Muhaksan hike info

Muhaksan is a 761.4 m peak standing right behind downtown Masan in Changwon. The name means Dancing Crane, from the way its ridges spread like wings. Looking up from Masan Bay, the bare rock knob you see is Hakbong, the crane's head. The real summit hides behind it, so you only learn the two are different once you are up there.

Just northeast of the top lies Seomajigi, a flat meadow said to be about three rice-paddy plots wide. People unpack lunch there, and others wait for the first sunrise of the year. Azaleas spread around Hakbong in spring, and from the summit you take in the southern sea, the islet of Dotseom and Jangboksan across the bay. Starting from Seowongok or Mannaljae, the round trip takes three to four hours, so Changwon locals climb it like a neighbourhood hill.

The valley route from Seowongok is the most popular. The Mannaljae route from Kyungnam University is longer and runs over the Daegoksan ridge. Expect the top to be windy and a few degrees colder than the town.

From Seoul (BUS)

From Busan, Daegu and elsewhere (BUS)

To the trailhead (LOC)