Gyeonggi Paju Baekwunsan Climb in Korea- Baekwun Valley Course - Hike

   1. Date and Time : May 9, 2018 10:30~16:30 (6 hours including break one hours).

  
   2. Location : Paju at Gyeonggi Province in Korea.

   3. Distance and Course : About 12.36km. Course is to start Parking Lot at Baekwun Valley =>Heungryongsa Temple=> Baekwunsan Summit (903.1m Altitude) => back to Parking Lot at Baekwun Valley.

   4. Access :

There are various ways to the Subway Station of Seoul Bus Terminal Station where three subway lines are connecting as Line 3, 7 and 9. But you should change these subway lines at the Seoul Express Bus Terminal Station to the express bus line at the Seoul Express Bus terminal referring to the map of “Change subway to Seoul Express Terminal”. You should then take express bus bound for the Pocheon Intercity Bus Terminal which takes about one hour and five minutes and nonstop. Thereafter you should change the express bus to local bus line No 138-5 at the Pocheon Intercity Bus Terminal and get off at the 38 Bridge Bus Stop which takes about 40 minutes and 37 times bus stop passing. You are continuously to change the bus to local bus line No 3 there and get off at Baewun Valley Bus Stop after about 40 minutes and 14 times bus stop passing. As you get off at the Baewun Valley Bus Stop, you are requested to walk to Heungryongsa temple on foot which takes about 16 minutes by walking and 1.06km from the bus stop where there is a starting and guide information of Baekwunsan Climb Course. You should take reverse way from the Heungryongsa to the Seoul Express Bus Terminal on your back. Please refer the map of transportation from “Seoul Express Bus Terminal to Baekwun Valley, Heungryongsa Temple”. I estimate total transportation time from the Seoul Express Bus Terminal to Baewun Valley Bus Stop as about 3 hours for one way which comes 6 hours for round trip. But you would reduce this transportation time to 4 hours for round trip in case you use private car or rent car which you could save two hours for the transportation. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTc-AkskZrY&feature=youtu.be

   5. Overall Remarks.

Baekwunsan is a mountain situated at somewhat remote location from Seoul downtown about 80 km at North East which is comparably a typical thick forest with mainly oak and some other species. There are a few people on the way up to the Baekwunsan Summit and also down to Heungryongsa provably due to the reason this mountain is not so well known to the people. I believe this mountain course should be very suitable for the people who want to enjoy quite atmosphere, away from other’s interference which mentally healing during climb up and down and also physically and invisibly treated with unpolluted fresh air to human  which influence good for the health. When you see at Photos attached, you could easily find thicker oak forest which can produce cleaned fresh air to the people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTc-AkskZrY&feature=youtu.be 

   6. Detailed Course Information

When I parked the car at parking lot, I was a bit surprised to see no car parking at the parking lot, only one car. I checked Course Information first of all before start to climb and found Course 1 should be suitable for my today in view of returning time from this parking lot by latest 16:00 hours and started to move up and found Heungryongsa Temple, situated at left and visited the temple with careful appreciation and learned this temple has been built by Doseonguksa (National Buddhist Monk) at late Shilla Dynasty who made a three wooden birds and threw the birds to air and found all three birds perched on Baekwunsan. Therefore he finally made a choice to build the Heungryongsa Temple at present location. It seems this temple looks like shinny and dignity style which expose invisible spiritual force to the people. I crossed two small bridges which are standing across the Baekwun Valley Stream as soon as I walk out the temple where there is a landmark arrowing to Corse 1 and Course 5 respectively in reference to the Course Information. As I approached to starting point to climb the mountain, I felt on spot I became moving into natural therapy for mental and physical. I walked up along with Baewun Valley Stream and moved up on steep stairs on sharp sloped hill     for about 20 minutes from the start and reached landmark as 3.42km to the Summit. I changed to climb through Baekwun Ridge from there which was a bit milder slope than before and kept climbing following guide rope and sometime detoured right or left due to big rock obstacle at ridge. When I walked on these paths for about 40 minutes, I met landmark showing 2.71km to the Summit. I walked up on ridge for another 40 minutes and met next landmark saying 1.87km to the Summit. Somewhat slippery rock path was waiting for me after passing the landmark which we should pay attention to climb with slippery as well as higher steep. It was right time for lunch. I was looking for proper place for lunch and found a good point and enjoyed for about one hour. I kept moving up for about half an hour and found landmark 1.2km to the Summit. When I walked up for about 15 minutes from previous landmark, I found very beautiful royal azalea starting to blossom which is light pink standing on the way up and took the flower to photo. I reached next landmark saying 600m to the Summit after passing the Royale Azalea. I have seen there were so many royal azalea standing beside the climb path on the Baekwun ridge, left and right which shows refreshed energy to climbers with so nice and beautiful flowers and looks like neat and dandy. I kept walking up on same path sometime somewhat steep rocky or hilly for about 20 minutes and reached landmark saying 200m to the Summit. I felt I was very near to the Summit when I saw the landmark and rushed up to the Summit for about 10 minutes and touched down to Baekwunsan Summit, 903.1m altitude and kept the picture of this Summit to the Photo nicely and looking around the Summit. But I could unfortunately not see anything around because of so thicker forest and taller three around the Summit. I therefore started to downhill through the same path I came up so far with more careful for slippery for granite somewhat bigger sand spreading on hill and ridge. When downhill for about one hour, I found some open space which I could see some neighboring mountain peak around the Baekwunsan and took some photo. I kept walking down about one more hour; I reached the starting landmark standing in front of 2^nd bridge where I saw so good and fantastic view of Baekwun Valley Stream roaring a sound of downstream. I rhttps://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B1ThCOBdyTddQ0syODZORDlybXMeturned the parking lot after 10 minutes from there.