Life is a different Wave moving by Time and ending at Shore: Updated Hike - Paju Gamaksan Mountain at Gyeonggi province in Korea

1. Date and Time : Sept 17, 2018. 10:00~15:00 (4 hours including half an hour break).

2. Location : Paju City at Gyeonggi Province in Korea.

3. Distance and Course :

About 10.74 km. Course is to start Gamaksan Healing Parking Lot => Suspension Bridge => Manamsuep (Meeting Forest) => Yaksutoe Break (Mineral Water Spring) => Sudgamatoe (Charcoal Kiln) => 120m to Summit Junction at Hill => Gamaksan Monument at 675m Altitude Summit => Back to Gamaksan Healing Parking Lot through ascending road. Please see attached “ Gyeonggi Paju Gamaksan Hike Course Information”.

4. Particular and Summary :

We called five hardest and steep mountains in Kores as Seolaksan, Chiaksan, Bukaksan, Gwanaksan and Wolaksan and five hardest and steep mountain in Gyeonggi province as Gwanaksan, Gamaksan, Sonaksan, Hwaaksan and Wunaksan. This Gamaksan is one of five hardest and steep mountains in Gyeonggi Province which is inclusive of beautiful cascade, elegant valley and mysterious rock cliff and also outstanding picturesque landscape which you could look down to Imjin River and remotely Songaksan Mountain at Gaesung City in North Korea. There is a Woonkye Cascade is somewhat small Water Fall flowing enough water to not so higher rock cliff. But this water looks like small pretty Korean women. There is Bideul Great King Stone Monument which is so deeply erosion for long time that we could not read and/or interpret. There is rumor this monument might be Jinheungwang Territory Monument or Seolingui (China General) Territory Monument conquering Goguryeo Dynasty one time. You could read more details at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0D5xuJgUM4&t=323s

5. Access :

There is various ways to connect Subway Line No.1 which you are supposed to get off at Deokjung Station and changing to local bus line, No. 25-1 at bus stop just in front of Deokjung Station. Please take the bus at Bus Stop ID: 39-521 walking through Gate No.1 at the station as you see at the map of “Changing Subway Line No. 1 to local bus line 25-1”. You should count how many bus stop this bus is passing and get off at Bus Stop ID:30-886 after 40 times stops as see the Map of “Get Off at the Gamaksan Suspension Bridge”. But 40 times bus stop does not mean actual bus stops but passing number of bus stop since bus shall not stop whenever no passenger, get on and off. Therefore you should pay attention from Get On Bus Stop to the Get Off Stop when you feel close, like 1 stop before as ID:31-367, two stop before as ID:31-654, three stop before as ID:31-372 and son. You would better saying to Driver as “Gamaksan Chulrungdari”. He most provably says as “Yes” or “No”. If he says “Yes”, you should then prepare to get off and do so at this stop. If he says “No”, you should wait some more. As soon as arrived and got off at the Bus Stop- Chulrungdari, you could walk to the Climb Start Point through Parking and Stairs, about 1.03km and taking about 15 minutes and meet the Suspension Bridge as see at the photo. You should take the same number bus at the bus stop 31-365 on the way back, crossing the road and opposite side of the road and asking the driver as “Deokjung Yeok”. If he says yes, take the bus and start to count again 40 times passing the stops and get off the Deokjung Station and enter to Subway Line 1 and connect to your final destination referring to subway line map which is available every station.
I could estimate total transportation as 3 hour for one way from Dongdaemun History and Cultural Museum Station to Gamaksan Suspension Bridge which comes 7 hours for round transportation. But you would reduce this transportation time to 5 hours for round trip in case you use private car or rent car which you could save two hour for the transportation.

6. Overall Remarks.

It was very clean and fine weather and suitable for mountain hiking, sky high and clean air with beautiful cloud. I was first of all parking the car at Gamaksan Healing Parking Lot and start to ascend wooden stairs leading to the well-known Gamaksan Suspension Bridge taking about 10 minutes from the Parking Lot suspension. When I reached the bridge, there was fortunately no person on the bridge. I could take photo and video under no interruption and very fine sunny condition. I found this suspension bridge connecting the Junction either to Beomryunsa Temple or Woonkye Cascade. I choose to road to Beomryunsa Temple via Woonkye Cascade and turned left at the junction. I walked few minutes on wooden deck road and reached Woonkye Cascade, almost no water falling due to recent exceptional longer dry season in summer. But I came here last February this year which was covered by thicker ice. I quickly looked around and walking to the Beomryunsa temple through paved road which was so steep for short while that I could take somewhat hard breath. I struggled for steep road for 5 minutes and reached Beomryunsa Temple Beomryunsa temple situating at foot of Gamaksan Mountain looks so elegant and beautiful. I was visiting this temple in February this year which was so cold that I could not look around with enough and relaxed time. But I was slowly approaching Daeungjeon (Main Temple) and looking around the Daeungjeon including outdoor Buddha statue and World Peace Monument which takes about 10 minutes. As I walked to junction at the temple, I found landmark stating as 2.3km to the Summit and start to climb the uphill and spent about 20 minutes and found junction again stating as 1.35km to the Summit. I kept walking on the uphill road for 5 minutes and reached Mannamsup (Meeting Forest) which I took short break. There was landmark there stating as 1.28km to the Summit. I just followed the arrow indication for half an hour via 2 to 3 time Sudgama (Charcoal Kiln) and touched Natural Mineral Water Spring Break Area and took a so fresh chilled spring water and continued to walk up steep uphill road for 40 minutes and reached Junction at the Hill, going left to Summit for 120m and right to Janggunbong Peak. I turned left at the junction and walked uphill road for about 15 minutes and finally touched down the 765m Altitude Summit and was looking around the Summit. Please see above linked Utube channel. There were 3 to 4 different roads at the Summit which I could take on the way back to the suspension bridge. But I decided to return through ascending road which I took this morning and back to the parking lot after about 1 and half an hour descending from the Summit.