Turning right onto the Namhae peninsula, we entered brand new territory. One of the last places in Korea that we’d not yet been! We were bound for Geumsan (Namhae) (금산(남해)), one of our last summits and part of Hallyeohaesang National Park (한려해상국립공원).
I’d remembered Geumsan from studying maps of Hallyeo years earlier. And now it was finally time to explore it – and revisit this lovely marine park! Along the way, there were lots of surprises.
The first surprise was the discovery of a road leading all the way up to a little temple just below Geumsan’s peak. Often these roads are closed to the public – but not this one. Our advance online investigations revealed that this road clearly had a bathroom and even a parking lot at the top! Our map app refused to provide directions up to it, but we didn’t see any reason why we couldn’t go if there was an actual parking lot up there.
The second surprise occurred when we eventually turned onto that road in person. There was a national park office, complete with English speaking staff who invited us to wait in a line to drive up to the high parking lot. So we did! Kind of funny to wait in a line to drive up to the top of the mountain – but it was perfect for our three-mountain adventure day (we also visited Dongaksan in the morning and Muhaksan in the evening!).
Once a few cars had left the upper parking lot, we were invited to proceed up the road. The drive was nearly 600 meters up over 3 kilometers. The road was windy, but not overly narrow or sketchy.
The parking lot at the top was bustling; full of cars and even tour buses! I thought it was crazy busy until I realized that it was now noon on a Saturday that happened to be both sunny and clear. Unusually fair conditions for a KnC adventure, that’s for sure! No wonder we were sharing it with the masses!
Before we set off, I went into the public restroom and managed to drop one of my brand new gloves into the toilet. I was pretty upset about it – but at least I had an extra pair stashed in the car! Not exactly a great start to this adventure, but I was able to laugh it off.
Getting started in earnest, we rushed past the crowds up the short path to the temple. But we opted to bypass it in favor of heading straight to the summit. There, we were delighted by a tiny dog enjoying an illicit picnic with his humans. We enjoyed some canine interactions and the massive summit stele that was enclosed by rocks on one side and forest on the other.
A couple of stairs led up to a high viewpoint above the forest. There, we had incredible views of the sea and the shapely rocks of this mountain.
I was once again reminded of why it’s so wonderful to explore in the off-season: we didn’t need to line up for photos with the scenery or hurry our enjoyment of it. Although the naked branches of the forest seem somewhat stark, the sea was sparkling, the air was clear and we could see details in the rocks around us!
We got some oranges from the puppy picnickers on our way back through the clearing, and we made our way over to the Dangun shrine on the other side of the peak. It wasn’t anything special, actually: a few statues and a house.
The temple we’d skipped earlier was another story! We took a parallel path back over a helipad crowded with resting hikers. Then we descended through several neat rock formations down to this dramatic temple perched among them.
Alas, we didn’t spend too much time enjoying it, however, because we really had to get going to make it to our third mountain of the day! So we dashed back down the road we’d come up on and hopped in the car. Onward – but happy to have been to the gold mountain! For such a short hike, it sure was a scenic one.
Know and Go! Geumsan
Transportation
Geumsan is a little off the beaten track. Unless you happen to live in Namhae, expect to spend some time getting out to this far-flung peak. Or make a longer adventure of it and explore more of Hallyeohaesang National Park!
There are direct buses from Seoul and elsewhere to Namhae town. However, once you get here, you need to get to the mountain, which is located still further south. If you’re using public transit, most of the local buses can take you down the 19 highway to the west of the mountain. Ask the driver to let you out at one of the two Geumsan trailheads. Or, save time (if not money) but getting a taxi in one or both directions.
If you have your own wheels, you’re really set. Not only can you drive up to the high parking lot, as we did, but you could also take the time to drive the winding coastal roads. There are great sea vistas and exciting bridges to experience!
Hike & Run
The shortest route begins just a few hundred meters below the top of the mountain! This is not Geumsan’s most strenuous hike, but it is the most accessible if you’re coming by car – and the best if you’re short on time. Normally, I’d consider taking the road to be cheating – but in this case it really is the main route to the top of this mini mountain.
Alternatively, two slightly longer routes start from the number 19 highway on Namhae’s west coast. You could hike up one way and down the other for a longer Geumsan excursion.
Stay & Eat
Regrettably, I can’t comment at all about the options in Namhae! We neither stayed nor ate here. In fact, our plan had been to stop in at Jinju – one of our favorite places in the area – but we wound up running out of time (no stops but mountain stops!). We actually didn’t even really see Namhae aside from driving quickly through it. So I apologize for not being able to offer any personal advice – but on the plus side, Namhae is yours to discover!
Other Notes
Geumsan is on the Korea Forest Service 100 noted mountains list, available here, and is also part of Hallyeohaesang National Park!
Kent and I did a mini loop of Geumsan in December 2018. A truly mini loop of just 2.5 kilometers, in around 40 leisurely minutes.
Reports differ on how tall this mountain is, and the summit stele is unmarked. Naver lists Geumsan at 709 meters – but Korea Forest Service claims it’s 681 meters tall. Either way, rising directly from the sea, it seems very tall indeed when you stand on its summit. It commands incredible views of the marine national park!
In addition to the summary on the Korea Forest Service website, you can also have a look at Geumsan and the rest of Hallyeo on the Korea National Park Service site here. There’s another short write-up on Geumsan on this Visit Korea page, but there’s limited information about hiking.
Want more of Korea’s marvelous mountains? Head back to the 120 summits main page, or the Hallyeohaesang National Park page. You can also check out other national parks around Korea if ya want!