Beopjusa in Fall

October 27, 2013. Beopjusa, Boeun, Korea.

Beopjusa's huge standing Buddha.

After hiking Songnisan (previous post), I visited this temple, called Beopjusa (법주사), which is a 10-minute walk past the Songnisan park entrance. I arrived just after sunset and didn't have a lot of time since the park was closing soon, so I decided to head back for sunrise the next morning. I woke up at 6am, arrived at the temple around 6:30, 15 minutes or so before sunrise, and stayed for about an hour and a half, taking photos and watching the sun slowly light its way through the temple complex.

First view through the main gate (left). They are renovating a colossal pagoda-style building behind this one.
The customary water basin (right). These two photos were taken just after sunset.

A dash of color.

There are more monks than visitors this early in the morning.

I love these colors.

The main temple building.

Songnisan in Fall

October 26, 2013. Songnisan National Park, Korea.

Iljumun (일주문), the entrance gate to Beopjusa and the hiking trails leading to Songnisan's peaks

This past weekend, I decided to go hiking and check out the fall colors in Korea. My mountain of choice was Songnisan, which I've been to once before. I started hiking around noon on Saturday, reached Munjangdae Peak around 2:30, and left Songnisan National Park a little after sunset. The hike itself only took around 4 and a half or five hours, but I took my time taking photos, hung out on the peak eating and reading, and spent a while roaming Beopjusa Temple after I descended (photos from the temple will be my next post).



Fall colors on the way to Munjangdae

At 1054 meters (around 3,458 feet), Munjangdae is actually the second-highest peak, but it's only three meters short of tying the highest peak and has a ridiculous view. It was a little hazy as it hasn't rained in a while, but totally worth the time and sore legs.

After yet another set of stairs, you arrive where all of the people are in this photo. From there, it's a short walk/climb to the peak.

You have a 360 degree view from Munjangdae Peak.

Buses from the Cheongju bus terminal take about and hour and 45 minutes to get to the Songnisan Terminal, and it costs ₩8,600. Getting into the park costs 4,000 won (around 4 dollars) and it's open from around 5am to sunset. This is a pretty popular area, so the best time to go would be a weekday.