By mid-November (2021), we had shipped our boxes and had nearly emptied our apartment. We had a couple of weekends left before we would move out of our rental apartment (in Seoul) to an Airbnb in Mapo. With most of the packing and paperwork sorted, we were now ready to bid farewell to our friends. We chose Chuncheon for our first weekend trip outside Seoul — in over a year.
Getting there
Chuncheon was one of our favourite escapes from Seoul and we’d visited it on multiple times before. This picturesque capital city of Gangwon Province is known for its scenic lake views and challenging mountain trails. The Gyeongui-Jungang Line (Seoul Metro link) connects Chuncheon with Gongdeok — with a single transfer at Cheongnyangni Station (Gyuongchun Line). Alternatively, you can take the ITX Train from Yongsan or a bus from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal.
Initially, we had planned on just visiting Deungseon Falls (등선폭포) at the base of Samaksan Mountain. The journey from Seoul wasn’t too bad (despite the transfer), but we reached Chuncheon quite late in the morning. We took a cab from the station to the entrance of the waterfalls (삼악산 등산로 (등선폭포)). In hindsight, and after reading other blogs, this entrance is better for descending the mountain — should you chose to hike it. It’s also better to take the steeper route from the main entrance (삼악산 등산로 입구), at Uiam, to go up. But, we didn’t have a hike in our minds, and let’s just say we were quite underprepared without this basic information.
Entrance to Deungseon Falls (등선폭포(삼악산))
Most of the food stalls were shut (I’m not sure if it was because of the pandemic or winter) and the entrance was deserted. Even the ticket counter was closed, so we continued walking ahead — trying to figure a route. There’s a buddhist temple/shrine just before the entrance on the left. We chose to skip it and continued walking instead.
So, here we were, totally clueless about the entrance and didn’t have anyone to ask for information. It made sense to follow the route under the arch.
Who would have thought: these stunning rock formations were sitting right behind that cartoonish entrance gate?
We finally found a schematic route map (grey board) and safety instructions (on the yellow board) in Korean. I felt it was too early in the morning for my brain to make sense of the Korean text and understand the trail. That was our first mistake. It’s always better to understand the trail when you’re fresh. Then again, we didn’t think that we’re going to attempt the hike. I just wanted to take in the mountain views and hopefully catch some autumnal sightings.
This section of the trail is possibly built for visitors who just want to enjoy the views of the stony gorge and Deungseon Waterfalls. It is easily accessible and a sight to behold.
We reached the first waterfall very quickly. There wasn’t much effort and we were truly taken by the beauty of the location.
A well-marked staircase — that hugs the rocky outcrop of the gorge — leads you up to a stunning view of the waterfall below. It’s a maze of steps, but worth the climb.
Honestly, by this point I had stopped counting the waterfalls or trying to figure which one was Deungsan Waterfalls. Everything was enchanting and the seclusion was truly rewarding — for the first time in the pandemic. That said, I truly wish that Korean Tourism would put more signages in English to help foreigners figure mountain trails on their own — without the help of a guide. There’s very little information in English on mountain hikes online and the only nuggets of information that can be found are on expat blogs.
We were very excited at this point. The mountain looked inviting, even though autumn had packed her leaves and left in a hurry. I knew spotting autumn foliage could be a hit-or-miss situation because it gets colder faster here. Gangwon Province (read my earlier posts here) is the northernmost province of South Korea and is known for its icy winters, frozen waterfalls/lakes, and biting cold. If you’re into winter sports or walking on frozen lakes (we have); Gangwon Province won’t disappoint.
You can be very wild and still be very wise.
The trail alternated from wild and muddy to wooden boardwalks with staircases. We bumped into two Korean hikers who offered to click our pictures with the trail. They were quite friendly (like most hikers), but at this point, we didn’t feel the need to ask them any questions about the trail because we were just wandering.
This was perhaps the last section with the wooden trail. It might be wise to head back from here — if you had only come for the waterfalls.
The trail gets a bit steeper and harder from here. On most hikes, we’d travel very light because we know how the weight can feel like bricks towards the top. However, in this case, we were staying for two days in Chuncheon, and we hadn’t dropped off our bagpacks at the pension — to save time. This was our second mistake. We had to lug our bags on this slippery (due to the dead leaves) uphill trail.
The forest was bare with patches of green on its floor. The silence was rewarding and we took a break. We shared an egg sandwich and kept another for lunch. There was no sign of any shelter for food on this trail — we figured that out before.
“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.”
― Stephen King
I was beginning to get a bit nervous at this point. I hadn’t studied the trail and there weren’t any signages or hikers to ask for directions. Basil was in his element though, I truly feel he must have been a mountain goat in an earlier life — if he had one. He kept me going and said that we could always turn back — if I didn’t want to continue. I know a part of me wanted to complete the hike. We hadn’t hiked a mountain in over a year and this would have been our last opportunity to do so.
Our bags were beginning to get heavier — even though we had finished most of our water and food. The sun was shining brightly and it was nearing noon. If we didn’t reach the top in an hour or two — that would set us back by a couple of hours to complete the hike before sunset. I was happy when I saw the clearing because I thought it wouldn’t be much longer to the top.
At this point, we saw a Korean hiker and asked her for directions to the top of the Samaksan Mountain. Although helpful, she didn’t know much English, and I was running out of words to speak in Korean. We eventually followed the direction of Samaksan (on the arrow of the blue board above) and hoped that would be the correct trail. Taking the wrong trail would lead us to another mountain. There is also a site for Samaksanseong (an ancient fortress trail) at this point. I couldn’t see any fortress wall and we continued walking.
There was a beautiful buddhist temple (point 4 of the map above) peeping out of the small outcrop to the left. Since we didn’t have the time (and I the energy), we chose to climb the other side of the mountain — hoping to reach the top. Over here, we finally saw more human lifeforms. Never have I been so happy to see people. We asked a young Korean couple (dressed as if they were walking in the park) for directions. They pointed to a steep slope up. I gulped and started climbing. The trail from point 4 (the temple) to point 2 (mountain top) was about a kilometre (check the map above) and that’s what the couple had also said.
Although, Basil was doing all the heavy lifting, I still had to carry the smaller bags. It was tricky with the trail being quite steep and slippery with the dead leaves. And let’s not talk about the jackets! We needed our jackets for the travelling in Chuncheon (known to get chilly) and wouldn’t have got it on a hike otherwise.
When I first started hiking in Korea, in 2016, I was told that any mountain with an ‘ak’ is a hard mountain. I knew the ‘ak’ in Samaksan wasn’t particularly inviting and that’s why I never wanted to hike it. ‘Ak’ translates as rocky/rugged and ‘san’ is mountain. At 654 m, Samaksan wasn’t high, but you need to be well prepared for the challenges of the undulating terrain. I’d recommend a guide or a local friend to hike this mountain.
After reaching a clearing (could have been very close to the ridge), I decided that we should turn back. The clearing didn’t have natural barricading (no picture) and we had way too many bags (and jackets) to carry. I had a faint idea that the trail on the other side (downwards) could be more rugged and I was right after I read about it later. Going down the familiar route made sense (in this case) and we could get a cab from the main entrance to our pension (Korean bed & breakfast). After our horrifying experience of getting lost on a mountain trail in Mongolia (with a guide); I know that there’s no shame in turning back — while you’re still ahead of the game.
Now came the tougher part for me. My right knee isn’t particularly strong for downward trails and I was quite wary of the steep slope. I slipped a bit and finally reached to the junction that lead to the small buddhist shrine — perched on the outcrop. Basil convinced me to climb up (again) and we were rewarded with this quaint buddhist shrine. There wasn’t anyone there and we left after clicking few pictures.
Most buddhist temples in Korea are tucked away in secluded mountains. They are perfect for experiencing temple stay programs and also taking in the tranquility of the mountains.
Now that I had the hike out of my mind, I could truly enjoy nature around me. Basil was doing that all along.
“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”
― John Muir
Korean mountains don’t really have wildlife (other than snakes I suppose) and that was a heartening fact to know. There were a few birdcalls, but I don’t think we could spot any. To the naked eye, it was just us and the forest. I wasn’t scared. We had to stick to the trail and try not to get lost. No pressure really!
I appreciated every bit of rope and stone that I could find. It helped me descend better than I expected. Not getting hiking sticks was our third mistake. Apart from that, I was truly enjoying the walk back. I knew we could make it in time well before it got dark. Now, we were in the shade of the mountain and it was getting a bit chilly. Not a soul in sight. Just us two.
After a few tricky downhill manoeuvres, we found a place to sit (a rocky stone) and finish the other sandwich that we had packed from Seoul. It would be our lunch for the day. I was enjoying the experience all the more now.
We packed our trash in our small thermal insulated bag and would throw it at the pension. I truly appreciate how Korean hikers take back everything they bring along with them and preserve nature for the next visitor. There aren’t any toilets on the way and it would make sense to use one before starting the hike.
What do I miss about Korea? Accessible trails like these. Korean mountains have trails for nearly every kind of hiker. As long as you have the faith (in yourself), you’d be rewarded with some stunning views of the mountains and forest. I started hiking with small hikes in Seoul before completing some popular trails in the county.
I knew this would be our last hike in Korea. Was I gutted that I couldn’t (I knew Basil would) complete the hike? Not really. Four years later, I can’t explain in words how I felt when I walked back. But, I know I felt peace. I was happy and my heart was filled with gratitude for all the countless opportunities I had got to hike the Korean mountains — in every season. This hike was the perfect farewell to hiking in Korea.
The trail would get easier now and it was just a series of boardwalks or stairs downhill. It’s interesting how the mind can motivate the body to keep going with simple hopes.
We were approaching the main waterfalls and I knew it wouldn’t be longer before we reached the entrance. The view looked different while going down. I was beginning to relax because I felt we had managed to stick to the trail without getting lost. It would only be a matter of time before we would be closer to civilisation.
There’s so much to take in — if you’re willing to look around. I didn’t feel the pressure of having to focus on the trail anymore. And whilst I was lost in my thoughts, Basil captured every tiny bit of detail he could in the forest.
Remember that maze of stairs that I was talking about earlier? Well, we had reached it again and I couldn’t be happier.
We reached the pension at about 4 p.m. and our Korean host was very friendly. We couldn’t believe that we had left the busy streets of Seoul, explored (nearly got lost) a mountain trail, and finally reached these calming views of Uiam Lake — all in one day. We didn’t have pajeon (Korean pancake) or Magkeolli (fermented rice wine) to celebrate our incomplete hike, but we surely had some ramyon (Korean noodles) waiting for dinner.
Additional Reading:
If you’re interested in reading about the entire hike to Samaksan, you can check out the following blogs:
- Samaksan (www.peaksandpenguins.com)
- Samaksan (www.summitpost.org)
- Samaksan – Deungseon Falls (www.alltrails.com)
It all looks a bit hair-raising in places, Cheryl. Lucky that Basil is so confident. I rely hugely on Michael to get me out of scrapes too, and am very nervous of descents these days. I’d have been happy just seeing the waterfalls. Well done to the pair of you for struggling on xx
But in the end, you made it down, and now have a wonderful memory of your final hike in Korea. I don’t remember where you live in India, have you been hiking much there? Maggie
Wow, pretty exciting.
I agree, that Korea lacks English signs, but the last time I was there, apart from Seoul that was packed with tourists and a couple in Seoraksan National Park, I never came across any English speaking travellers as I journeyed up the east coast.
I completely lost the trail in Bukhansan National Park and that feeling is scary, but unlike you, I kept going. For the first time, I was thrilled to find a piece of garbage that confirmed I was on the right route as there was no trail, only smooth rocks.
I love reading about your hikes, hope you have more (one more at least).