Exciting 10 km Mountain Trail Along Baby Maple Trees

The southern parts of Korea put on autumnal tints in late fall and the scarlet autumn leaves in Mt. Seorak will be at their peak this weekend. The climax of colored leaves that will continue until the early November will be at Baek Yang Temple in Mt. Baek Am in Jangseong, South Jeolla Privince. The temple is famous for its “baby maple leaves” resembling baby hands. This year’s annual maple leaf festival in Baek Yang Temple will be held for three days from Oct. 24th.

Sizes of baby maple leaves vary from a thumbnail of an adult to a palm of a baby. The maple trees inhabit around Baek Yang Temple located in Mt. Baek Am National Park, turning the mountain to red. Walking through trails in the great rocky mountain and enjoying the old Baek Yang Temple and beautiful valleys tinged with red baby maple leaves are sure to give visitors unforgettable memories of the fall.

Jangseong is also known as a town of persimmons. Southern Jangseong produces sweet persimmons and the northern parts produce stringent persimmons or bidansi that are used for making dried persimmons. Two most scenic landscapes in Jangseong are maple trees around Baek Yang Temple and persimmon trees bearing orange-colored persimmons.

During the festival, visitors to Baek Yang Temple can participate in the dried persimmon manufacturing process such as peeling off persimmons and buy delicious sweet persimmons at official shops.

The highlight of the festival is a climbing competition on October 26. The route starts from Baek Yang Temple to Yak Sa Am to Young Chun Gul to Baek Hak Bong to Sang Wang Bong to Un Moon Am, and back to Baek Yang Temple. Climbling to Yak Sa Am would be enough to enjoy the essence of Mt. Baek Am.

●Tourism Information

How to get to Jangseong

Car Route (4 hour drive)=Metropolitan area ~ Cheonan-Nonsan Highway ~ Honam Highway ∼ Baekyangsa IC ∼ 1 State Road (to Jangseong) ∼ 8km ∼ Bookha-myeon site ~ 891 Provincial Road ∼ Baekyangsa gas station ∼ Baek Yang Temple

Railway=Take a train to Gwangju at Seoul Railway Station. Get off at Mokpo. Transfer train to Suncheon station and get off at Jangseong station. 30 min bus from Jangseong station to Baek Yang Temple. For more information (including train schedules) visit www.korail.go.kr

Express Bus=twice a day from Seoul (Gangnam Terminal) to Jangseong. Jangseong terminal 061-393-2660

Jangseong Community Office △website=www.changsung.chonnam.kr

Festival Information=061-390-7402, 7403

Culture and Tourism Division=061-390-7224

summer@donga.com