Korea is blessed with many magnificent national parks for such a small country. The sheer number of mountains and amount of coastline in South Korea, coupled with the large population necessitating the preservation of natural spaces, has amounted to 17 national parks. Each park is unique in its own way and we enjoy discovering each park’s special features whenever we get the chance.


Let's go to... Seoraksan Mountain


Seoraksan National Park

Some parks encompass hundreds of islands with astounding rock formations, while others cover massive mountain ranges. Although you’d expect the parks to become redundant or too similar to warrant a visit, you’d be wrong. We have not once visited Park A and thought “man, this one is a whole lot like Park B.” While we have hiked through and visited quite a few of these parks, one always beckoned to us with its dramatic mountain top and incredible beauty in the northern province of Gangwon-do: Seoraksan National Park.

Far away from any major city, Seoraksan sits in the northeastern-most province of South Korea. Covering almost 400 square kilometers, this parks contains some of the msot dramatic peaks in the Taebaek Mountain Range. We’ve long dreamed of this park and recently, on a roadtrip up the east coast, we finally found time to visit. Arriving during the last few weeks of winter was a mistake. Upon seeing the incredible mountain peaks through the lightly falling snow, we knew that we’d need to make another trip. Not ten minutes after stepping foot inside the park’s gate we felt an energetic longing to come back at a different time. We were excited to finally be seeing this beautiful park, but it was clear that hiking to the top and being able to see all the way to North Korea was not going to be possible. Looking to make the best of our hindered (although still very excited) Seoraksan experience, we walked the grounds looking for winter activities.


Too Icy to Hike

01

One of our main experiences inside Seoraksan was the gondola (cable car, if you ask Stephanie) ride up one of the lesser peaks, Jipseonbong (Jipseon Peak). Last year, having not yet been to Seoraksan, we had been outraged by the prospect of building a gondola to haul lazy people up a beautiful mountain so that they could enjoy the spoils of hiking without the effort. With the pangs of preservation and conservation in our sides, we even signed a petition to block the construction, but- as with many things in Asia- when the money is already there, you’d better get out of the way. Great amounts of regret and feeling of hypocrisy washed over us as we slowly became more and more excited to be able to experience the mountains in a season that would have normally prevented us from getting off the main grounds. We (again, with tears flowing down our stupid blubbering faces and feeling peer pressured into doing so) paid, boarded, and rode the gondola we had once opposed up to Jipseon.

03Time for excuses and optimism, so bear with us: The thing is already built. And while it is absolutely unnecessary and tragic for the view of that raw and beautiful mountain, the gondola will maintain Seoraksan National Park’s legitimacy as a destination during the winter months. With this extra year-round revenue, we can only hope that the park uses the fund from the gondola to maintain the size and natural beauty of the park for as long as it can. Unfortunately, money is pretty important and we are hopeful that riding the gondola not only feeds SNP’s financial stability well into the future, but also introduces more people to the amazing heights that can be experienced through natural exploration, hiking, and climbing. Since Jipseonbong is not one of the biggest, there are still more incredible sights that we haven’t seen, and probably many others haven’t. There is still the incentive to go forward; go higher. There is still more to see. The top was amazing, also, and offered spectacular views of the valley at the center of Seoraksan. You can see the temples, welcome building, and the far off (and much higher) peaks in the distance.

02


Sinheungsa Temple

04

00


Our Video

Be sure to check out our video for more information and a sneak peek at what to expect from your winter visit to the park! If this post or video was helpful, be sure to check out our YouTube Channel and subscribe, like, and SHARE. We really appreciate it!


Have you ever been to Seoraksan National Park? What are some things you recommend seeing and doing? We love hearing from you in the comment section below!

More Winter in Korea Posts:
Must See Places This Winter In South Korea
How to Survive Winter in South Korea
Namwon the City of Love in the Snow
Beyond Nudity – What to Expect at a Korean Jjimjilbang Spa
A Guide to Skiing in South Korea
A Seasonal Guide to Andong Hahoe Village
Snow in the Boseong Green Tea Fields

Signature