Jogyesan hike info

Jogyesan is only 887 m, and it is not the height that draws people. Songgwangsa and Seonamsa, two of Korea's great temples, sit on opposite flanks, and the old pass trail that links them is the real route. Climb from one side, cross the ridge, and walk down into the other temple: the day ends like a story with a start and a finish.

The terrain is gentle, long earth paths through woods rather than steep rock. At a high pass a rustic place serves barley rice to hikers sitting on benches. In autumn the approach to Seonamsa turns red first, and in spring its old plum trees mark the season. On the Songgwangsa side, a quiet forest lane runs to Bulilam, the hermitage where the monk Beopjeong lived.

Near the top it is cooler than the lowlands, and some ridge stretches have little shade. The through-hike takes a while, so check the last bus and your way back before you set off.

From Seoul (KTX)

From Busan, Gwangju and elsewhere (BUS)

To the trailhead (LOC)