Obongsan (Chuncheon)

Rising north of Soyang Lake, Obongsan (779 m) is a granite mountain whose five peaks stand in a row, just as its name ("five-peak mountain") says. Start from the Baehuryeong pass and a short climb brings you onto a rocky ridge; you cross the five summits one by one and then descend past the thousand-year-old Cheongpyeongsa Temple and Gusong Falls. The Korea Forest Service includes it among its 100 famous mountains of Korea.

The mountain of five peaks

The mountain has gone by several names over the centuries, including Gyeongunsan, Gyeongsusan and Cheongpyeongsan. Because five peaks follow one another along its ridge (Birobong, Bohyeonbong, Munsubong, Gwaneumbong and Nahanbong), the name Obongsan took hold more recently. Being granite, the ridge bristles with oddly shaped rocks, and the mountain straddles the boundary between Chuncheon and Hwacheon County. Cheongpyeongsa, on its southern slopes, is said to have been founded in 973, the 24th year of King Gwangjong of Goryeo, and whatever the mountain was called, the temple has always been part of its story. One legend even says that a lump of gold sent by a Tang emperor still lies buried somewhere on Obongsan behind the temple.

The hike

The most popular route runs Baehuryeong → peaks 1 to 5 → Cheongpyeongsa → Gusong Falls → Cheongpyeongsa car park. It is about 6.5 km and takes 3.5–4 hours including breaks.

• Cheongsol Rock: after the first and second peaks you reach a rock with pine trees rooted on top.
• Rocky ridge of peaks 3 to 5: beyond Cheongsol Rock the ridge rises and falls steeply, with many sections where you use your hands.
• Homtong Rock: boulders form a narrow hole that you have to crouch to squeeze through.
• Turtle Rock: a large boulder shaped like a turtle sits beside the trail on the way down.

Down to Cheongpyeongsa

The hike ends in the Cheongpyeongsa valley. Princess Cave, linked to the legend of a princess and a lovesick snake, and Gusong Falls, dropping between rock walls, follow one another along the stream, and in autumn the whole valley turns red and gold. The trail passes right by Cheongpyeongsa, so take time to look around the temple and its Hoejeonmun Gate.

The valley is also bound up with the mountain's names. In 1089 the Goryeo official Yi Ja-hyeon gave up his post, retired here and named the mountain Cheongpyeong, "clear and peaceful", shaping a garden out of the stream, pools and flat rocks just as he found them. This Goryeo garden of Cheongpyeongsa is regarded as the oldest garden yet identified in Korea and is protected as a scenic site, so the falls and pools you pass on the way down were once part of a thousand-year-old garden. The Hoejeonmun Gate at the temple entrance, a 16th-century building that takes the place of the usual Heavenly Kings gate, is a national Treasure.

Tripto tips

• When to go: April–May for azaleas and mid-October to early November for autumn colour. In winter the rocky ridge ices over, so do not go without crampons.
• Trailhead: you will need to drive or take a taxi from central Chuncheon to Baehuryeong. Since a tunnel was built beneath the pass, the old pass road has become popular with cyclists and motorcyclists.
• Boat back: from the Cheongpyeongsa pier, a boat crosses Soyang Lake to the Soyang Dam pier in 10–15 minutes. In winter, boats have left Cheongpyeongsa at half past each hour, with the last at 16:30. Timetables change with the season, so check before you go.
• What to bring: gloves and boots with good grip for the scrambling sections, and a backpack that leaves both hands free.
• Time needed: about 4 hours for the hike; add the temple and the boat and it becomes a full day.