Maisan Provincial Park in Jinan suits a day trip built around twin “horse-ear” peaks and the stone pagodas at Tapsa. The provincial park itself has no gate fee; you pay a separate cultural-heritage fee for the Maisan Tapgun pagoda group and Geumdangsa. Adults ₩3,000, teenagers ₩2,000, children ₩1,000; groups of 30+ are adult ₩2,800 / teen ₩1,600 / child ₩800. Parking is ₩2,000 for compact/sedan cars and ₩3,000 for buses. There is no Maisan cable car—the construction project was cancelled, so do not hunt for cable-car fares. The core sightseeing trail runs south parking → Geumdangsa → Tapsa → Eunsusa → Cheonwangmun → north parking: about 3.3 km · 1 hour 30 minutes. Ammaibong is 687.4 m, Sumaibong 681.1 m, and the mountain is Scenic Site No. 12 (designated 31 October 2003). Hours must be dual-cited: VisitKorea EN lists the park Open 24 hr year-round, while Accessible Tourism (south) lists cultural/visitor operations 09:00–18:00. Call +82-63-430-8094~5 or Tapsa +82-63-433-0012 before you go for ticket desks and temple closing times. Figures below align with VisitKorea EN Maisan Provincial Park, VisitKorea EN Eunsusa, Accessible Tourism — Maisan Provincial Park (south), and Jinan-gun Maisan, verified 1 October 2026 (KST).
Fees, parking, and hours — lock these first
Budget the heritage fee and parking before you design the walk. The park is open; the paid pieces are cultural admission and the lot. VisitKorea EN and Accessible Tourism both list adult ₩3,000—ignore older ₩2,000 listings for Tapsa. Parking on VisitKorea EN is sedan ₩2,000 / bus ₩3,000; some blogs say “free,” so check the signboard on arrival.
| Item | Amount / status |
|---|---|
| Provincial park gate | None (park open); heritage fee separate |
| Heritage fee (adult) | ₩3,000 |
| Teenagers | ₩2,000 |
| Children | ₩1,000 |
| Group (30+) | Adult ₩2,800 · Teen ₩1,600 · Child ₩800 |
| Parking (compact/sedan) | ₩2,000 |
| Parking (bus) | ₩3,000 |
| Maisan cable car | None — project cancelled |
Do not invent a single opening line. VisitKorea EN says Open 24 hr; Accessible Tourism (south) says 09:00–18:00. Treat the first as park access and the second as cultural/ticketed operations. Seasonal Tapsa hour tables also circulate—on travel day, call the park office +82-63-430-8094~5 and Tapsa +82-63-433-0012. South visitor area: 182 Maisannam-ro, Maryeong-myeon, Jinan-gun, Jeonbuk-do; Tapsa 367 Maisannam-ro; Eunsusa 406 Maisannam-ro; north 130 Maisan-ro, Jinan-eup.
No cable car — walking is the default
Maisan has no cable-car fare. The project was cancelled and nothing runs. Plan a walk on the sightseeing trail. If you see a north-side electric shuttle (“Mai train”) sign, fares are not locked on VisitKorea—confirm on site with staff. Build the day around walking south → Tapsa → Eunsusa, not a gondola round-trip.
Core trail — 3.3 km from south to north
Jinan-gun’s sightseeing trail is south parking → Geumdangsa → Tapsa → Eunsusa → Cheonwangmun → north parking: 3.3 km · about 1 h 30 m. That is the day-trip spine. South→Tapsa feels like a gentle path with some slopes/stairs; stairs toward Cheonwangmun on the north side can feel moderate. There is no official difficulty grade—write it as 1.5 h sightseeing / 2 h+ hiking.
| Course | Distance · time | Type |
|---|---|---|
| South → Geumdangsa → Tapsa → Eunsusa → Cheonwangmun → north | 3.3 km · 1 h 30 m | Sightseeing (core) |
| South → Gogeumdang → Biryeongdae → Bongdubong → Tapgun | 3.5 km · 2 h 20 m | Hiking |
| South → Gogeumdang → Biryeongdae → north | 3.1 km · 2 h 10 m | Hiking |
Trail time alone is roughly 1.5–2.5 hours; with photos, meals, and transfers allow 4–6 hours on site. Spring/fall forest-fire trail controls (often 1 Feb–15 May, 1 Nov–15 Dec) and winter ice closures on Ammaibong segments change yearly—ask the office before summit attempts. Sumaibong is often described as closed to climbing; confirm the current notice rather than assuming a permanent ban.
What to see at Tapsa and Eunsusa
Tapsa is the stone-pagoda cluster—tradition speaks of about 108 towers, with roughly 80 remaining. Phone: +82-63-433-0012. Eunsusa (406 Maisannam-ro, +82-63-433-2502) holds Natural Monument No. 380 (Emerald Gaiety vine) and No. 386 (Cheongsil pear tree), and is known in winter for reverse icicles. Geumdangsa sits early on the south approach. The twin peaks stay visible from many points along the path—good photo stops without leaving the trail.
Season by season
Spring brings the south approach cherry-blossom tunnel. Summer is lush greenery and tafoni rock texture—watch humidity and stairs. Autumn mixes cosmos, silver grass, and foliage. Winter pairs reverse icicles near Eunsusa with ice-related trail controls. Year-round anchors are Tapsa’s pagodas, Eunsusa, and Geumdangsa. Maisan also appears on the Korea Tourism 100 list for 2025–2026 (Jeonbuk tourism), so expect busier parking and ticket lines in peak weekends.
Getting there from Seoul and Jeonju
By car, navigate to the south or north parking lots. Public transport changes often—recheck the same-day app or terminal board. As a 1 October 2026 reference only: Seoul Central City → Jinan express (deluxe) about twice daily (e.g. 10:10 · 15:10), ~3 hours, adult about ₩24,700; Jeonju → Jinan intercity adult ₩4,600, ~45–50 minutes. Jinan → Maisan south local buses are listed on Accessible Tourism about 3/day (e.g. 09:30, 13:30, 17:20); south → Jinan about 6 sample times. Bus inquiry: Mujinjang Bus +82-63-433-5282. Taxi: Jinan Taxi +82-63-430-1414 · call +82-63-433-1114. Park hub: jinan.go.kr/maisan.
FAQ
Q. How much is the Maisan cable car? A. There isn’t one. The cable-car project was cancelled and nothing operates. Visit on foot via the core 3.3 km · 1 h 30 m sightseeing trail.
Q. What are the admission fee and opening hours? A. Heritage fee: adult ₩3,000 (teen ₩2,000 · child ₩1,000). VisitKorea EN lists the park Open 24 hr; Accessible Tourism (south) lists 09:00–18:00. Keep both figures and call +82-63-430-8094~5 / Tapsa +82-63-433-0012 for tickets and temple closing times.
Fees, trail controls, and bus times can change with weather, events, or fire watches. Recheck VisitKorea, Jinan-gun Maisan notices, and the phone numbers above before you leave.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons — Steve46814 (CC BY-SA 3.0, Tapsa); Michael Dirauf (CC BY 3.0, Maisan). Fees/hours: VisitKorea EN, Accessible Tourism, Jinan-gun, CHA (verified 1 October 2026 KST).
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