Ascending Mount Seorak

7.00am - we awoke and had our breakfast (buns we bought from the supermarket). Plenty of energy will be needed for our Mount Seorak adventure.  We packed some food and water and are all set to go. From the resort, we took a cab to Mount Seorak which took about 5 mins. You may also take bus no. 3 or 3-1 and then change to bus no. 7 or 7-1 in front of the Sokcho Fire Station. In my opinion, a cab would be very much more convenient. ^^

So finally, we are there at the entrance of Mount Seorak. Entrance fee to Mount Seorak National Park is KRW3,400. There, we were engulfed by rolls and rolls of beautiful trees with crimson maples. Such a magnificent sight!


Beautiful maple trees at Mount Seorak



Red maple trees at Mount Seorak



Map of Mount Seorak

Next, it's time to choose your hiking trail... Due to time constraint, we took route B although we would loved to scale Daecheongbong Peak. And for those who prefer a less straining experience can go for route D which is a cable car ride to Gwongeumseong Castle.

[Recommended Autumn Foliage Courses]
A: Ulsanbawi Rock Hiking Course
Sogongwon Ticket Office – Sinheungsa Temple – Heundeulbawi Rock – Ulsanbawi Rock (3.8km / 2hrs 30min)
B: Geumganggul Cave Course
Sogongwon Ticket Office – Waseondae – Biseondae – Geumganggul Cave (3.6km / 1hr 30min)
C: Daecheongbong Peak Course
Sogongwon Ticket Office – Biseondae – Cheonbuldong Valley – Daecheongbong Peak – Seorak Falls – Osaekjujeongol (16km / 11hrs 20min)
C: Osaekjujeongol Course
Osaek (Namseorak) Information Center – Seorak Falls – Daecheongbong Peak (5.3km / 4hrs)
D: Gwongeumseong Castle Cable Car Course
Sogongwon Ticket Office – Cable Car – Gwongeumseong Castle (1.5km / 30min)



Mount Seorak hiking trail



Buddha statue near the entrance of Mount Seorak



And so we began our journey. First, you will be greeted by a huge buddha statue ensuring your safe return. Being the kiasee Singaporean, we stopped and prayed for a smooth hike.

There are some food stalls here too, so you might want to grab some Gimbap (dried seaweed rolls similar to the Japanese california roll). We had our buns from the supermarket so we gave that a miss.

 After walking through rolls of trees, we saw the first attraction on this trail - Cheonbuldong Valley. This is the most well-known valley of Mount Seorak, and it extends from Biseondae to Daecheongbong Peak. It was named Cheonbuldong due to the large number of rocks and cliffs on both sides of the valley that look like a line of a thousand Buddha statues. The Cheonbuldong Valley boasts a gorgeous scenic view through all the four seasons, making it a must-visit attraction.

Here are the pictures we took as we trek along the Cheonbuldong Valley.

Cheonbuldong Valley

Cheonbuldong Valley



Scenic views of Cheonbuldong Valley



Before I go on, I have to warn you that this post is very picture heavy. Please do not continue scrolling down if you cannot take pictures of breathtaking sceneries (Just kidding). 

Biseondae Cliff at Mount Seorak



Mount Seorak



The road ahead will require a certain degree of stamina and physical endurance as we are going to begin our ascend to Geumganggul Cave. Although it is only a 600m hike from Biseondae Cliff, getting there was tougher than we thought.

The path ahead were made of uneven rocks and as we move on, it became steeper and steeper. You need to be take your time and be careful as a fall here would be disastrous.

The anticipation of what we will be seeing at the summit kept us going as we continue our ardous journey.

After about an hour of climbing (with breaks in between), we finally arrived at our destination - Geumganggul Cave.

Looking out from the cave, we were treated to a superb view of Mount Seorak. It was really worth the effort to make it up here. I can imagine how amazing it will be if we make it to the highest peak - Daecheongbong Peak.

That will surely be on my agenda the next time we caome. But first, we will need to build up our fitness level.

As promised, here are the pictures taken from Geumganggul Cave. Of course, what you see there will be more spectacular than the pictures here.

Looking back at Cheonbuldong Valley from Geumganggul Cave



Steep flight of stairs to Geumganggul Cave



View from Geumganggul Cave

View from Geumganggul Cave

View from Geumganggul Cave

We rested for about 20 mins before making our way down. It was much easier going down and before long, we were back at Cheonbuldong Valley. We had our lunch at a restaurant beside the Biseondae Cliff. The food was not very nice but the beautiful surrounding more than make up for it.

Lunch at Mount Seorak

After replenishing our strength, we walked back to the entrance feeling pretty satisfied of our little accomplishment. =P

Bridge at Mount Seorak

Did I mentioned to you that there is a Waterpia theme park next to the Hanhwa Resort? Well, there is some hot pool there where you can wash away your fatigue. However, you can be cheapskates like us and enjoy the free foot bath outside the water park. Arhhh..... feels so comfortable.

Foot bath

Enjoying my foot bath