This trail takes you through a kind of temple complex (Muak Park-무악공) on the south west side of Inwangsan mountain, and is connected to the city fortress wall trail. I’m guessing the odd rock formations here were inspiring enough for a group of temples to set themselves up. I should find out.

There’s a big gate at the entrance, then quite a steep concrete incline; the few cars I saw entering had to take a run up to it, sometimes with their wheels skidding! Then there’s nowhere for cars to go and it’s steps, rocks, and temples the rest of the way. There are number of stepped paths so I headed left where there were a few painted walls and some temples.

Up the steps there was a temple or music training building where drumming practice noises emerged. A bit further on are some step leading to Seonbawi rock (선바위), a uniquely shaped, pitted black rock with prayer area in front. What was interesting were the larger number of birds just perched on top. Whenever they were disturbed, they’d fly away in unison, circle round, then perch right back where they were. They did this a number of times.

A bit further up, the steps gave way to rock and here was where the white writing started; white messages or prayers written onto the boulders. People seemed to come up here and pray. A bit higher up was a boulder with pits formed into steps for getting to the top. You could look down onto the places I’d just been to, plus over to Ansan mountain in the west, along with the prison museum in the Independence Park.

After this, I walked into a forested area that led to more shrine areas. On the way, paths leading up and down and across were apparent, resulting in a cool, crisscrossing of paths. There’s a huge, precariously perched rock that looks about ready to slide onto the next passerby!

Next, there are a few tempting trails but these have been marked off limits by the folk that seem to run this area. Perhaps they are monks and nuns, or as I suspect, shaman types; I don’t really know and will have to do some more research. At the top of the loop, I took a path leading south east and wound up at skull like rock where a shaman seemed to be chanting with a client.

I went up a bit more to high road with views back to the whole complex. It was at the top of a terrace where they have planted lots of trees. It is a good view spot and makes the place look like a mountain village

There are a number of other cool rock features too. Quite amazing really. The trail is a short loop and not that hard and can be done in about twenty minutes or a few hours depending on how much this interesting little area piques your interest.

The AllTrails route. I had mine and submitted it, then destroyed mine trying to edit it…