Naeyeonsan hike info

Most people who know Naeyeonsan think of the valley before the mountain. Behind Bogyeongsa temple in Pohang the Cheonghagol gorge opens, and twelve waterfalls follow the stream one after another. The small ones come first, then Yeonsan Falls, a ribbon of water about 30 m tall sliding down a rock wall, which most reviews name as the best of the lot. You reach it across a swaying suspension bridge, and when you step off, the hidden fall suddenly fills the view.

The official height is that of Samjibong, 711.3 m. Hyangnobong is higher at 930 m, but the 100 Famous Mountains marker sits on Samjibong. A traverse linking Munsubong, Samjibong and Hyangnobong takes a full day. Far more people come for the valley, so the forest trails to the top stay quiet even on weekends, while the valley path queues up in foliage season and on summer holidays.

You start at Bogyeongsa, a temple said to date from the Silla era and to have been built after a mirror was buried in its pond. Past the temple yard the forest path begins, and the sound of water joins you almost at once. After heavy rain new falls appear, and in dry spells the shallow ones vanish. This is a mountain to pick by the weather.

From Seoul (KTX)

From Busan, Daegu and elsewhere (BUS)

To the trailhead (LOC)