In May, I was invited to hike Baekdeoksan [백덕산] in Gangwon-do with the Canadian husband-Korean wife owned White Crow Brewing in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Baekdeoksan has wide popularity in part because it’s on the Blackyak 100 mountain challenge. Located 50 minutes from Wonju, this Gangwon-do getaway is deep in the Korean countryside, without being too far from major populated areas like Seoul and Pyeongtaek.

In this article, I will provide (1) a hiking guide for Baekdeoksan, (2) discuss my experience with the local hotspot – White Crow Brewing – and (3) discuss the presentation I attended by Roger Shepherd on his expeditions to North Korea to hike parts of the Baekdudaegan.

In this article I highlight White Crow Brewing – We ate there two times and attended a special event hosted here. Les Timmermans, the Canadian who owns and runs White Crow Brewing was very kind and generous to me and my partner. This article is not a paid sponsorship, but they did provide us with free beer and food when we attended their hiking and presentation event with Roger Shepherd – I’m writing this article not out of some obligation, my opinions expressed here are my true thoughts. Details specifically about the brewery can be found here.

White Crow Brewery Address: 강원 평창군 방림면 고원로 65 화이트 크로우 브루잉 https://naver.me/FjcJ63xy

For more information on White Crow Brewing, check out their Instagram page or website.

Hiking Baekdeoksan [백덕산]

Gangwon-do, situated east of Seoul in South Korea, stretches all the way to the eastern coastline. The region’s mountains possess a ‘rolling hill’ character, reminiscent of areas like Vermont, featuring a continuous mountainous landscape where no individual peak dominates the skyline.

Baekdeoksan, nestled in the southwestern part of Gangwon-do, stands out from its neighboring peaks thanks to a distinctive ‘N’ shaped tree found near the trail’s final stretch before reaching the summit. With an elevation of 1,350 meters, this hike is not for the faint-hearted, covering a distance of 10-12 kilometers with an elevation gain of nearly 1,000 meters.

It also boosts an impressive 360-degree view from its smallish peak area, and uniquely has a peak stone which has its name written on all 4 sides, allowing for numerous creative peak stone photo angles.

There are three trails that lead to the peak – two direct paths (one better maintained than the other) and a ridge trail which is slightly longer. All three trails converge at a resting area, just a 10ish minutes / 0.5km from the peak.

As can be seen in the above trail map, the courses are pretty straightforward. Hiking groups tend to start at 문재 and hiking the ridge course (5.3 km one way until the final turn off point ‘삼거리’, then 0.5km to the peak = 5.8km to the peak), and go down to 먹골 (4.8km one way course + 0.5 to the peak = 5.3km from the peak). This is counterclockwise in both maps.

However, if you are relying on your own car for transport, it’s best to do a there and back, since a loop course would require several kilometers of fairly-risky road hiking. Fairly risky is defined as not having a sidewalk, and decently fast moving traffics. In addition, 문재 is uphill from the other two starting point, so you will end up hiking uphill on a sun exposed road.

So, what is the best course for a there and back hike?

I have hiked up the ridge course twice, and gone down both the central and 먹골 course – I would not recommend the central course, its very steep with loose rocks, making its the more dangerous of the three downhill options.

That leaves either the shorter course (먹골) there-and-back or the ridge course (문재) there-and-back. Both are well maintained trails – with about a 1 km difference between the two of them. Ultimately, there’s no bad choice between the two side courses.

It might just come down to where there is the parking availability at the time of hiking.

Parking Lots for each starting point

Recommended longer course – Ridge course (문재) parking: 문재쉼터 강원 평창군 방림면 운교리 https://naver.me/5K5m1zKD

Central Course (비매석골) Parking: 강원 평창군 방림면 비네소골길 8-9 https://naver.me/xFoF7uk5

Recommended shorter course (먹골) Parking: 강원 평창군 방림면 여우재1길 17 https://naver.me/FzQxzZsT

Overall the trail itself is pretty well shaded and well maintained. The peak, while small-ish, is exposed and offers 360 degree views of the surrounding areas. On a clear weather day, notable peaks that are visible include Chiaksan [치악산] (national park) and Gariwangsan [가리왕산].

As Baekdeoksan is not in a national park, we hauled some beers from White Crow Brewing up the mountain and enjoyed them at the peak – in true Korean mountain fashion.

Post-hike Beers at White Crow Brewing

After a strenuous hike, there’s nothing quite like unwinding with a cold beer at a cozy mountain pub, reminiscing about the day’s adventures.

Most often the post-hike drink of choice is makgeolli or a warm canned beer – however in the Pyeongchang area its possible to easily turn that mediocre drink into a craft beer with a pizza and fries at White Crow Brewing.

White Crow Brewery Address: 강원 평창군 방림면 고원로 65 화이트 크로우 브루잉 https://naver.me/FjcJ63xy

I believe the best time of year for outdoor dining in Korea is early to mid-May, the bugs aren’t biting and the temperature is warm with a little chill in the evening. So we were thrilled to be able to eat outside under the covered porch at the brewery after our day on the mountain. We were able to get changed and switch out of our hiking shoes, beers in hand.

Over the three hours we spent at the brewery, we split a pizza and a massive fish and chips. Hector recommends the Alti Amber, while I was massive fan of the Vanilla Valley Sour and the Gorani Brown. The owner, Les, even gave us a behind the scene tour of the brewing and bottling area – answering our million questions along the way.

The outdoor and indoor facilities were even better than I expected, there was both traditional restaurant table seating, as well as Adirondack chairs, perfect for sitting and relaxing on with a beer. I cover the menu in more detail in my post just on the brewery.

The owners have two dogs – very kind but a bit shy – which were puttering around the yard. Eventually I managed to get my doggo-pets in for the day. Since we were there in the beginning of May, the regional fire restrictions were still in full force. Sadly, that meant no fire to sit around, but it’s nice to know it’s an option in the future.

I think in the Fall time this place would be truly magical – red and orange leaves, snuggled in a sweatshirt and enjoying a post-hike beer. Sign me up.

Roger Shepherd’s fascinating tales from hiking the Baekdudaegan… in North Korea

Roger Shepherd is sort of a legacy hiking figure here in South Korea – he has completely thru-hiked the South Korean Beakdudaegan Trail and has written a book all about it. As someone who is nearly complete with the Baekdudaegn and owns his book, I was eager to meet in person and hear what he has to say. But his tale wasn’t about the South Korean Baekdudagan, instead we were treated to 100+ images and multiple stories about his expeditions in North Korea.

Sponsored by a publishing company in 2011 to photograph sections of the Baekdudaegan never seen by a modern western audience, the New Zealand native in partnership with the New Zealand-DPKR Friendship Society has completed multiple expeditions to various section of this famous mountain range in North Korea.

While so much of the range looked very similar to the sections I’ve seen here in South Korea, there were also numerous photos which were so wildly different. I can’t show those images here, but I would recommend you check them out on his official site. Legitimately, there is no other place you can see such images.

Ultimately, Mr. Shepherd had his photography book published, however after only one run the book was not printed again. However, you can view and purchase his images as digital downloads on his website: Roger Shepherd – buy prints & digital downloads (picfair.com)

Mr. Shepherd is also a guide for multiple overnight hiking trips here in South Korea – information about these trips can be found on his hiking website HIKEKOREA – Guided Hikes in Korea. There aren’t many guided hiking opportunities in South Korea, and Roger Shepherd is by far the most qualified and interesting man offering these outings.