Yongmunsan Mountain

Yongmunsan rises to 1,157 metres east of Seoul, and while the summit is a proper four-hour climb, most visitors come for the tree. The ginkgo at Yongmunsa, just inside the temple grounds a short walk up from the gate, is over forty metres tall and around fourteen metres round the trunk, and it is generally described as the oldest and largest ginkgo in Korea - the age is usually given as more than eleven hundred years, with the usual legends attached about who planted it. It is designated a natural monument. In the first half of November the whole crown turns hard yellow and the ground under it goes the same colour, and the valley fills with people photographing it. Yongmunsa itself is a Silla-era foundation rebuilt after the temple was destroyed in the twentieth century. The valley path in from the ticket gate is gentle, stone-paved and about a kilometre; the mountain trails start behind the temple.

What you actually see

• The great ginkgo - the thousand-year tree beside the temple.
• Yongmunsa - the rebuilt temple in the valley.
• The valley path - the easy walk up from the gate.
• The summit trails - the harder routes onto the ridge.

When to go

Late October into mid-November, when the ginkgo turns - that fortnight is the reason to come and it is correspondingly crowded. Otherwise spring and early summer are quiet.

Honest expectations

The ginkgo fortnight brings serious congestion on the road and the valley path. The summit climb is a full day and much steeper than the temple walk. Entrance fee applies even for the short visit.

Nearby

Dumulmeori and Semiwon are down the valley toward the river; Yangpyeong town is the base.