Hwangmaesan Mountain

Hwangmaesan reaches 1,113 metres in Hapcheon, and its reputation rests on about two weeks in the first half of May, when the cheoljjuk - royal azalea - across the upper slopes flowers at once and turns the whole ridge pink. The stand covers a large area and is usually described as among the biggest in the country, which brings a festival and heavy traffic to a small mountain road. The approach is unusually easy for a Korean peak of this height: a road climbs most of the way to a car park at around nine hundred metres, and from there the walk to the ridge and the summit takes thirty to forty minutes on a made path, so the flowers are within reach of people who would not normally climb. In October the same slopes carry silver grass and a second, quieter season. The ridge is open with views over Hapcheon and toward Jirisan, and there is a campsite below.

What you actually see

• The azalea slopes - pink across the upper mountain in May.
• The short climb - thirty to forty minutes from the upper car park.
• The open ridge - views toward Hapcheon and Jirisan.
• The silver grass - the October season on the same slopes.

When to go

Late April to mid-May for azalea - the window is roughly two weeks and moves with the spring. October for silver grass and far fewer people.

Honest expectations

Festival traffic on the mountain road is severe and the car park fills early; shuttle buses run at peak. The bloom window is short and easy to miss. The ridge is exposed with no shade.

Nearby

Haeinsa and Gayasan are north in the same county; Hapcheon lake is nearby.