam Alps. The trails in the Yeongnam Alps are color-coded for different courses, making an oval-shaped loop. Gajisan is on the map, but off in the top right-hand corner.
Yeongnam Alps trail map, with Gajisan in the top right corner

Stay and Eat

We did this hike as a day trip from Ulsan station, so I can’t comment too much on the accommodation options. We did see some pensions in Deokhyeon-ri, and I suspect other valleys in the Yeongnam Alps would also have places to stay. And of course, with Ulsan nearby, you always have the option of staying and refueling in the city. We also spotted a couple of restaurants in the Deokhyeon-ri area, but didn’t have time to investigate further.

One thing is for sure: you won’t lack for fun drinks in Gajisan Provincial Park, with both coffee and makgeolli available on site!

Alternatively, bring a tent and some quick-cooking food, and go backpacking here!

Other Notes

Gajisan’s peak is 1240 (or maybe 1241!) meters above great valley views or a carpet of clouds. This peak is one of South Korea’s 100 famous summits – find out more from Black Yak and the Korea Forest Service.

Kent and I visited Gajisan in mid-May 2016. We did a 12 kilometer loop, beginning and ending near Seoknamsa Temple in Deokhyeon-ri. This was our first official provincial park outing, but actually the second provincial park of our mountain mission.

There’s no official website for this park, but there is one for the Yeongnam Alps! Check out Naver maps for routes, and feel free to explore my other articles about this awesome area: Jaeyaksan, Sinbulsan & Unmunsan!

Please come explore other provincial parks here, or join me for adventures on South Korea’s 120 famous summits here!

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