Juwangsan, Mountain and scenic site in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.
Juwangsan is a mountain in Cheongsong County, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, whose main peak rises to about 722 metres. It is built of Cretaceous volcanic rocks, including the welded rhyolitic tuff of the Juwangsan Tuff, which forms vertical joints, cliffs and gorges. Dense forest covers the slopes down to the streams, and the ridge includes Taehaengsan (933.1 m), Wanggeoram (907.4 m) and Daedunsan (905 m).
Juwangsan takes its name from a legend that King Juwang of the Chinese state of Qin fled to these peaks and died here. The mountain was formerly called Seokbyeongsan, meaning "stone screen mountain", for the rock walls along the Jubangcheon valley. It was designated South Korea's 11th scenic site on 31 October 2003 and became the country's 12th national park on 30 March 1976.
The mountain's name comes from a legend that Juwang, a refugee from China's Qin dynasty, hid among these peaks; each summit is tied to that story. Daejeonsa temple sits at the start of the main valley trail, and the park is a designated scenic site of South Korea (No. 11, 2003).
The main route starts at the Sangui parking lot; from Daejeonsa to Yongchu Falls, 2.7 km of gently sloping path is barrier-free and passable by wheelchair. Beyond the falls, the trail to Gamaebong is the hardest in the park, while the Juwang valley course draws the most visitors. Trails are marked with distances and difficulty ratings at each junction.
The cliffs are made of welded rhyolitic tuff, not lava: the Juwangsan Tuff erupted as hot pyroclastic flows and cooled into rock that splits along vertical joints. At Geupsudae, about 3 km from Daejeonsa along the Jubangcheon trail, these joints form clear columnar structures in the cliff face.
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