Hwawangsan (화왕산) is a mountain that is neither popular online nor among my hiking friends. It wasn’t until I decided to tackle all of the mountains in and around Daegu that are on the Black Yak 100 Mount Challenge that I heard of Hwawangsan. This mountain is directly south of Daegu, specifically it’s the mountain directly below Biseulsan (비슬산) but it is not connected in the same range.
I had assumed it would be nightmare to get to, since the entrance of the hike is located in the tiny farm town, Changnyeong (창녕). But I was pleasantly surprised that there are buses that run from the South Daegu Bus Terminal to Changnyeong roughly every hour or so for the cost of 5,000원 each way. It’s roughly two kilometers to reach the park’s entrance from the bus terminal and then there is a 1.3km walk (slight uphill) between the entrance and the hikes trailhead. I would consider taking a taxi to the start point and then after the hike walking back to the bus terminal through the town.
This isn’t a town that the average person knows of but it prides itself on its locally grown onions and they have claimed the stork that feeds in its fields as their mascot. The town itself is rather quant, with significant money invested to make it a seemingly pleasant looking place to raise small children as well as to attract tourism. But I see no reason for a trip to this town to take longer than a day, there isn’t enough to make a weekend out of it.
The main draw of this town is the mountain – with a particular popularity in the spring due the flowers atop the mountain. I hiked this mountain in May of 2021, so I missed the blooming period but based on the pictures while it appears to be a beautiful sight it cannot be compared to the neighboring Biseulsan’s flowers during the same period.
This town does have a couple other points of interest including a pond area, some interesting looking historical sites and a field/park.
HIKING 화왕산
There are three courses that start from the town direction that you can select from. In the image below you can see the course map. The town is to the left, not in the image, with the park road running for 1.2km from the ticket office. From there you decide between going right to courses 1 and 2 or going left to course three. If you elect to do courses 1 or 2, this route will diverge after 300meters with course 2 being straight ahead and course 2 turning to the right.
Course 1 – 1.8km from turn off, this course runs up the side of the mountain (not the valley) and takes you along the mountains ridge as well as the whole side of the castle wall.
Course 2 – 1.5km from turn off, the valley course that starts off with a graduate incline but becomes very steep at the end, has 200 meters of easy hiking along with ridge and castle wall.
Course 3 – 1.6km from the turn off, directly goes to the peak without walking along the castle wall, but there is an additional view point not listed on the map but clearly marked on the trail
I selected course three because it has the additional look out point. That view can be seen below. It was okay, but if I was to do the hike again I would have gone up course one instead of course three.
The hike itself isn’t long or overly difficult as compared to the larger mountains in Korea. Though most people wouldn’t consider it easy as it’s fairly steep for the majority of the course. The reason this seemingly random mountain is getting a review is because it’s home to a special scene . In the fall, walls from a ruined castle run the ends of the peak, with fall grass covering the middle.
The weather on the day wasn’t ideal, so the photos are less than stellar. But even on a hazy day, this mountain was quite beautiful.
Today what remains of the ancient castle are only the ruins of the castle’s walls and an open plain on the bowl-shaped peak. There is a trail that runs along these ruins, that is roughly 1km. I would recommend doing the loop – it allows you to see a view of the landscape surrounding the mountain from various points.
Additionally, the castle trail will bring you to a great lunch spot. This spot is located on top of the labeled large rock (배바위) which its near to course 1’s top turn off. It requires a little bit of shimming to get up the rock as well as some healthy caution while eating here. But as someone who is scared of heights/drop offs, can say it’s worth the little bit of scary effort. Atop the rock is an eroded out shallow hole which is perfect to sit in if you are traveling and eating alone. Otherwise, the rock is rather large and can comfortably fit multiple people.
The start of the hike in classic Korean fashion starts at a small mountain temple.
The best views can be seen from the lunch spot and the mountain’s name rock.
My verdict on this mountain:
If you live in Daegu or an area within striking distance such as Daejeon or Ulsan – I believe it’s worth going to. It was a pleasant surprise of a find, and I was happy to find out about this mountain because of the Blackyak 100 Mountain Challenge.
Happy Trekking Everybody!
