Whether it be an action packed day trip or a weekend getaway, there is no shortage of fun adventures to tackle througout this mountainous country. But where to start?
I’ve been living and exploring the countryside of South Korea for the better part of 5 years now and I’m here to share some of the highlights. This guide is the first of four (north, east, south and west), and is focused on only the attractions to the East of Pyeongtaek. With the solo solider or family based at Humphreys in mind. Driving times in the titles are based on minimum traffic departing from Pyeongtaek station by car.
If you find a location particularly interesting and want more information – please leave a comment and I’d be happy to help.
Hiking
Hiking in Woraksan National Park (월악산 영봉) and Staying in Suanbo (수안보) (2 hours 10min)
If you can handle a trek up a pretty decently sized mountain, this is by far the best trip to the east of Pyeongteak. It’s got it all; beautiful views, a nice drive, amazing food, a region specializing in hot springs and at the end of the day- a sense of accomplishment.
Hiking Yeongbong in Woraksan National Park, paired with a stay in Suanbo, is one of my favorite trips. I’ve done this exact trip three times before, so I can’t recommend it enough. I’ve also extensively written about it (here).
The region is famous for wild harvested mushrooms, quail and apples – with Quail shabu shabu, quail dumplings and mushrooms stew specialized restaurants on every street. It’s one of my favorite regions to dine in, with both great restaurants in the park and in Suanbo. Suanbo in particular is famous for its Onsen/naturally heated pools. There are a couple ways to appreciate these pools after a long hike. There are private pools, either in specialized hotel rooms or as an additional amenity you pay to enter. Additionally, there is a public foot soaking pool, located next to the river in town. On some weekends, they even have live music to enjoy as you soak away.
Standing at 1,097 meters tall, Woraksan offers you a steep and difficult adventure. But with a breath-taking payoff, with many views that overlook Cheongju Lake. There are three different trails, two of which are accessible and connected by transportation, leading to the peak. Additionally, there is a local taxi services that can be called for a ride. For more information about the hike or staying in Suanbo – I would recommend you checking out my detailed guide (here).
Hiking Alligator Peak (악어봉) and Enjoying a meal at the Lazy Caiman Cafe (2 hours)
Alligator Peak, while technically not a ‘legal’ trail is well trafficked by people looking to get a beautiful shot without too much effort. Located in the northwestern corner of Woraksan National Park, this peak is a sub-2km hike that can be done in under an hour. It’s famous for its view of Cheongju Lake and the alligator shaped, forested mini peninsula.
Finding parking and locating the trail is a breeze as the entrance is located in front of the Lazy Caiman Cafe. The café is quite famous and often sells out of hot food on Sundays by 11am. They offer a variety of brunch options and standard café drinks for you to enjoy. There is a nice variety of outdoor seating and cute alligator photo spots to snap your new Instagram pic at.
This spot is only a 30-40 minute drive from Suanbo so it can be easily pair with other Woraksan National Park destinations.
Alligator Peak Update (as of Nov 2022): the park has launched a more aggressive effort to stop tourists from hiking it. There are now a number of larger banner signs completely covering the entrance. It’s to my understanding that they are making it into a legal hiking trail, as so its currently ‘under construction’. At this time, I would not recommend attempting to hike this course – but the cafe is still worth a stop along the way.
Hiking Jaebibong (제비봉) and and Going on a River Cruise (2 hours 15 mins)
This is the easiest difficulty vs most beautiful water view hike in Korea. Its steep but extremely short considering how great the view it. This is the mountain you drag someone to who doesn’t like hiking or where you want to go to be awed by nature. The peak area itself has no special views to offer, but the course leading up the mountain has one of my favorite views in Korea. Because of this, it’s only the first 1km of the trail that’s worth going up.
This hike shares a parking lot with a river cruise which will get you up close and personal with the river cliffs. The restaurant in the river cruise facility was pretty decent and some of seats had views.
Great for dates, family events or hanging out with friends. For more information about this hike/river cruise spot you can check out my guide.
Hiking in Songnisan National Park (속리산국립공원) (2 hour 15 minutes)
Sonisan National Park is located directly east of Pyeongteak, and offers a variety of hiking and exploration opportunities. There are 4 major hiking points of interest. Two smaller hikes (under 10km and less than 600 meters elevation gain) 묘봉 (874m) and 낙영산 (746m). And then the longer hikes 속리산 (the main peak of the park at 1,057m high) and 문장대 (1,054m).
The course that runs through both 문장대 and then 속리산, has a mountain café/rest stop at 신선대삼거리where you can buy ramen, freshly cooked korean pancakes and other food/drinks. It’s a unique experience, that’s for sure. It’s not an easy course, but 문장대 offers an additional view point which is quite nice.
For an easier hike, both 묘봉 and 낙영산 are good options. I wouldn’t say they are ‘super easy’ as they are steep trails, though not very long. But both are in a very quant countryside area.
After hiking 묘봉, we elected to stay in a local pension on a small river, that has a lovely BBQ space. It was perfect for cooking dinner and smores, and laying about in a blanket relaxing. This area is truly an ‘isolated in the countryside’ kind of area, so you need to prepare all the food supplies you may need. But if you stay near the entrance of the national park, it’s more built up with many cafes and restaurants.
Hiking Sobeaksan (소백산) and staying in Danyang (단양) (2 hours 15min to 2 hours 30 mins)
A beautiful mountain paired with an exciting little tourist town, what’s not to love! A 20-30 minute farther drive than the Woraksan/Suanbo combo, this combination is likewise a must try. Whether it be great food (with a regional specialty of garlic), lovely river views, or a taste for adventure with some paragliding, Danyang is an amazing weekend trip for the whole family. Danyang is much more built up than Suanbo, with more tourist spots, activities, and restaurants (including a market).
With Jebibong on the road leading to Danyang, its easy to pair this spot with one of the Woraksan National Park destinations. I’ve previously written a review of this spot and I deemed it a must go!
Hiking Hambaeksan (함백산) (3 hours) *Gorgeous and Short*
I’ve hiked this mountain twice, once in the snowy winter months and once this last September. It’s a steep little adventure (2.7km one way) but exceptionally beautiful.
Its signature imagine is of rolling hills with a line of wind turbines. If you are a wind turbine enthusiast, you can go see them up close as well. I unfortunately haven’t had a chance to do so, but from the top of Hambaeksan they are a pretty sight.
The start of this hike is only a 15 minute drive from the start of Taebeaksan (태백산). It’s possible to do both in one day, as neither are particularly long. Personally, I elected to hiked one mountain one day and the other the following day. We had the whole weekend, so we decided to pace ourselves to be able to explore local restaurants and enjoy some beers.
Additionally, this mountain is within 30 minutes of the High One Ski Resort. So, a ski weekend can easily be paired with a simple but lovely hike like Hambaeksan. Just bring your crampons! The farther distance from Pyeongtaek (3 hours) makes it more appropriate for a weekend getaway.
Exploring Mungeomseajae (문경새재도립공원) and Hiking 주흘산 and 조령산 (1 hour 45 mins)
I put these mountains as B tier, the ones you hike after you hike everything else on this list. What makes this spot a contender as one of the best of the east of pyeongtaek spots is the temple complex and that it isn’t too far from Suanbo (20-30 minutes). This is great for the family, especially younger ones that can handle running around on flat ground but a hike is a bit too much.
Mugeomseajae is an open set, traditional temple that has been made famous as the filming spot for a variety of shows and movies. In fact it’s the largest historical drama shooting site in Korea, which has been featured in 10 dramas and 3 movies in 2016, and 4 dramas and 9 movies in 2017. And that’s just scratching the surface. I’d imagine if you are a lover of Kdramas, this would be a fantastic spot to visit.
My photos leave something to be desired because I went in January with the sole intention of hiking these two mountains for the 100 mountain challenge, and the open set was just something I walked though on the way out. Also, I’m sure its prettier when the plants are alive and green.
Skiing/Snowboarding
In the under 3 hour drive category there are three solid ski mountain options. Each of these mountains offer a slightly different experience. High 1 has the best variety of difficult courses, Pheonix Park attracts a younger crowd with their terrain park and Yongpyeong is the most built up resort, famous for its gondola long run. I’ve gone to each of these mountains a couple time, and I’ve good memories from all of them. Sadly Korea doesn’t do forest courses, no tree dodging 🙁 but their night skiing isn’t bad.
Yongpyeong Resort (용평리조트) (2 hours 40 minutes)
The Yongpyeong Resort – offers a variety of accommodations at different price points. In addition, you can comfortably walk between the ski lifts, waterpark, sauna, noraebang (singing room), restaurants, small stores and your hotel. This resort is the most American like resort, the renovation a product of the 2018 Winter Olympics, with beer on tap and a food court in the lodge area. Though the food selection is distinctly Korean. I found the skiers here to be the least experienced, or at least not well educated on proper ski protocol – don’t be surprised when you have to dodge skiers sitting down in the middle of the course around a blind curve. A great mountain to just have fun on.
Yongpyeong Resort is close by Pyeongchang, the hosting city of the 2018 Winter Olympics. Pyeongchang is famous for a variety of things, including their Trout Festival. In the winter, it could be a fun afternoon adventure after a morning of skiing.
High 1 Ski Resort (하이원리조트) (2 hours 45 Minutes)
High One Ski Resort – best resort if you want to hit some more advanced courses, or at least the steep and icy ones (2019 season I’m looking at you). High One has close by accommodations (with cable car access between the hotel and the mountain) but the best restaurants and such are all a 5-10 minute drive away. So its not the most conveniently arranged resort. They tend to offer some great discounts, and I enjoyed their more advanced sections.
Phoenix Park (휘닉스평창 스노우파그) (2 hours 15 minutes)
Phoenix Park – between the mogul course and the terrain park, this is the more adventurous ski resort you could attend. Its the closest to Pyeongtaek and night skiing here was also quite nice. We just ordered takeout food and drank beers in our rooms since the immediate area isn’t as nice as Yongpyeong for going out, but it was still a blast.
So what do you think? Adding any of these to your must see list? Let me know in the comments! I’d be happy to give advice on how to plan your perfect trip going east 🙂
I’ll be releasing the guides for the North, South and West in the coming weeks!
Happy Adventures Everybody – Aurora
