[One Day Walk] Walking Through Jirisan Autumn Between Chestnut and Persimmon Trees

Jirisan Dulle-gil 'Witae-Hadongho' Course... 11.5km
Odaesan Old Temple Site and Artificial Lake Offer Rich Attractions

Editor's NoteJirisan is a mountain with an elevation of 1915m, designated as South Korea's first national park. The mountain range spans Jeollanam-do, Jeollabuk-do, and Gyeongsangnam-do, making it a sacred mountain of the nation. Walking the Jirisan Dulle-gil trail, which passes through 21 sections, 20 towns and townships, and over 100 villages, allows you to encounter nature, people, and the history of Yeongnam and Honam regions. We introduce the Jirisan Dulle-gil, which stretches a total of 300km and is as generous as a father's embrace.

The Jirisan Dulle-gil 'Witae-Hadongho' section is a course that goes from Witae Village in Okjong-myeon, Hadong-gun, Gyeongnam to Hadongho in Jungiri, Cheongam-myeon. It is 11.5km long, takes about 5 hours, and has a difficulty level of 'high'.

The journey begins by walking from Witae Village to Jinejae. Along this path, chestnut trees and persimmon trees serve as guides. In autumn, the luscious chestnut burrs and bright red ripe persimmons display a beautiful appearance. Jinejae is a pass that connects Witae and O-yul villages. The ridge descending from the main mountain resembles a centipede in terms of pungsu (Korean geomancy), hence the name. Because it seems to dance left and right, the entire ridge is also called 'Mudeung' (舞登), meaning 'dancing ascent'.

Crossing Jinejae leads to O-yul Village. O-yul Village refers to a village formed by several small neighborhoods such as Bamsil, Yeochagol, Buldanggol, Siyanggol, and Odae. Many dak trees grow here, and in the past, hanji (traditional Korean paper) was produced here. Above the village lie the remains of the old Odaesan temple site. Originally Odaesa Temple, in the 7th year of King Injong of Goryeo (1129), Monk Jin-eok established a Buddhist chanting site called 'Sujeong Gyeolsa' (Water Crystal Assembly) here for ascetic practice. It is said that about 3,000 participants took part. The name Odae Village originated from this.

Walking about 2km further from O-yul Village brings you to Gung-hang Village, located in a wide plain. Gung-hang Village is a bottle-shaped basin surrounded by the Naknam Jeongmaek and branch ridges to the west and south, and by the main mountain and ridges to the north and east. The name Gunghang (弓項) means 'bow neck' in pungsu terms, referring to the village's shape, and was originally called Hwal-mok (Bow Neck), which was later adapted into Chinese characters. Gung-hang Village was once a fairly large village overseeing several smaller villages. There are traces of iron smelting in the surrounding mountains due to iron ore veins.

Hadong Lake located in Jungiri, Cheongam-myeon, Hadong-gun, Gyeongnam. (Photo by Korea Tourism Organization)

About 2.2km further from Gung-hang Village is the entrance to Yangitejae. This is the most difficult part of the trail, with an elevation exceeding 500m. Yangitejae is named because the Yang and Lee families took refuge and settled here during the Imjin War. The Naknam Jeongmaek ridge passes through Yangitejae. Naknam Jeongmaek is a mountain range about 233km long, starting from Yeongsinbong Peak (1652m) of Jirisan, passing through Hadong, Sacheon, Jinju, Goseong, Haman, Changwon, and extending to Dongshineosan (460m) near the lower Nakdong River in Gimhae.

Descending from Yangitejae along a forest road leads to Nabon Village. Nabon Village is a combination of Nadong (Goraesil Village) and Cheonggye-dong. Nadong is named for the abundance of sea snails caught here and is also called Goraesil. Hadongho Lake is located around the village. Hadongho is an artificial lake created along with Hadong Dam to supply agricultural water to Hadong-gun and Sacheon-si. Mukgyecheon and Geumnamcheon streams flowing from Jirisan converge here. Below the lake flows the Hoengcheon River.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.