National Parks in South Korea

Seoraksan National Park is the most dramatic landscape in mainland Korea: jagged granite ridges, deep valleys with clear green pools and a coastline 20 minutes away. It is the first park to turn colour each autumn, peaking around the middle to third week of October, and the busiest. Express buses from Seoul reach Sokcho in about two and a half hours, and local buses 7 and 7-1 run from Sokcho to the Seorak-dong (Sogongwon) entrance in about 40 minutes.

From Sogongwon there are three classic outings. The flat walk along the valley to Biseondae rocks takes about an hour each way and suits anyone. Ulsanbawi, a wall of six granite knobs at 873 m, is a half-day climb ending in a long run of steep metal stairs, with views to the sea. The cable car to Gwongeumseong fortress costs about 16,000 won return and gives the views without the effort; queues on autumn weekends can run past an hour, so buy tickets at opening. Near the entrance, Seoraksan’s Sinheungsa temple has a large bronze seated Buddha.

Daecheongbong, the 1,708 m summit, is a full day. The shortest route is the steep climb from Osaek on the south side, roughly 5 km each way; the longer approach from Seorak-dong via Cheonbuldong valley is the most beautiful and is often split with a night in a booked shelter. Experienced hikers add the Gongnyong (Dinosaur) ridge, one of the toughest days in the country. The Inje side of the park is quieter, with the Baekdamsa valley and its temple reached by shuttle bus.

Hallasan, at 1,947 m, is the highest mountain in South Korea and the shield volcano that makes up most of Jeju. Hallasan National Park is also part of the Jeju volcanic island World Heritage site. Two trails reach the summit and the Baengnokdam crater lake: Seongpanak (9.6 km, gentler, through forest) and Gwaneumsa (8.7 km, steeper, with the better views). Allow eight to nine hours return on either, and consider going up one and down the other.

Both summit trails need a free advance reservation on the national park’s booking site, with a daily cap, and the slots sell out on autumn and spring weekends. You show a QR code at the gate. There are also cutoff times: if you have not passed the checkpoint shelter (Jindallaebat on Seongpanak, Samgakbong on Gwaneumsa) by around midday or early afternoon, depending on season, rangers turn you back. Start at first light. Bus 281 from Jeju City stops at the Seongpanak trailhead.

Without a reservation, the Yeongsil and Eorimok trails climb to Witse-oreum at about 1,700 m, below the summit dome. Yeongsil is the shortest and most scenic, past a ring of standing rock pillars, about three to four hours return. In winter the upper mountain is under deep snow and crampons are required; trailhead shops sell cheap chain spikes. For the rest of Jeju’s walking, see the Olle trail.

Jirisan National Park became Korea’s first national park in 1967 and is its largest mountain park, spread across three provinces. Cheonwangbong, at 1,915 m, is the highest point on the mainland, and the ridge leading to it is the country’s great multi-day walk: about 25 km from Nogodan in the west to Cheonwangbong in the east, over two or three days, with shelters such as Yeonhacheon and Jangteomok along the way. Shelter beds must be booked through the Korea National Park Service reservation site, and weekend beds go within minutes of release.

Most traversers start from Seongsamjae, reached by bus from Gurye, and finish by descending to Jungsan-ri on the Sancheong side. Day hikers can climb Cheonwangbong from Jungsan-ri in a long, steep day, or walk the lower valleys. In May the high meadows of Baraebong above Namwon turn pink with royal azaleas, and in autumn the Piagol valley is one of the best foliage walks in the south. Jirisan’s two great temples, Hwaeomsa and Ssanggyesa, sit at the foot of the southern slopes; our temples guide covers them.

Bukhansan National Park is a mountain park inside a city of more than nine million, and one of the most visited national parks in the world for its size. Its granite summit, Baegundae (836 m), looks down on Seoul, and the climb is a proper half-day hike with a final scramble on fixed cables. The most popular route starts at the Bukhansanseong entrance, a short bus ride from Gupabal station on subway Line 3, and passes the walls and gates of the old Bukhansanseong mountain fortress. Allow four to five hours return.

The park’s northern half is Dobongsan, reached directly from Dobongsan station on Lines 1 and 7, with craggy peaks and several hermitages. Insubong, the great dome beside Bukhansan, is Seoul’s rock-climbing wall. For shorter city hikes outside the park, Inwangsan follows the Seoul city wall with views over Gyeongbokgung, and Gwanaksan in the south is a popular rocky half-day.

Go on a weekday if you can. On autumn weekends the summit of Baegundae has a queue, and the cable sections back up for half an hour.

The spine of mountains running down the centre and east of the peninsula holds a string of parks that domestic hikers know well and foreign visitors rarely reach. Odaesan National Park near Pyeongchang is gentle and forested: the fir-lined path into Woljeongsa temple and the 9 km Seonjae trail along the valley to Sangwonsa are easy walks, and the summit of Odaesan, Birobong (1,563 m), is a moderate climb above Sangwonsa. KTX trains from Seoul reach Jinbu station in under two hours, with buses on to the park.

Sobaeksan National Park has long grassy ridges that turn pink with royal azaleas in late May and white with rime ice in winter, best approached from Danyang or Yeongju. Songnisan National Park combines the Munjangdae rock summit with Beopjusa, one of the great temples. Woraksan climbs steeply above Chungju Lake near Chungju, and Gyeryongsan, near Daejeon, is an easy day between the Gapsa and Donghaksa temples. Chiaksan above Wonju is known for being relentlessly steep, and Taebaeksan, a national park since 2016, has the Cheonjedan stone altar on its summit and ancient yew trees that frost over in winter, when Taebaek holds its snow festival.

Deogyusan National Park in the south of the range has the easiest high summit in Korea: the gondola from the Muju Deogyusan Resort ski area rises to about 1,520 m, a short walk below Hyangjeokbong (1,614 m). In winter the trees on the ridge are encased in rime ice and the walk is spectacular in good boots.

Naejangsan National Park, near Jeongeup, is the place Koreans picture when they think of autumn: a valley of maples, a tunnel of red leaves on the road to Naejangsa temple and the small Uhwajeong pavilion reflected in a pond. Peak colour is usually the last days of October and first week of November, and on those weekends the access road is jammed for hours. Take the KTX to Jeongeup and a local bus, go on a weekday, and arrive by 8am. A cable car climbs to a viewpoint, and the southern side of the park holds the temple of Baegyangsa.

Wolchulsan, the smallest mountain park, rises sheer out of the rice plains near Mokpo, with a steel suspension bridge strung between two granite crags on the way to the 809 m summit. Mudeungsan National Park, on the edge of Gwangju, has walls of hexagonal basalt columns at Seoseokdae and Ipseokdae, and is reached by city bus. On the coast, Byeonsan-bando National Park in Buan combines the fir avenue of Naesosa temple, the Jikso waterfall and the layered sea cliffs of Chaeseokgang, best seen at low tide.

Juwangsan National Park in Cheongsong is the gentlest of the great parks: a flat trail of about 3 km follows a narrow canyon between rock towers to the Yongchu waterfalls, easy for any age, and the nearby Jusanji reservoir, with old willows growing out of the water, is a dawn photographers’ favourite. It is out of the way, so combine it with Andong.

Gayasan National Park is the setting of Haeinsa, home of the Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks, and its summit ridge, Sanghwangbong (1,430 m), is a half-day climb from the temple. Gyeongju National Park is the only park designated mainly for its history: its sections around Gyeongju take in Tohamsan, where Bulguksa and Seokguram stand, and Namsan, a low mountain covered in rock-carved Buddhas and pagoda ruins that you explore on forest paths. The 23rd and newest park, Palgongsan above Daegu, was designated in 2023; its best-known sight is Gatbawi, a stone Buddha on a ridge where pilgrims climb to make one wish.

Korea’s three marine parks are less about hiking than islands and ferry trips. Dadohaehaesang, the largest national park, covers hundreds of islands off the southwest corner. From Mokpo, fast ferries run to Heuksando and Hongdo, the latter known for red rock cliffs and sea arches seen on a boat tour; further east, Bogildo and Geomundo are reached from Wando and Yeosu.

Hallyeohaesang runs along the sheltered waterway from Geoje to Yeosu. Highlights are Oedo, a private island turned botanical garden reached by tour boat from Geoje, Hansando off Tongyeong, and the cliffs of Geumsan on Namhaedo. Taeanhaean, on the west coast, has long beaches, pine forests and Korea’s largest coastal sand dunes at Sinduri.

Outside the park system, the Getbol tidal flats, a World Heritage site since 2021, protect mudflats on the southwest coast used by migrating shorebirds. Suncheon Bay has reed beds and boardwalks that turn gold in autumn and draw hooded cranes in winter, and Upo Wetland in Changnyeong is the largest inland wetland. On Jeju, Seongsan Ilchulbong crater and the Manjanggul lava tube are protected with Hallasan as part of the World Heritage site. Wildlife watching in the DMZ borderlands is only possible on organised tours.

Entry to every national park has been free since 2007, and in 2023 the temples inside them also stopped charging the old cultural heritage fee, so the only costs are transport, parking, cable cars and overnight bookings. The Korea National Park Service’s English website lists trails, closures and weather, and its reservation site handles shelters and campsites. Shelters are basic: a heated floor or bunk, blankets for hire, a cooking area and no showers.

Almost every park is reachable by public transport. Express and intercity buses run from Seoul to Sokcho, Gurye, Jeongeup and the other gateway towns, and local buses go on to the main entrances; Naver Map and Kakao Map give routes and show the trail network, and are more reliable than Google in Korea. The getting around guide covers buses, KTX and car hire. Main trails have signs in English with distances to the next junction, and toilets and water points at the bigger trailheads.

Trails are steep but well built, with steel stairs, ropes and handrails on the hard sections. Bring your own gear, because rentals are rare, and carry cash for trailhead restaurants. Korea’s two great hiking seasons are April to early June and October to early November; summer is hot, humid and wet, with the monsoon from late June to late July. The best time to visit and cherry blossom guides have the foliage and flower timings by region.

Rangers enforce the rules, with fines for breaking them. Drinking alcohol is banned on summits, ridges and at shelters, despite the makgeolli culture at the trailheads. Fires and cooking are only allowed in designated areas, smoking is banned, and camping is only permitted at official campsites. Leaving the marked trail is an offence, and some trails are closed for years at a time to let them recover; respect the barriers.

Trails also close at set hours. Most parks stop letting hikers onto long routes after early or mid afternoon, earlier in winter, and summit routes like Daecheongbong and Hallasan have their own cutoffs. Signs at each entrance give the day’s times.