The pillar-shaped joint cliffs on Mudeungsan are one of the mountain's signature sights: great vertical rock columns formed by ancient volcanic activity and weathered into a natural wall above the forest.
They are best treated as part of a Mudeungsan hike rather than a quick roadside stop. The payoff is both geological and scenic, with the columns giving the mountain a sharper, stranger profile than the softer hills around Gwangju.