Jeseoksan 제석산
269 meters
Approximately 2.5km thru-hike
📍trailhead
Jeseoksan is in northern Geoje and gives a nice view of the Geoga Bridge to Busan.
This hike is a loop which has its start and end points about 1km apart on the road so you can start at either trailhead. I chose to start at the trailhead close to Jangmokjin, a former guesthouse from the Joseon dynasty which had been used to provide accommodations for visiting government officials or VIPs.
The gate for Jangmokjin
Sidenote: Although I’m a dog lover, starting at this trailhead required me to walk past two large tied-up dogs. They were barking rather ferociously at me, and I was nervous of their ropes somehow breaking. If I were to do this hike again, I would probably just do an out and back from the other direction to avoid bypassing these dogs again.
The dogs were at the top of the paved hill. Go left up the grassy trail from there.
Onto the trail, and a little ways up the mountain, you will come to a bench and a small gazebo, allowing you a nice spot to take a rest. From here, keep following the trail until you arrive at a workout station...although I’ll never understand who needs an *additional* workout when hiking.
As you’re hiking, you’ll catch some glimpses of the view towards the Geoga Bridge, but the best views are yet to come. You’ll climb a set of stairs, and once you emerge at the crest of that hill, there will be another set of steeper stairs to climb. Don’t worry, the peak is at the top of the second set of stairs. Here you’ll find two benches (both old and new) and a great view from the top!
It was a hazy day, but that’s Geoga Bridge in the distance.
The newer of the two benches.
Taking in the view on the old bench.
After you’ve gotten your fill of the peak, keep on following the trail. You will come across an old picnic table. The trail continues past it down some stairs, but before you go, head out to the ridge clearing beyond the picnic table for a view looking towards Chilcheondo, then make your way back to the trail.
Back on the trail, you’ll soon come to a junction where you can follow a utility road to Yulcheon Pass, but I chose to save that for another day. Instead, follow the trail going down and to the left. This is a nice trail to travel on, wide enough for an ATV, relatively flat, and nice and green in Spring.
Finally, you’ll emerge at the other trailhead here. You’ll have about a 1km walk back on the road to where you started. If you’re a temple lover, there is a nearby temple you can visit as well called Jangheungsa. You’ll see the signs for it on your walk back to the town. When I visited, there was a new temple building undergoing construction.
Jangheungsa