Unexpected No.1: Mudeungsan Tops 2025 National Park Satisfaction — A Winter Journey in Hwasun
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
A winter visit to Hwasun reveals why Mudeungsan (無等山) was ranked first in the 2025 national park visitor satisfaction survey. Rising to 1,187 meters and forming the core of the Mudeungsan UNESCO Global Geopark, the mountain surprises with soft, rounded ridgelines that give way to towering columnar basalt (ju-sang-jeol-ri: 주상절리) formations and vast talus fields like Jigong Neodeol and Gwangseokdae. The article describes a misty ascent through Jangbuljae to the monumental rock pillars and the sacred-feeling rock temple at Gwangseokdae, where weathered stone and legend meet. Nearby, the dense concentration of 596 dolmens (goindol) in the geosite — including the 200-ton Pingmae Rock — preserves prehistoric quarrying traces that reveal ancient techniques of splitting stone. At Unjusa temple, visitors encounter hundreds of crude stone Buddhas and flattened pagodas (the so-called “thousand Buddhas and thousand pagodas”), including a 12-meter reclining Buddha (wa-bul: 와불), evoking the faith and hopes of ordinary people. The day ends in Do-gok hot springs, whose warm, sulfur-rich waters offer restorative comfort and a sense of balance that makes Hwasun’s name — ‘hwa’ (harmony) and ‘sun’ (gentleness) — resonate: the hard, ancient stones tempered by flowing water create the region’s unique charm.
