Simhaksan Visit Overview
At Simhaksan, there is the Yaksa Yeorae Great Buddha at Yakcheonsa, and on days when the sky is clear, Odusan Unification Observatory can be seen from the summit of Simhaksan.
Table of Contents
- Late Autumn Visit to Simhaksan
- Autumn Visit to Simhaksan
- Yakcheonsa Location and Parking
Late Autumn Visit to Simhaksan
On November 14, 2025, I reached the summit of Simhaksan for the first time in nearly two months. The light green and green leaves have now changed color. It seems that my cardiopulmonary endurance has declined over the past two months. It was exhausting.
This time, I did not take a single photo. I took a video instead. Below is a video showing the view from the summit of Simhaksan and the Yaksa Yeorae Great Buddha at Yakcheonsa.
Below is the link to my December 12, 2025 visit review of Simhaksan.
The View from the Summit of Simhaksan in Winter, Paju
Autumn Visit to Simhaksan
On September 20, 2025, I was lucky to park at the Yakcheonsa parking lot even though it was a public holiday. Then I headed toward the summit of Simhaksan.
From Yakcheonsa, there are three hiking trails, and you can take the middle path. The middle trail is steep at first. After that, it consists of a gentler slope and ascending stairs. It is the fastest route to the summit of Simhaksan. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
There was a cat near the summit that looked like an injeolmi rice cake. I’m not sure how it managed to endure the winter better than the past summer.
At the summit, there was a banner announcing the 2025 forest trail maintenance project. Since I’m writing this late, the construction is probably already finished.
After coming down from the summit, I visited the Yaksa Yeorae Great Buddha at Yakcheon Temple. There was a pagoda in front of the Buddha that hadn’t been there before, but I don’t know when it was built or what it’s called. It looked rather plain, which was a bit disappointing.
Yakcheonsa Location and Parking
The road address of “Yakcheon Temple” is 118, Gyoha-ro 681beon-gil, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
On public holidays, the parking lot at Yakcheon Temple is usually full. If you’re lucky and a spot opens up, you can park there. So, I recommend visiting on a weekday. Naturally, when the weather is bad, parking tends to be easier. There is no parking fee.
You can also park at the Simhak Mountain Park public parking lot and follow the trail (the Dulle-gil) to reach Yakcheon Temple.