Holiday Journal

• Start
•  
• Hwangmae Mountain
•  
• Theme Park
•  
• Gagopa Sikdang
•  
• Jeongyang Wetland
•  
• Punggyong
•  
• Sonkalguksu
•  
• Sorigil
•  
• Seongbo Museum
•  
• Haeinsa Temple
•  
• Gobau Sikdang
•  
• Finish

Hapcheon in Gyeongsangnam-do is a dynamic city. It looks quiet yet dynamic, rough yet delicate. It has a mountain that looks different in every season, various streams, and a theme park where the past and present coexist that satisfy tourists of all ages. Most of you would think of Haeinsa Temple and the Tripitaka Koreana(complete collection of Buddhist scriptures carved on over eighty thousand woodblocks) when you heard of Hapcheon city but I’m going to show you nice places where you can enjoy activities and nature including Hapcheon Cine Theme Park and Hwangmae Mountain. Shall we begin?

‘Silver Grass Trail’ on Hwangmae Mountain with Royal Azaleas in Spring and Silver Grass in Autumn 황매산

There is a very beautiful and unique mountain in Hapcheon of Gyeongsangnam-do called Hwangmae Mountain. The mountain is covered with red royal azaleas in spring and silver grass replaces them in autumn and winter. The mountain is 1,108m high that is a high mountain peak belonging to Sobaek Mountains. It’s higher than 1,100m but the cars are allowed upto 800m so it’s not so hard to get to the mountaintop along the trail. So today I’m going to show you Silver Grass Trail on Mt. Hwangmae, and I’ll show you pictures so that you can compare the views in autumn and in spring.

The trail I’m going to show you around is 4km distance for two-way, 2.5km up to the mountain top along the yellow path from the parking lot and 1.5km coming down along the blue path. It takes about 2 hours even if you walk slowly. There’s silver grass habitat around the hills attracting us but it’s less beautiful than the view on the mountaintop so I chose yellow path along the ridge of the mountain.

This is the starting point. I could see mountaintops over the streams flowing from the mountain. It’s not the top of the mountain but a small hill where you can see silver grass and royal azalea habitat. What does it look like in spring?

It looks like this in spring. This was taken in early spring when the flowers did not fully bloom but when they do, the mountain is filled with pink waves of royal azaleas.

It looks quite empty in the picture but the sweet atmosphere of autumn with the sound of autumn wind was kind of fresh. And I felt light on my feet as well. It’s not a high mountain so forget all the heavy climbing equipment and just wear comfortable clothes.

As I went up to 900m high, all I could see was mountains and sky. I cannot believe this place turns into pink hill covered with royal azaleas in spring. Mount Hwangmae rarely has big tall trees that made me feel like I’m on Oreumn in Jeju but this one is covered with short royal azaleas and silver grass. The wind from Hapcheonho (Lake) was so fresh.

When you meet the big trees like this, there’s always a low wooden bench under it just like now. It would make the shade of tree with green leaves in spring as always.

I guess there’s more of silver grass in silver grass habitat marked on the map. This is a royal azalea habitat and I could see royal azalea trees with empty leaves far away there. This hill would turn into pink in spring as well. How, you say?

Like this. It’s taken from different angle but almost at same place in spring. Really beautiful, isn’t it?

But I think it’s amazing to see the dry silver grass in late autumn, right before winter comes. Especially the place is crowded with springtime picnickers but you will find few climbers in autumn/winter so I like it better.

I’ll walk to the mountaintop along the ridge over the stairs. The area around me is all covered with silver grass. For your information, this is covered with dry plants so you should never smoke a cigarette or make a fire around this place. It would take a second to burn this whole place!

Tall silver grass started to dry after spreading its soft seeds. A person’s life is just like its life. But I am not sad ‘cause I am walking.

As I got to a small mountaintop with ‘Fire Observation Post’ written on the map, I could see the top of Mount Hwangmae. As I climbed up, the weather was good under the clouds but it sometimes rains under rain clouds. The wind was strong but I couldn’t feel any better. The road has been paved so there’s no problem with walking unless it heavily rains.

Those who want the fastest trail to the mountaintop should follow the winding paved road to the left from the parking lot located in the center of the map. But I chose the right path that follows the ridge to the mountaintop. This is twice far and more difficult than the paved road. But as I am on the mountain anyway so I might as well take a long walk to see around. Because ‘there are things you can see only when you stop to see them’ as the monk Hyemin said.

I must’ve come high enough. I could see the downtown of Sancheong-gun, Buam Mountain and Jeongsu Mountain far away. I think I could see further on sunny days but cloudy days are not so bad.

Fire Observation Post must be exactly at 1,000m high. Still 2km is left until I got to the top over there and 2.1km left to Mosanjae to the opposite direction. This must be the middle point between Mosanjae and the top of Mount Hwangmae.

The top of Hwangmae Mountain has been on films and dramas often. This must be a filming site of a movie. Considering there are structures like a beacon tower and a single-roofed house, this must be used for The Legend of Gingko.

Still 1.5km left. I am not sure if you can see it but it was really beautiful. Whenever I took a step, I felt sad that I got closer to the view. I couldn’t feel that it’s real because I felt I was completely isolated from the world as I was drawn into the sound of wind and grass with no human at all.

It was beautiful when the area was covered with royal azalea but it’s still beautiful when it’s covered with silver grass. The dirt road disappeared and now it’s wooden deck so it’s even more comfortable to walk.

There’s a path under the mountaintop that leads to another village in Sancheong. It’s used by climbers but this might’ve been the fastest yet most difficult way connecting Hapcheon and Sancheong in old times. But that castle gate and gateway was made for movie The Legend of Gingko.

The mountaintop is really beautiful. It seems like a mountain covered with snow called Matterhorn Mountain in Zermatt, Switzerland, the logo of Paramount film studio. Somehow silver grass covering the mountain and royal azalea trees with empty leaves were harmonized as well. You wanna see how it looks like in spring?

Ta-da! This is how it looks in spring. Royal azaleas bloom in bouquets like thick clouds, beautiful, huh?

But I like it now under autumn sunshine yet cold wind. It makes me want to take pictures again and again. It was way more beautiful to see them real than in the picture though.

Especially I liked that it’s not crowded with people. There are places that you have more fun when there are more people but in nature, it’s the opposite. The quieter, the more chance to enjoy nature and the clearer you think. But even so, the best way is to hold hands with someone you love.

Now the autumn is about to end. Soon it will snow and this place will be frozen as well. However, it’s okay. Because spring will come before we notice it. Probably we are not afraid of winter because we expect spring to come soon.

After a long chatting on the top of Mount Hwangmae, we followed the blue line on the map, the paved road. But there’s something familiar with the area around the blue line. This hill was a battlefield on the movie ‘TaeGukGi: Brotherhood of War’.

We finished a quite long climbing and headed back to the parking lot. As Hwangmae Mountain is known in the world since it’s selected as by CNN, it’s easily accessed by cars, even shuttle buses or taxis during the festival, so if you can make two hours for this, you will be able to enjoy the most beautiful view in Korea. It’s a definitely must-visit place in Hapcheon so don’t forget to drop by!