Among the mountains known as the Yeongnam Alps, the one with the highest peak is Gajisan (가지산/1,241m). It became a provincial park in 1979 and is listed as the 29th most popular mountain in Korea by the definitive Korean mountain hiking website www.koreasanha.net. The mountain’s attractions include golden reed grass and colorful leaves during the fall, Korea’s largest colony of Royal Azaleas (철쭉) in the spring, and Seongnamsa Temple (석남사), a temple for female Buddhist monks.

Royal Azaleas begin to bloom on Gajisan Mountain

On May 8, I made a trip to see the Royal Azaleas in bloom, however, only the flowers at the top of the mountain were in bloom. Nonetheless, it was a gorgeous day and I had a great time there.

I boarded a bus near the Ulsan Intercity Bus Terminal (see directions below) and about an hour later I was at the parking lot for Seongnamsa Temple. I bought some water at one of the convenience stores and began my ascent on a trail that goes around the left side of Seongnamsa.

The rocky outcropping at the peak contrasts the colorful Royal Azaleas.

The trail is moderately difficult with little in the way of scenery until nearing the peak which took me 2.5 hours to reach. I had eaten a light breakfast and felt like I should have eaten more as I was tempted to eat my picnic before reaching the peak.

Climbers in the distance have reached the peak.

I’m really happy that I waited to reach the peak before eating. The views are nice and I was able to meet a couple of retired Korean men with whom I shared my snacks with. I bought a bottle of Korean rice wine at the shelter located at the peak and shared it with the two men. They also shared some kind of moonshine with me. The one guy said it was called “yak-sul” (약술) which means “medicine alcohol”. It tasted like ginseng flavored moonshine with a serious kick. The really interesting thing is that this yak-sul was made by his Buddhist monk friend.

Ssal-bawi (쌀바위) "Rice Rock"

I was invited to walk down the mountain with the two men, and I accepted. It was a lot of fun speaking in Korean with them. They were patient when I spoke and very warm in the way they treated me. They told me that the Royal Azaleas will be in full bloom about two weeks later (May 21-22) and made me promise to call them when I return!

People are small, but not insignificant.

Our descent took us past Ssal-bawi (쌀바위) “Rice Rock” and then through Seongnamsa Temple. Ssal-bawi is called that because there is a myth about a monk who prayed for and received rice from the rock until the townspeople heard about it and became greedy. At that point the rock stopped producing rice. Now, only a steady stream of water comes out.

A view from Gajisan's peak, the colony of Royal Azaleas just beginning to bloom.

Sitting at my desk and looking back, Gajisan is a worthwhile hike as it offers some nice views in all directions from the peak. I plan to return on May 22 or May 23 to see the Royal Azaleas in full bloom with my new Korean buddies. The entire side of the mountain is full of these beautiful plants and will no doubt be a stunning sight to see.

This is the dae-pi-so (대피소) "Shelter" at the peak.

If the Yeongnam Alps are of interest to you, check out my article about the Sinbulsan County Park (Fall Eulalia Reeds).

Getting There
From the Ulsan Intercity Bus Terminal, walk outside and turn left. Walk straight until you get to the corner of the street. At that corner, turn left. About 50m in front of you will be a crosswalk. Cross the street and wait at that bus stop for bus 807 or 1713. There is an electronic sign that will tell you how long the wait is for the next bus. There’s a Starbucks on the opposite corner if you need a caffeine fix while you wait.

Resources
Gajisan (Korea In The Clouds)
Gajisan (Great Korean Mountain Trails)
Gajisan (Koreahiking.com)
Gajisan (Koreasanha.net) (Korean only)

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