There’s just something about standing on an old mountain fortress wall or guard tower and looking across the landscape that helps me to feel connected with the past. Fortunately for me, Korea has a number of old mountain fortresses where doing this is possible. And as a fan of both hiking and mountain fortresses, I’m always up for the opportunity to enjoy both at the same time. To this end, I made my way to Gyeongsangbuk-do’s Gasan Mountain Fortress (가산산성/Gasansanseong).

Jinnammun Gate (진남문)

The placard at the gate where I started my hike had some information about the fortress. It said the fortress has a triple-wall design and takes advantage of an interior, middle, and an outer wall. Each was built at different times in history from 1640-1700. Other information I found on the internet says that this mountain fortress is representative of the kind that uses the topography of the landscape (e.g. steep slopes and ridge lines) to its advantage.

I started my hike up Gasan Mountain from a large fortress gate called Jinnammun Gate (진남문). The gate is typical of the kind I’ve seen at other Korean mountain fortresses. I had to walk about 10 minutes uphill from a bus stop to get to the gate, and directions to the bus stop are included at the end of this report.

Dongmun "East Gate" (동문)

Directly behind the gate is Haewonjeong Temple (해원정사/Haewonjeonsa). And to the right of the temple is the start of a couple of trails that lead up the mountain. Here are two photos of different maps that I came across on my hike: map 1 and map 2. I followed the trail towards Dongmun “East Gate” (동문) and the main attraction called Gasan Bawi “Gasan Rock” (가산바위). The trail starts off a bit steep but after a few hundred meters, turns into a wide and winding trail. There are enough switchbacks on this trail to make this a relatively easy hike.

A Korean couple takes in the view at Gasan Bawi

On this hike, I was able to see Dongmun “East Gate” (동문), Jungmun “Center Gate” (중문), and Seomun “West Gate” (서문). None of them are particularly fascinating to look at. There is one more gate called Bukmun “North Gate” (북문) which I did not get to see, but I assume it is similar to these other small gates.

Four women enjoy a picnic on Gasan Bawi

The main attraction, Gasan Bawi, is a flat rock outcropping near the peak of the mountain which is said to offer a panoramic view of Daegu. On the day I visited, the sky was a little too hazy to confirm that. Nevertheless, the view was nice and the crisp spring breeze I felt while eating my picnic up there was refreshing. Total hiking time from Jinnammun Gate to Gasan Bawi was 1 hour 30 minutes.

A beautiful "Great Tit" on Gasan Bawi

While I was eating my picnic, I took a few photos of a beautiful little bird that I later identified in my awesome book A Field Guide To The Birds Of Korea as a “Great Tit”. The thick black stripe on its chest suggests that it is a male. It seems that the more I photo and identify birds, the more I enjoy it! This particular bird and a Eurasian Nuthatch that was there too were pretty comfortable being around me while I was eating, which makes me think that they have grown used to folks feeding them.

A beautiful "Great Tit" perches on a tree branch on Gasan Bawi

Once I was done eating, I made my way to Seomun Gate in hopes of finding my way down to the little town of Hakmyeongni (학명리) where I would try to find a bus. However, the signage on the trail left me a little confused, so I decided to just go back to Jinnammun Gate.

Sitting at my desk and looking back, this was a really easy hike around a fortress ith an interesting history. Since it was such an easy hike, I can even recommend it for people who aren’t interested long or strenuous hikes. I didn’t see everything, so I intend to go back. There is one major drawback about this destination; there is no direct bus to Gasan Mountain Fortress. So getting there can be difficult. See my notes below for help.

Resources
Gasansanseong and Gasan Bawi (Korea Tourism Organization)
Gasansanseong (Cultural Heritage Administration)

Tips On Getting There

Method 1
I went to Bukbu Bus Terminal. Down the street from the terminal and on the opposite side of the street, in the direction of and slightly beyond the foot bridge/overpass is a bus stop. From that bus stop, I got on bus #427. I took that bus to the end of the line and got off at Dongmyeong (동명). From there, I crossed the street and walked down the road to another bus stop. I got on the Chilgok #3 Express Bus (칠곡급행 #3) heading in the opposite direction that bus #427 was going. I was lucky because the bus only comes once every hour and it arrived right after I got there. Then I rode this bus until I saw Jinnammun Gate while looking out the right side window. I would not have noticed the gate if the bus hadn’t stopped to let a passenger out. This bus doesn’t announce stops; you must know where to get off or tell the bus driver to stop near Jinnammun Gate. It will help if you can speak Korean.

Method 2
I could have taken a taxi from Dongmyeong to Jinnammun Gate. It would have been about 10,000 won. I would have had to save the taxi driver’s phone number to call him back when I finished the hike. There is a bus stop near Jinnammun Gate, but the bus only comes once per hour or so. I think it is Chilgok #3 but I can’t be sure.

So how did I get back home? I flagged down a taxi which already had a passenger. The driver took me to the other passenger’s destination, then took me to Ayanggyo Station (아양교역) for about 12,000 won.

If I were a non-Korean speaking traveler who wanted to visit this mountain fortress, I would use Method 2 and make sure I saved the taxi driver’s phone number. If you don’t speak Korean, you can call 1330 tourist help line, give them the taxi driver’s phone number, and they will call the taxi for you.

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