Cheonmasan Mountain

Rising in the middle of Namyangju, Cheonmasan stands 812 m according to its summit stone, making it one of the higher peaks you can reach from eastern Seoul by train. True to its name, which means "the mountain that touches the sky", it is steep, and in early spring its valleys fill with wildflowers, earning it the nickname of a "boot camp" for wildflower photographers. From the top you look out over Pyeongnae, Hopyeong and Onam and ridge after ridge beyond.

The mountain that touches the sky

The name is said to come from Yi Seong-gye, the founder of the Joseon dynasty. Hunting here in the late Goryeo period, he looked up at the peak and remarked that there were green hills everywhere, but this one looked like a courtier's tablet stuck into the blue sky, and that if his arm were just three feet longer, he could touch the sky. The terrain is so rugged that the Joseon-era outlaw Im Kkeok-jeong is said to have used it as his base, and a rock named Kkeokjeong Rock after him still stands. Some sources give the height as just over 810 m.

The mountain spans Hopyeong-dong, Onam-eup and Hwado-eup in Namyangju. It became a county park in 1983, kept that title for years after Namyangju became a city, and was renamed a city park in August 2023. In 2002 it was named one of the Korea Forest Service's 100 famous mountains.

Its ridges radiate from the summit in all directions, so the peak can be seen from almost anywhere below. Its rough, rugged shape once earned it the joking nickname of "the jilted mountain". To the north, the ridge links up with neighbouring Cheolmasan (711 m).

What to see

• Spring wildflowers: from mid-March, early bloomers such as Korean winter aconite, Amur adonis and Korean dogtooth violet appear along the valleys. Wildflower seekers usually prefer the valley path on the Palhyeon-ri side in Onam-eup to the summit.
• Kkeokjeong Rock: a large split boulder along the trail, linked to the Im Kkeok-jeong legend.
• Dolpin Spring: a spring beneath a high cliff north of the summit, so plentiful that it is also called the "medicine-water rock spring".
• Summit views: the rocky summit carries a marker stone and a Korean flag, and from around it you see the towns of Namyangju and layer upon layer of ridges.
• Forest: the slopes are covered with pine, cork oak, Mongolian oak and painted maple, so after the spring flowers fade the mountain moves on to fresh green and then autumn colour.

Tripto tips

• Routes: the most popular trail climbs from the Sujinsa entrance in Hopyeong-dong to the summit. For wildflowers, take the Palhyeon-ri valley. The route from the park management office includes a steep stretch known as "Kkaltak Pass".
• Time needed: allow 3–4 hours for the round trip, more if you linger in the valleys looking for flowers.
• Getting there: from Pyeongnae-Hopyeong Station or Cheonmasan Station on the Gyeongchun Line, take a bus or taxi to the Hopyeong-dong trailhead.
• Best time: mid-March to April for wildflowers and late October for autumn colour.
• Watch out for: some trails may close during the spring and autumn wildfire-prevention periods, and access can be restricted in bad weather. Do not pick or trample the wildflowers, and stay on marked trails. In winter the shaded paths near the summit ice over, so bring microspikes.