Themed Tour | Recommended Tour

Unexpected Pleasures Found at Siyaksan Mountain

Written and Photographed by Travel Writer Kim Dogeun

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Autumn is deepening. The autumn leaves fall on the Baekdudaegan Mountain Range, the largest mountain range in Korea, which begins at Baekdusan Mountain and extends to Jirisan Mountain. Nakdongjeongmaek starts at the foot of Taebaeksan Mountain in the middle of the Baekdudaegan Mountain Range, passes through Juwangsan Mountain, Gajisan Mountain, and continues to the tip of Busan, Dadaepo Morundae Peninsula. Today, I would like to introduce 'Siyaksan Mountain,' which is located at the end of Nakdongjeongmaek Mountain Range and offers the best view of Busan, encompassing the sea, mountains, and rivers.

Beautiful Forest Garden, Gudeok Culture Park

At the foot of Gudeoksan Mountain in Seo-gu, Busan, there is a pretty village called Kkot Village. Since ancient times, there have been many wildflowers here, and it was called Kkot Village because people who made a living selling these flowers lived there together. The beautiful forest garden located here is Gudeok Culture Park. The park has exhibition halls, waterfalls, ponds, flower paths, and walking paths, so it is an excellent place to feel autumn in the forest.

The must-visit places here are the Mokseok Horticultural Center and the Cypress Forest Meditation Path. At the Mokseok Horticultural Center you can see unique works made with stones, trees, and plants. Works made by growing plants on stones or trees are called “seokbujak” and “mokbujak” in Korean, and you can see about 100 works here. You can also see subtropical plants and fossils. Come enjoy the beauty created by nature and time.

Let's walk slowly along the Cypress Forest Meditation Path before climbing Siyaksan Mountain. This beautiful forest trail starts at Gudeok Culture Park and runs along for about 250 meters. There are pines and cypress trees on the side of the forest path. Take a deep breath of phytoncides produced by the cypress trees and walk slowly through the forest. After all, nature restores people, and autumn is the best season to enjoy it.

The Way up to Siyaksan Mountain

Now let's climb Siyaksan Mountain in earnest. If you go uphill for about 10 minutes following the signpost at the top of Gudeoksan Mountain, you will reach the forest path. It's a comfortable walk along the forest path. Wildflowers are blooming along the path, and the trees are colored with autumn leaves. If you walk slowly along this path for about 30 minutes, you will come to Jaeneomi Maruteo. This is the crossroads of Siraksan Mountain and Seunghaksan Mountain, famous for reeds.

Let's move from Jaeneomi Maruteo to the top of Siyaksan Mountain. The view unfolds from here. On the right, you will see Seunghaksan Mountain, famous for its reeds, as well as a weather station at the top of Siyaksan Mountain. Korea has 11 weather stations equipped with a radar, and this weather station standing tall at the top of Siyaksan Mountain is one of them.

Panoramic view of Siyaksan Mountain embracing Busan

On the way to the weather station, the panoramic view of the eastern landscape of Busan spreads out before you to the left. Beyond Eomgwangsan Mountain, the view extends to Haeundae Beach, Busanhangdaegyo Bridge, and Yeongdo in the distance. The best place to see this view is at Siyakjeong Pavilion. While Hwangnyeongsan Mountain's beacon fire station is a place where you can see all of Busan from the center of Busan, the panoramic view of Busan Port, Yeongdo Island, and Gamcheon Port from Siyakjeong Pavilion remains the best way to take in the scenery of Busan as it is embraced by the mountains, the sea, and the ports.

It takes less than 5 minutes to reach the top of Siyaksan Mountain from Siyakjeong. The weather station towers over the top of the mountain, and if you stand here, you can quickly understand why it was installed here. The meandering mountain range extending from Baekdusan Mountain continues from this very place, Siyaksan Mountain, to Morundae, and finally leading to the sea. This is Busan, a city where mountains, seas, and ports harmonize.

The End of a Trip, 'Kkot Village Provence

Let's head back to the starting point of the itinerary, Kkot Village. It takes 2 to 3 hours to climb Siyaksan Mountain from Gudeok Culture Park and return to Kkot Village. Recently, Kkot Village has been remodeled under the name of Kkot Village Provence. Kkot Village is particularly famous as a natural resting place close to the city center, and there are many delicious dishes to enjoy here. Sirakguk (dried radish leaf soup) is the one dish you absolutely must try. Godeungeo jorim (braised mackerel and various vegetables) are served along with sirakguk. The price is very low, and the taste is good, so it makes for a delicious meal after hiking in autumn.

Siyaksan Mountain is not as well known as Geumjeongsan, Hwangnyeongsan, nor Jangsan Mountain, but these days, when autumn is deepening, if you are looking for a place where you can enjoy various sights, the scenery of Busan, and delicious food in just a half day, make the trek to Siyaksan Mountain and embrace Busan.

Overview

Address
Siyaksan Mountain : San 1-1, Goejeong-dong, Saha-gu, Busan
Gudeok Culture Park (Point of Departure): 73, Kkonmaeul-ro 163beon-gil, Seo-gu, Busan
Closing Dates
Open all year round
Hours
Always
Traffic Information
Busan Metro: From Line 1 Seodaesin Station Exit 4 → Transfer to the town bus Seogu 1 at Seodaesin Station
→ Get off at Gudeok Kkot Village bus stop and walk for 10 minutes
Parking : Gudeok Culture Park Parking Lot