Jaeyaksan hike info

A mountain in the Yeongnam Alps, and the first thing you notice is how bare its top is. Up on the ridge there are hardly any trees, just Sajapyeong, a wide plain of silver grass under open sky. Suminbong rises on one side and the rock cliffs of Sajabong (Cheonhwangsan) stand across from it.

Autumn is the season. From mid-October the grass turns silver, and when the wind blows the whole plain lies down in waves. The trail from Pyochungsa temple below passes two waterfalls and climbs steeply for a long stretch. The Eoreumgol cable car lifts you above 1,000 m so you can walk onto the plain on flat ground.

There is no shade, so summer afternoons are hot and winter ridges are harsh. Expect the top to run 5-10 C colder than the valley and pack a layer.

From Seoul (TRN)

From Busan or Daegu (TRN)

To the trailhead (LOC)