Sometimes instead of the adventure you want, you get the adventure you need. That was exactly the case for our Tohamsan (토함산) run in 2017.
We hadn’t planned on visiting Gyeongju for our June holiday. Instead, we had ferry tickets for Ulleungdo and a plan to visit Dokdo as well! But wicked winds kept our ship in port, and so we adapted our plans. Luckily our old friend Gyeongju National Park (경주국립공원) was nearby. Once we determined we were not spending our vacation island hopping, we returned to good old Gyeongju.
We spent our evening doing all of our favorite local things: mainly wandering around the vast cemetery turned park and eating all the snacks we’d brought for the trip. We planned to do a hike the following day when we’d have more daylight hours. Although we considered heading back to Namsan, we wound up choosing Tohamsan – and I’m so happy we did!
Tohamsan is actually the higher of Gyeongju’s two most famous mountains. At 745m, it’s actually nearly twice the height of Namsan! Although it can’t compete with the sheer number of archeological sites and density of trails on Namsan, Tohamsan boasts two UNESCO World Heritage sites in its foothills. Bulguksa is a beautiful temple and Seokguram is a curious grotto a short hike above.
In terms of trails, there’s a lovely long ridge run that seems to be off of the tourist radar somehow. Although we saw a couple of other people at the temple and mountain peak, there was literally no one in the forest beyond.
And that’s what made this a particularly lovely outing! After our post-sunrise stop at the summit, we ran off into the bushes. There were a few tombs and one lovely viewpoint complete with a map, and then we left signs of civilization behind.
The trail was surprisingly overgrown for a national park, and markers were few and far between. After several kilometers of silence, we were startled by a sudden sound in the bushes. A rustling, a pitter-patter of hooves, and in the not-so-far-off distance, the barking of deer!
Believe it or not, this was the first time we’d encountered this sound! We’d seen a few deer (and wild boar!) in the countryside – but never heard them! We’d heard only that they could bark, and weren’t sure what that would be like. Well, now we knew!
Reaching the bottom all too soon, we realized we should have taken more photos. But we did not regret choosing Tohamsan for the day’s adventure.
And neither will you! Add this ten kilometer mountain trail to your own portfolio of Gyeongju adventures. Read up on other ways to explore Gyeongju National Park – or check out nearby Namsan mountain. Next, expand your horizons with more of Korea’s national parks.
