Cheongnyangsan hike info

Cheongnyangsan is only about 870 m high but looks much bigger from below. Twelve grey rock peaks stand in a row like a folding screen, and the Nakdong River curls around their feet. Each has a name, so you end up ticking off Janginbong, Seonhakbong, Jasobong and Yeonjeokbong as you walk. It is a provincial park and a scenic site, and the whole mountain is treated as one piece.

Cheongnyangsa temple hangs in the middle, under the cliffs. The view of the peaks from beside its pagoda is the mountain's signature scene. Behind the temple, a suspension bridge spans the gap between Seonhakbong and Jaranbong, and the trail passes the cave where the Silla calligrapher Kim Saeng is said to have practised and the sheer ledge of Eopungdae. In autumn, red leaves spill over the grey rock.

The summit, Janginbong, is a couple of hours from the temple. The trail mixes stairs and rock, and the knees complain first. Walking only from the car park to the temple takes about an hour, so plenty of visitors skip the summit.

From Seoul (BUS)

From Busan, Daegu and elsewhere (BUS)

To the trailhead (LOC)