Gamaksan Flower Star Travel
🗓️ 2026.09.18 ~ 2026.10.11
The 6th Gamaksan Flower Star Travel, Geochang-gun’s representative autumn festival, returns to Star Wind Hill at the summit of Gamaksan in Shinwon-myeon from September 18 to October 11, 2026. This year’s theme, A Purple Comma for Myself, frames the festival as a pause in the season’s rush, set against sweeping mountain views and the purple bloom of chrysanthemum fields.
The event officially opens on September 18 with pre-event performances, the main opening ceremony, and a guided walk through the Siberian chrysanthemum complex. Across the following three weeks, the program blends live music, family-oriented experiences, and regional food.
Viewing Course
Three outdoor spaces anchor the festival’s scenery:
- Aster Complex — 5ha planted with 300,000 aster chrysanthemums, featuring an observatory, a silver grass maze, and an experience center.
- Siberian Chrysanthemum Complex — 4ha of Siberian chrysanthemums, Aster koraiensis, and Aster tataricus, totaling 400,000 plants, with a deck shelter for resting mid-stroll.
- Barrier-Free Sharing Path — a 3.8km raised deck road linking the main sights, punctuated by three observatories. The wooden path keeps the high-altitude views accessible to wheelchairs and strollers alike.
Performance Program
The performance lineup runs throughout the festival period. Sunset Hill Concerts pair live sets with evening light over the ridgeline, while busking performances appear at scattered points along the walking routes. Congratulatory shows from the Geochang Music Association add a local note, and dedicated magic performances give younger visitors their own moment at center stage.
Experience Program
Visitors can take home more than photographs. Photo zones across the venue, a stamp tour, and SNS certification events each offer souvenirs for participation. The standout installation is the slow mailbox at Star Wind Hill: write a letter during the festival, and it will be delivered to you before next year’s event—an unusual memento that extends the festival’s reach long after the chrysanthemums have faded.
Sales and Food
- Flower Star Market — local farms and businesses offer Geochang specialties and processed regional products.
- Food market — operated by the women’s associations of Namsang-myeon and Shinwon-myeon, serving bibimbap, gukbap, jeon, and tofu kimchi at affordable prices.
- Food truck zone — a lighter-options corner with coffee, sikhye, and hot dogs.
📍 Address: 452 Yeonsusa-gil, Shinwon-myeon, Geochang-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do
🛏️ Accommodation near the event
💰 Fee: Paid (Shuttle bus fee 3,000 won)
📞 Inquiry: 055-940-8227
⭐️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geochang_welcome/
🖥️ Website: https://starwindhill.com/
What is Gamaksan?
Gamaksan is a mountain in Geochang County, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It rises to about 962 meters as part of the Sobaek Mountain range. Its terrain is mostly granite, with exposed ridges, rocky summits, and forested slopes that vary with the season.
In autumn, large patches of purple chrysanthemums grow across the upper slopes. These flowers are the mountain’s main seasonal attraction and draw a steady number of visitors during their blooming period. At other times of year, the appeal is simpler: ridgeline views, quiet forest trails, and relative solitude. From the summit, hikers can see Geochang’s lowlands, the surrounding Sobaek peaks, and the valleys between them.
The trail network includes an established route from the base as well as longer ridgeline connections to neighboring mountains. The standard route is a steady climb, with some rocky sections that require care. There are no shops or facilities on the mountain, so hikers should carry their own water and food. The mountain can be visited as a half-day outing, but the full ridge route offers a longer, more demanding hike for those with time.
