Mangsan 망산
215.8 meters
3.9km loop
📍trailhead
This is one of three mountains named Mangsan on Geoje island! The trail itself is just 1.4 km taking a “shortcut” through the mountain next to what’s often known as “Cherry Blossom Road”. If you have a car parked at the trailhead, it will require either backtracking or following the road for 2.5km around the coast. It’s a lovely walk on the road with views of the sea so I would definitely recommend doing this hike as a loop including the roadway.
The trailhead starts a little over 100 meters from the parking lot for the Yangjiam Rose Park 양지암장미공원. This hike is a fairy easy one and I think it would be well suited for families with younger children or non-hikers alike.
The trailhead entrance.
Jes, my eagle-eyed hiking partner, was quick to point out a mongoose she spotted hopping along in this area. (Too fast to be pictured,)
After a short climb, you’ll emerge at a typical mountain gym. From here continue to follow the path until you come to two large piles of rocks, the trail will go both right and left at this point. We went left and continued along for a short time before reaching another fork in the road at a large banner warning of caution with fire. We continued going straight up the hill as opposed to going right at this junction as well.
Gimli Pants is sizing up the gym equipment - suns out guns out!
Go left at these rocks.
Continue on straight at this point to get to the “peak” and lookout.
Almost immediately after the fire banner, you will come to the technical “peak” of the mountain, although there is no marker here, it will obviously be the highest point and is an area full of overgrown grass. You’re almost at the highlight of this trail, the great lookout among some large rounded boulders with a small wooden platform to take a rest. Jes, Gimli, and I were so excited to be out in the sun and taking in the views looking towards Koje College and Jisimdo.
Gimli looking out over his kingdom.
Our happy trio of hikers.
That’s Koje College to the right and Jisimdo in the close distance.
From here, you can opt to continue past the rocks down some stairs shortening your walk back on the roadway. However, we wanted to get as much forest time as possible, so we backtracked to the fire caution banner and then followed the other path. Almost immediately after the banner, you’ll come to another fork, turn left at this point. After a little while you’ll come to a bench with a trail going up to the left (that we suspect leads to the look off), continue going straight down the hill. You’ll get one more ocean view from the trail at another bench not too much further.
Jes and Gimli at the second bench.
After this point, you’ll go back into the forest a bit and walk through some gardens before emerging into a bigger patch of gardens near the road way.
A resting spot in the “inland” gardens.
Almost to the roadway. Follow the trail left here through the gardens.
This is where the trail emerges on the road.
Where the trail emerges onto the road, turn left to head back towards the beginning, or right if you want to head into Jangseungpo. There’ll be a short distance with no sidewalks, but there isn’t a ton of traffic along here. You’ll come to one more fork in the road, continue to the left along the sea. Before you know it, you’ll be walking on a lovely wooden sidewalk all the way back to the starting point.
Looking down on Jangseungpo.
Just 2.5km back to the park.
