Seoraksan might be the crown jewel of Korean hiking, with the second highest peak in mainland Korea at 1,708 meters (Daecheongbong) and the infamous Dinosaur Ridge, it is also considered some of the hardest hiking in Korea. Seoraksan National Park encompasses approximately 163 square kilometers (that's around 63 square miles if you don't do metric) in Gangwon Province. A UNESCO designated biosphere reserve due to its diversity of flora and fauna, Seoraksan was the first national park designated under the 1970 National Park law. The park is divided into multiple areas: Inge-gun, Goseong-gun, Yangyang-gun, and Sokcho-si. Seoraksan National Park has 30 peaks including Daecheongbong, multiple hiking courses and campsites that allow for multi-day treks into the park. The park's rock formations are composed largely of dissected granite and gneiss, which give the formations and mountains their striking looks.
The Legend of Gwongeumseong
The legend of Gwongeumseong, is about a fortress that was built overnight or so the story goes. The story is about two men, Gwon and Kim, who fled from their village with their families during the war (it's unclear which one) to the mountains. Once atop the mountain, the men realized there was no fortress walls to defend themselves from invaders, the men decided to work together to build a wall. Together the collected stones from the stream and stacked them through the night, when the sun came up, the fortress wall was complete. The fortress is located in the near the Seoraksan National Park Office (Sokcho) area of the park and can be seen on the out and back trail from the information center, the hike takes about an hour and a half.
I have hiked Seoraksan twice as day hikes, once in the spring, where I hiked the main peak Daecheongbong and down through Cheonbuldong Valley. The second time was in the fall when I again hiked Daecheongbong peak, but from a different starting point and conquered the much hyped Dinosaur Ridge.
Spring Adventure
When spring arrives in Korea, there's nothing better than heading to the mountains when
the weather is clear. One of the main ways I connected with other expats and Koreans during my time in Korea was through hiking and for my spring outing to Seoraksan, my friends and I went joined Seoul Hiking & Nature Group’s weekend trip to Seoraksan and Seokcho. In order to make the summit for sunrise or near sunrise, you'll need to start your ascent when the park opens at 3am. You'll be in good company with avid hikers both Korean and foreign ready to head up the mountain and a steady stream of headlamps trudging their way forward in the dark. On this particular hike, we started from the Osaek Ranger Station, this is one of the shorter routes to Daecheongbong Peak at around 5.3km, it is also one of the steeper routes aka lots of stairs and doesn't offer much in the way of scenery, although with the majority of your hiking taking place in the dark there's not much to see anyway. It is also the route that sees the most traffic and can quite crowded and even bottle-necked at times. If you're planning on hiking Dinosaur Ridge, being at certain checkpoints by certain times is a good idea so that you're not on the mountain in the dark. My hiking buddy (what's up Caitlin) and I made the summit in about 2 hours and 20 minutes, I'm much faster hiking uphill and and as there were a lot of stairs on the ascent and I was coming off a sky run, it didn't feel like much of a challenge. Shortly after the peak, there's a shelter with a viewing platform to take in the surrounding peaks and valleys, restrooms and snack stand with coffee, ramen and various other snacks available for purchase. It can get quite windy in this area and it is often crowded with hikers resting, eating breakfast and taking in the sunrise. After a short break for breakfast, Caitlin and I set of with the intent of tackling Dinosaur Ridge, unfortunately we took a left at the first intersection instead of the second and ended up hiking about 1km down a difficult section of trail that we then, to our extreme displeasure and occasional dispair, we had to backtrack that same distance...all uphill. Once we were back on track, we decided to leave Dinosaur Ridge for another day and instead opted to hike down Cheonbuldong Valley, which is also stunning and filled with waterfalls and pools that are perfect for a picnic and dip in the water before finishing up your hike down the mountain.
Fall Adventure
When it comes to viewing fall foliage, Seoraksan National Park is a must visit. Whether you hike Daecheongbong and down the valley, trek across Dinosaur Ridge, or take one of the other routes available, during fall foliage season your eyes are in for a treat as the valleys and peaks are covered in red, orange and yellow leaves.
For my fall attempt to hike dinosaur ridge I went with Climbing in Korea (CIK) as they offered a day trip instead of a trip fro the whole weekend. This hike started at a the Hangyeryeong Information Center that is about halfway between YangYang and Inje, this route to Daecheongbong and across Dinosaur Ridge was a total of about 24 kilometers. This hike is particular hike is one of the suggest routes for a 2 day hike in the park to make it more leisurely. Although this trail lacks the dramatic uphill of the trail from Namserok Information Center, it was a good bit longer, which means if you want to be on Daecheongbong for sunrise, you need to haul ass. This particular weekend was slated to be peak foliage for Seoraksan so the park was particularly crowded, although a frost a few days earlier in the week had actually caused the foliage to pass its peak, it was still stunning.
Dinosaur Ridge itself is quite enjoyable to hike, it is composed of 9 peaks. The difficulty of it comes from first summiting Daecheongbong and that once you are on the ridge, there is no
way off except to complete the hike (or fall down the mountain and be air-lifted out...I don't recommend this option. On my fall hike I did actually witness someone being airlifted off the mountain (they had broken their ankle), this also caused a bit of a back-up for hikers as they were getting the injured party off the mountain. There are also no places to buy water or snacks once you're on the ridge, so you need to come loaded up with snacks and water. Due to the high volume of hikers who were out to catch the foliage and enjoy the mountains, hiking across the ridge was a bit slow with a couple of bottle necks, including now where we stood in line for about 40 minutes to climb over a slightly more difficult section of rock. Around peak 5 my knee brace gave out on my left knee (I have problems with my patellar tendon, especially downhill) and my knee started to bother me, this turned into it really bothering me during the 4km final descent (I literally heard myself whimper). Despite the traffic jams and gimpy pace, I still completed the hike in 12 hours and was not the last person in our group to finish. I will say that I find the final downhill stretch to be the least enjoyable part of the hike. You're tired and it's about 4km of steep downhill on rough rock steps.
The hike ends at the Seorakdong Information Center, there are a few food options (but not as many as at most other parks) to grab a snack before heading home or to one of the nearby cities for the night. From this entrance to the park you can also access the Seorak Cable Car, which takes you Gwangeumseong. It offers views of the park, mountains and foliage (in fall) without the hike, if members of your group aren't into hiking. You'll also find Sinheungsa temple with it's 14.8 meter buddha statue known, as The Great Buddha of Unification. If you're taking mass transit from nearby Sokcho, this is where the bus drops you off and picks you up. There is also a campsite nearby if you still want to start your hike bright and early to hike up to Daechongbong and back in time to catch the bus or a taxi to Sokcho.
Organized Trips
The simplest way to enjoy an outing to Seoraksan National Park is through one of the many meetup groups that run trips, there are a variety of groups that cater to Koreans, foreigners and groups that attract a mix of both. Depending on the group, day, overnight and weekend trips are offered, the price varies on the length of the trip i.e. trips that are for the whole weekend cost more. Besides removing the logistics planning, meetup trips are a great way to connect with individuals who share an interest in hiking and exploring new places. I did both of my hikes in Seoraksan with meetup groups, as I have friends who regularly participate in these groups, it was basically a friend outing. There are some downsides to these groups, they usually run on a schedule and depending on your pacing it may be hard to finish in the allotted time, sometimes they can be poorly organized, and the trip leaders can be questionable.
Exploring Seoraksan On Your Own
If you'd rather hike and explore Seoraksan National Park on your own, there are three cities that you can pair with an adventure to Seoraksan: Inje, Yangyang and Sokcho. The easiest way to access any of these cities and Seoraksan is via car, but if you don't have an international license or fancy driving, buses run from Seoul to all three cities, Sokcho is accessible by KTX and a short bus ride as well. Seoraksan is accessible from both Sokcho and Inje by bus, from Yangyang you will need to take a taxi.
Campsites and Shelters
If you're looking to do a multi-day trek in Seoraksan or hoping to do some photography to
catch stunning sun rises, sunsets, or the mist rolling over the mountains, you'll want to spend the night in the park. There are six shelters in the park where there are platforms and flat areas, but setting tents is prohibited. I have talked to people who have camped in the park...but I wouldn't recommend it. Huiungak and Jungcheong shelters offer cabin rentals for about 8,000 won. You do need a reservation to use a shelter (I believe there is 1 shelter where you can rock up and stay if there's room), you can find the website here. There are also campsites located near the Seoraksan National Park office (near Sokcho) and the Baekdam Rangers Station.
Whether you go for a day hike, multi day hike, or camp out to catch some epic shots, Seoraksan National Park will meet all of your outdoor needs!
Comments