The Peaceful Namsan Mountain in Gyeongju

Not far from the Gyeongju tollgate lies Namsan Mountain, a peaceful place filled with history and cultural heritage.
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As its name “Historical and Cultural Trail” suggests, Namsan offers the most cultural sites along the route connecting Samneung – Geumo Peak – Yongjang Valley, which spans about 4.6 km (one-way) and takes roughly three hours to complete.

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Along this trail, you can visit ancient sites such as the Samneung Stone Seated Buddha, Yongjangsa Valley Three-story Pagoda, and many other cultural relics. It is believed that the Three Royal Tombs (Samneung) belong to King Adalla, King Sindeok, and King Gyeongmyeong of the Silla Dynasty.
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Main Cultural Heritage Sites

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1. Samneung Valley Rock-carved Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva

2. Samneung Valley Carved Six Buddhas

3. Samneung Stone Seated Buddha

4. Yongjangsa Valley Three-story Pagoda

5. Yongjangsa Valley Stone Seated Buddha

6. Yongjangsa Site Rock-carved Seated Buddha, and more

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Since I had to drive back home for about four and a half hours and go to work the next day, I chose the shortest route and hiked up to Geumo Peak.

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I started my hike from the Yak-su Valley Rock-carved Standing Buddha trailhead.
You can park near EDIYA Coffee Gyeongju Samneung Branch (or Samneung Soneo-gomtang Restaurant) and begin your ascent from there.

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As I followed the valley upstream, I encountered several cultural relics along the way.
Seeing a foreign mother and daughter hiking reminded me once again that Gyeongju truly is a city of cultural treasures visited by people from all over the world.

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When I met other hikers, I greeted them with a cheerful “Hello~” as I passed by.

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Over time, the head of one of the Buddha statues had fallen off, but according to the signboard, this area—Gyeongju Namsan Yak-su Valley Site No. 4—was home to a temple that likely existed since the Unified Silla period. It’s quite amazing that traces of that era still remain to this day.

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The Rock-carved Standing Buddha of Yak-su Valley stands 8.6 meters tall. The figure was carved by hollowing the rock face to a depth of over 30 cm. Today, only the body remains; the separately crafted head has been lost over time. Even the separately made feet have come loose and now rest in front of the statue.

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As dusk approached, I pushed myself to climb faster and managed to reach the summit in about 45 minutes.

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It felt satisfying to finally hike Namsan after traveling so far from home, though I did regret rushing a bit—it left me both tired and wistful. The thought of the long drive back to Seoul also lingered in my mind.
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The Legend of Namsan and Mangsan

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One of Gyeongju’s old names, “Saebeol,” means “the bright land where the rising sun shines first.”

This was a land blessed with sunlight, four beautiful seasons, rich harvests, and laughter—a truly peaceful and prosperous place.

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One day, two divine beings visited this land: one was a strong male god with a dark, powerful face, and the other a beautiful goddess with a radiant smile.

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As they looked around Saebeol, they exclaimed,
“Wow! This is the perfect place for us to live!”
Their thunderous voices shook the fields.

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A young woman washing clothes by the stream heard the echo and looked up in surprise.
Two giant figures—taller than mountains—were walking toward her! Terrified, she meant to shout,

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“Look at those mountain-like people!”
but instead, in her panic, she cried out,
“Look! Mountains!”

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Startled by the sudden voice rising from below, the two gods froze where they stood and could no longer move.
They turned into mountains and, as they had wished, lived forever in this fertile land of Saebeol.

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The male god became Namsan, rugged and strong with sharp rock formations,
while the goddess became Mangsan, gentle and graceful, standing quietly to the west of Namsan.

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