Kyeongbuk Munkyeong Juheulsan Mountain Hike in Korea- Munkyeong Saejae Course

1.     Date and Time : Oct 25, 2018 08:00~15:00 (7 hours including one hour break).

2.     Location: Mungyeong-Town, Mungyeong-City, Gyeongsangbuk-Provice

3. Distance and Course : About 16.23km. Course is to start at Munkyeong Saejae Parking Lot No. 1 => Jeil Gwanmun Junction (First Entrance Gate) => Yeogung Pokpo (Water Fall)=> Heguksa Temple => Daeguelteo (Palace Site) => Juheulsan Mountain Summit (1076m Altitude) => Back to the Munkyeong Saejae Parking Lot No. 1 through the Same Ascending Course. Please refer to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epOJCavujXM&t=5s

4.     Access :

There is several ways to connect “Seoul Express Bus Terminal (”connecting at subway lines No. 3, 7 and 9). Please walk to Central Bus Terminal from the Subway Station taking 5 minutes where you should get on Express Bus bound for Jeomchon City, non-stop and taking 2 hours and 40 minutes. When you get off at the Jeomchon Intercity Bus Terminal, please walk to Home plus Bus Stop taking 2 minute for 171m. You could get on local bus bound for Munkyeong Saejae and get off at Bus Stop-Munkyeong Saejae Provincial Park  taking 1 hour and 14 minutes for 31 bus stop passing. You could walk to Munkyeong SAEJAE Parking Lot No. 1 taking 2 minutes for 104m. Please refer more details to the “Transportation from Seoul Central City Bus Terminal to Munkyeong Saejae Parking Lot No. 1”. You could simply take reverse course on your way back home. I could estimate total transportation is about 3 hours and 30 minutes including waiting times for one way which comes total 7 hours for round trip. 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 hours for the transportation. 

5.     Overall Remarks.

Baekdu Daegan Mountain System makes Jungnyeong (Ridge) after passing through Sobaeksan (Mt.). And while passing by Joryeongsan (Mt.) via Dosolbong (Peak), Hwangjangsan (Mt.), Munsubong (Peak) and Daemisan (Mt.), it makes Mungyeongsaejae (Ridge) between Juheulsan (Mt.) and Joryeongsan, and then locates venerable Mungyeonggwanmun (Gate).
A tale says 'when Juheulsan rose high, it would set up the capital at its foot, but seeing Samgaksan (Mt.) in Seoul which had already risen ahead, it sat down with its back against it. The high rising physical aspect of Juheulsan is admirable and fragrance of long history emits in every valley. There are four splendid hike trails well prepared. It is a thesaurus of wild flowers and was also the guardian mountain of Mungyeonghyeon in the Joseon dynasty.

6.     Detailed Course Information

     I was stayed at Suanbo Town which could reach to Munkyeong Saejae less than an hour and came over to Saejae Parking Lot No. 1 slightly before 8 o’clock. I thought this Parking Lot No. 1 would be closest to Jeil Gwanmun (First Entrance Gate). But these was Parking Lot No. 4 was just above which was something closer to Jeil Gwanmun, say about 200m. Therefore please car the car to the Parking Lot No. 4 if anybody intend to park the car more closely to the Jeil Gwanmun. I walked on Saejae village street heading to Saejae Gwanmun for about five minutes as soon as parked the car at Parking Lot No. 1 and found sign board introducing Munkyeong Apple Festival from Oct 13 through 28, 2018. I saw so beautiful and fantastic view of yellow ginkgo trees on the street and took it to photo as attached. I kept walking the street for about 10 minutes from the Apple Festival Sign Board and found extraordinary colorful and beautiful scenery at stream besides the street and continuously walking for 10 more minutes and reached junction at jeil Gwanmun where I could take Juheulsan Summit either 4.5km to Juheulsan Summit and 800m Yeogung Pokpo (Water Fall) at right or to Jeie Gwanmun (Second Entrance Gate) at straight. I turned right and kept walking on unpaved hiking course road along with stream at left for about 20 minutes and met next junction mark stating the one at right as 300m to Yeogung Pokpo, 1.2km to Heguksa Temple and 3.8km to the Summit and the other at left as 900m to Heguksa Temple and 3.5km to the Summit. I took a right hike course and carried on walking on the road along with stream and saw natural colorful beauty at the valley which well harmonized with different color leaves by different species trees like yellow, yellow green, red, pink and so on. I through these so beautiful leaves would soon drop to the ground for the winter preparation which would be closer to human life cycle since human cycled as peak vigorous younger period at 20 to 30 years (Dark Green Leaves at the tree), matured period at 40 to 50 years (Colorful Leaves at the tree) and closing preparation period 60 to 70 years (dried and wrapped or twisted brown leaves). Anyhow I Kept walking on somewhat steep concrete paved road and sometime crossed over the bridge and slopped wood stairs for a quarter minutes and reached landmark near to Yeogung Pokpo (Water Fall) at elevation 340m altitude stating as 1km to Heguksa Temple and 3.6km to the Summit. When I walked on somewhat slopped rocky road for a while, I saw nice Yeogung Pokpo, about 10m high and looked around and continuously ascending through steeper uphill rocky road and wood stairs for about half an hour and reached junction between Heguksa temple and Summit direction. I saw exceptionally wonderful and beautiful scenery at rock valley and took a photo on the way to this junction. I turned straightly right to the Summit way and made my mind I would drop the Heguksa temple on the way down after I touch down the Summit. I felt it became harder and harder depend on higher and higher and steeper and steeper time by time. As I walked up through tis hard road for about half an hour, I found landmark stating as 1.54km to the Summit. I kept climbing on these tougher and harder rocky road for about less than an hour and met Daeguelteo where there was much cooled natural mineral water spring as well as rest and break area. I drunk such cooled mineral water and took a short break and chatted with other climbers for short while. I started to climb so highly steeper stairs which was longest wood stairs and walked up for about half an hour and reached ridge areas as soon as finished the wood stairs. I turned right at the ridge junction and continuously walking on the ridge road and passing wood deck road and connecting last wood stairs for about 20 minutes and met junction at the wood stairs stating as 50m to the Summit at right and 1.2km to Youngbong Peak at left. I turned right and kept waking up the stairs for about 5 minutes and finally touched down the Juheulsan Summit; 1076m altitude and looked around the Summit for a while and started to descend through the same road that I took this morning. When I walked down through the stairs for about 5 minutes, I found junction mark stating as Jeie Gwanmun (Second Entrance Gate at right and Jeil Gwanmun (First Entrance Gate) at straight. I took a straight road and continued to downhill for about one hour and reached Heguksa temple which I missed on the way ascending this morning and dropped the temple and learned this was small, cute, neat and clam temple sitting at optimistic location at the valley. I somewhat hardly walked on the temple and looked down gorgeous valley with various colorful pictures at main temple hall as see at the photo. I kept walking down through the same course road for about one and half an hour from the Heguksa temple and back to the Saejae Parking Lot No. 1.