Gangwondo Chooncheon Samaksan Climb in Korea- Deungseon Water Fall Course

1.     Date and Time : June 25, 2018 09:00~14:00 (5 hours including break one and half an hour).

2.     Location : Chooncheon City at Gangwon Province in Korea.

3. Distance and Course : About 14.79km. Course is to start at Deungseon Water Fall Parking Lot => Deungseon Water Fall => Heungguksa Temple => Samaksan Summit (654m altitude) => Back to at Deungseon Water Fall Parking Lot though the same route.

4.     Access :

There is several ways to connect “Seoul Express Bus Terminal (”connecting at subway lines No. 3, 7 and 9) where you should get on Intercity bus line bound for Chooncheon Express Bus Terminal, non-stop and taking one hour and 30 minutes. When you get off at the Chooncheon Express Bus Terminal, you should walk to Chooncheon Intercity Bus Terminal taking about 4 minutes for about 258m distance and get on local Bus No 50 there taking 29 minutes for 13 bus stop passing and get off at Samaksan Bus Stop and walk to Deungseon Water Fall taking 2 minutes for 107m. Please refer more details to the “Transportation from Seoul Express Bus Terminal to Deungseon Water Fall”. You could simply take reverse course on your way back home but get on local bus No 50 at other side of Kyungchoon Road. I could estimate total transportation is about 2 hour and 30 minutes for one way which comes total 5 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 one hour for the transportation. 

5.     Overall Remarks.

Samaksan (Mt.) is located 10km away from Seoul. As you follow the way from the ticket booth to the valley, you can encounter 5 waterfalls of various sizes; Deungseonpokpo, Biseonpokpo, Seunghakpokpo, and Baengnyeonpokpo. From the 1st 10-meter-high waterfall to the 3rd waterfall, the stone steps with railings allow you to observe the vast wonder of nature with your own eyes. Although the mountain is not big, ridges coming down from 3 peaks such as Yonghwabong (Peak), Cheongunbong (Peak), and Deungseonbong (Peak) are composed of rock peaks, giving a fine view.
Deungseongyegok (Valley), the starting point of Samaksan (Mt.) hike trail, used to be a glacial area in ancient times, and Ongnyeotang (Pond) which holds the legend of the woodsman and the fairy from heaven will give you the pleasure of feeling the mystic nature.
Inside Samaksan (Mt.) are 7 temples including Heungguksa (Temple), Sangwonsa (Temple) and Samaksanseong (Fortress). As you follow up the hike trail, you arrive at the top, 654m above sea level, and the beauty of Euiamho (Lake) and Chuncheon-si (city) come into view.
From the top, the mountain in front of Heugguksa (temple) is Deungseonbong (Peak), and here lie the ruins of Samaksanseong (Fortress) and site of the palace built in the era of Maekguk (nation).

6.     Detailed Course Information

When you arrive at Deungseon Water Fall Parking Lot, you should pay first Parking fee as KRW2,000/passenger car per day and pass through small narrow path at Village about 2 to 3 minutes and reach ticket booth for collecting entrance fee as KRW 1,600- per head for adult. But I was exempted due to senior older than 65 years. There are three major courses, first starting at Deungseon Water Fall, second starting ar Sangwonsa Temple and third starting at Deungseon Ridge. But Deungseon Water Fall Course is the mostly popular to the people because of Deungseon Water Fall, small water fall but impressive and cutely decorated.  I spent about some minutes for taking phot at Deungseon Water Fall and continued to walk the hike road along with valet stream sounding from water flowing down on the rocks like beautiful music and sometimes wooden stairs and deck and somewhat steep steel stairs for total about one hour and reached landmark stating as 1.1km to the Summit. I found the road becoming changing from easy walking to hard and rough walking after passing the landmark. But I kept walking on this changed road for about one more hour; I met next landmark stating as 300 m to the Summit. I continued to climb the hill and realized the road changing harder and more difficult due to higher slope. As see at the photo, difficulty was not only higher slope but also slippery rock or medium size stones which made me more energy consumption according to higher and time passing. Anyway I finally touched down Yongwhabong-Samaksan Summit 654 m altitude and took photo for Boonga Island locating at middle of Chooncheon Lake. But I was not so fortunate to take nice photo because of foggy weather. As soon as I looked around the Summit and took a photo, I started to come down to the Deungseon Water Fall parking Lot through the same road I climbed this morning after about 2 hours downhill including one hour break.