A Painted Landscape

This weekend we hopped a 6:35 a.m. bus out of Gwangju and headed north for an hour to Naejangsan National Park. (For those of you planning a trip to the park from Gwangju, the bus runs from 6:35 a.m. to 7:50 p.m. and 13 times in between - the schedule can be found here). This park is located in the Jeollabuk Province (one of eight provinces in South Korea) and is one of Korea's twenty national parks (an English guide to the Korea National Park Service can be found here). Entrance to the park is 2,500 Won and lodging/ camping is available. However, I recommend that you plan this in advance if you are going to visit during a holiday or crowded autumn weekend.

Naejangsan is internationally know for having one of the most stunning array of autumn colors. With over 30 species of trees, photographers travel here from high, low, and medium for the chance to capture a rare palette of bold, natural beauty. The landscape looks almost as if an artist had masterfully dotted the mountainsides with their most vibrant colors: deep crimson, yellow ochre, hunter greens, olive green, burnt sienna, lemon and lime, pumpkin, and cadmium dark (no water).

Our direct destination was Baekyangsa, located in the southernmost entrance of the park. From there, we planned a 10 km hike from Baekyangsa Temple to Naejangsan in the northeast entrance of the park. This route takes you through 4 temples (Baekyangsa, Yaksaam, Guamsa, Naejangsa), up and down 3 mountain peaks (Baekhakbong, Sinseonbong 763m, Yeonjabong 675m), around Daegaje Reservoir, and gives you the option to explore multiple waterfalls and cable-car expeditions.


Although these peaks are not as high as those we can explore in the west, each area of the mountain range is unique from the other. Some are rocky and require a mindful ascent, others offer a more enjoyable winding ridge trail that is flanked on either side by low-lying bamboo growth. This park offers anything from a grueling trek to a pleasant day hike through shady groves, your call.

[Baekyangsa Temple, from above]

If you take your time exploring the temples, occassionally stopping to accept gifts of wine and tangerines from friendly Koreans, and break for scenic and nutritional intake - this hike can fill up an enjoyable 7 hours of your day.

Luckily, we got an early start before the gaggles of chattering Korean hikers had the chance to completely take over the park. After gearing up and stocking our water supply, we hit up Baekyangsa Temple before heading into the mountains. This temple was neatly spread between an idyllic autumn pond and the southern base of the park's mountain chain. We spent about an hour soaking in the natural beauty of the hundred year-old japanese maples before getting our tread on.

The rest of the day we spent hiking up and down a few of the park's more notable peaks. We were continuously surrounded by vibrant colors and there was always a chance to catch a stunning vista.

"It is like giving your eyes a drink."

At one point, we were even able to see Meudung Mountain off in the distance (this mountain is just outside of Gwangju) even though it was an hour's distance away.

[Meudung Mountain, in the distance]

I have to say that Koreans are the most giving of people. Caitlin and I must have left our hike with more food than we came with. It is not surprising to be handed off one or two tangerines from passing Koreans. They enjoy giving foreigners gifts for some chance of interaction, to practice their english, or just in the spirit of good will.

At one point in the hike, a Korean man was nice enough to share a couple swigs of his Makgulee [막걸리] wine with us. This is a traditional Korean wine that you will find common on most mountains and the reason why a 66 year-old Korean man had enough gusto to pass me on the ascent without shedding a glance. Either that or I just have yet to become a man?

[66!]

Anyway, here are some pictures from the weekend in Naejangsan National Park. If you are privy to long hikes through vivid autumn mountainscapes and eating trail mix, then this is your spot. If not, then you can go hang out with this guy.

[what hanging out with a vegetarian will do to your diet]