Gyeryongsan National Park

Gyeryongsan runs to 845 metres at Cheonhwangbong on a ridge between Daejeon and Gongju, and the name - chicken dragon mountain - comes from the profile, a dragon's back with a comb along it. It became a national park in 1968, the second in the country. Three temples anchor the approaches: Donghaksa on the eastern side, a large nunnery and one of the main centres of Buddhist monastic education for women in Korea; Gapsa on the west, a Baekje-era foundation in a valley of maples that is one of the classic autumn walks; and Sinwonsa to the south, with an old stone pagoda and a rare surviving foundation stone from a Goryeo-period hall. The mountain has a long association with Korean folk religion and prophecy - texts predicted a future capital at its foot, and until the mid-twentieth century the valleys held dozens of small sects and shrines, some of which persist quietly.

What you actually see

• The comb ridge - the dragon-back profile from the valleys.
• Donghaksa - the nunnery and monastic school.
• Gapsa - the maple valley temple on the western side.
• The folk-religion valleys - shrines and small sects in the folds.

When to go

April for cherry along the Donghaksa approach, October for maples at Gapsa. Both are crowded in season; midweek is calmer.

Honest expectations

Ridge traverses are long and rocky with sustained climbs. Park fee applies at the gates. Temples are working communities - Donghaksa in particular asks for quiet and modest dress.

Nearby

Gongju's Baekje tombs are 30 minutes north; Daejeon and Daecheongho are east.