Ulsanbawi Peak in Seoraksan National Park
Highlights
Four epic day hikes with outstanding views between two South Korea National Parks.
Time of Visit: April – May 2025
Duration of Visit: 14 Days
Description
South Korea has 22 national parks. Most popular is Seoraksan National Park which is about a 2.5 hr. bus ride from Seoul. The park boasts a scenic granite mountain range filled with hiking trails.
Woraksan National Park, on the other hand, is not as popular as Seoraksan but is equally beautiful. It has one added feature that Seoraksan does not have and that is Chungju Lake. The lake is extensive and has many fingers. This provides an added bonus to the scenery, especially from a high vantage point.
Here we describe the day hikes we did at each park. In Seoraksan, we hiked to Ulsanbawi Peak and Towangseong Falls Observatory. At Woraksan, we hiked to Akeo Bong and Jejibong.
Seoraksan National Park
Seoraksan National Park (NP) is a very popular park in South Korea. The park is blessed with jagged granite mountain peaks and valleys carved by rivers. There are also waterfalls and temples including the largest seated bronze Budda in South Korea – the reunification Buddha. As an added bonus, there are lots of cafes and restaurants both inside and outside the park. There is also a cable car to a mountain top to afford visitors tremendous views without breaking a sweat.
Get here early to beat the crowds or late in the afternoon after most of the visitors have left.
How To Get To Seoraksan
From Seoul, you need to travel by bus to the city of Sokcho. From Sokcho, take Bus 7 or 7-1 to get to Seoraksan NP. Please refer to this blogpost for detailed description.
At the time of writing, the bus fare was 1,700 KRW (flat rate) from Sokcho to Seoraksan NP. From Seoul to Sokcho, the bus fare varies from 17,000 to 22,300 KRW. The price difference is due to the type of bus. The pricier bus offers comfort seating (wide and long legroom) while the cheaper ones are just regular seating (4 seats in a row).
Where To Stay
Sokcho is the nearest city to Seoraksan. There are many accommodations and restaurant choices in Sokcho as well as a large supermarket called eMart. If you are going to stay in Sokcho, pick an accommodation on the route of Bus 7 or 7-1. We stayed just across the Sokcho Express Bus Terminal and Bus 7 and 7-1 stop was less than a minute walk away.
There are also accommodations just outside of the park’s entrance although the number of stores and eateries are much limited compared to Sokcho.
The Hikes
Ulsanbawi Peak
Ulsanbawi Peak is probably the most popular day hike in Seoraksan NP. Gorgeous granite peaks reward hikers after a gruelling hike. According to the park signs, the hike is 3.8 kms (2.3 mi) one way from the park’s information center (basically just after the entrance).
According to AllTrails, the elevation gain is 566 m (1,856 ft) so it is a steep hike. The hike starts gently from the information center, with the last 0.8 km being the hardest as it is just a never ending ascent over metal stairs and stone steps. Most of the hike is through the forest with the last 0.3 km being exposed as it gets closer to the peaks.
According to the park information center, the hike to the peak takes about two hours. We did it in three and it was well worth the effort.
Towangseong Falls Observatory
The hike to Towangseong Observatory is about 2.8 kms with 971 ft of elevation gain. The observatory is a small two tiered observation deck with benches to view Towangseong Falls from a distance. The fall was down to a trickle (the impression we got from the observatory) as the snowmelt was over. But it did not matter as the mountain scenery was just outstanding. We think taking photos from the lower observation deck is better.
To get to the observation deck, you will pass Yukdam Falls and Biryong Falls. Yukdam is about 2 km from the Information Center while Biryong is an additional 0.4 km. The ascent to these two falls is not difficult, only a few stair steps at a time.
The hike between Biryong Falls and the observatory is a different matter. The trail markers show only an additional 0.4 km but it felt a lot longer. We think 0.4 is the horizontal distance. The vertical ascent is by metal stairs and there was no break. The 0.4 km felt like an eternity. But, just take your time, take breaks and don’t worry about “are we there yet?”. It is well worth the effort.
Woraksan National Park
If you are a peak bagger, head over to Woraksan National Park. The park has many peaks (“bong” in Korean) waiting to be conquered. Yeonbong is the park’s highest peak and takes all day to complete. The park ranger we talked to also recommended Gudambong and Oxambong as moderate day hikes with great views.
Woraksan National Park is a huge park with no entry gates. It encompasses several villages and a good portion of Chungju Lake. It is also dissected by several rural roads. Unlike Seoraksan, there are no souvenir shops here or restaurants lined up one after the other. There may be some restaurants at the villages but those can be closed depending on the season. Best to bring your sack lunch so you don’t go hungry.
While in Woraksan, try hard to see Deogjusa Temple. This is a Buddhist Temple that is free to enter for worshippers and visitors alike. The temple is small compared to others we have seen but is colorful. Best of all, there was no crowd.
Waroksan is not as popular as Seoraksan which is a shame and a blessing. We only encountered Koreans along the trails and the trails were not busy whatsoever.
The Hikes
Akeo Bong
Akeo literally translates to crocodile. The peak got its name because the shape of the lake shores look like crocodile’s heads as viewed from the peak’s observation deck.
Akeo Bong is not in Woraksan National Park but is near the boundary. The trail is not as maintained as those within the park.
The trailhead is located just across the Lazy Caiman Cafe (shown on Naver and Google Maps). Parking is free. We did not observe any bus stops in the stretch of road that leads to the parking lot.
The hike is only 0.9 km (0.6 mi) but is steep. Most of the trail is dirt and would be slippery when wet or worse, if there is ice on the ground. The hike’s entirety is through the forest which conveniently shields the sun.
Jejibong
Jejibong is a 2.3 km (1.4 mi) strenuous hike that offers jaw dropping views. It is one of those hikes that looks intimidating because you can see the metal stairs that you have to climb. Yes, there are a lot of stairs but in reality, it did not feel hard. Why? Well once we ascended the first 0.4 kms, the trail opened up to reveal the scenery.
The views got nicer as we ascended so we found ourselves stopping often to take photos. This gave us the opportunity to rest while capturing the moments.
After the first kilometer, the trail gets swallowed again by the forest. The trail eased somewhat before resuming its steep climb to the peak. Not much view at the peak because of the trees. Only thing to greet you there is the peak’s stone marker that shows the peak’s name in Hangul and the elevation. Otherwise, we recommend that you just turn around once you reach the 1 km trail sign.
How To Get There
You have to have a vehicle to get to the trailheads of Akeo Bong and Jejibong.
Where To Stay
Chingju is the closest city. There are many choices of accommodations and places to eat.
Akeo Bong trailhead is about 30 minutes away from Chungju while Jejibong is about an hour.
Summary
Seoraksan NP is one of the most popular national parks in the country. We were fortunate to have hiked Ulsanbawi Peak and Towangseong Falls Observatory in Seoraksan NP. Both hikes are not long but involve climbing over metal and stone stairs. The hikes can be challenging but definitely rewarding.
Woraksan NP is lesser known but offers hikes to several peaks. We hiked Akeo Bong and Jejibong. Both provide beautiful views. Jejibong has the added feature of rock formation in addition to the lake views. Do not let the stairs scare you. It is well worth the effort.