Jeju Island is the pride and joy of South Korea. It’s in every textbook for learning Korean, near every expat has gone and blogged about it and every Korean will recommend you to go there. After going four times over the course of five years, I can say that Jeju Island is truly a must go to spot if you are living or having a prolonged stay in South Korea. For me, the highlight of those trips was hiking Hallasan (한라산).
Hallasan is the highest peak in South Korea and the second highest on the peninsula standing at 1,950m. This hike is a non-stop upward battle which rewards you with an ocean and city view above the clouds and a glimpse down into the crater lake.
Starting at Seongpanak (성판악) at 750m, the full hike is 9.6km to the summit, making the round-trip 19.2km. The grading is considered easy for the first 5.8km as the path is pronominally a rocky dirt or laid matting at a low incline. In the middle of this easy section is the Sokbat Shelter (속밭대피소)- offering a bathroom and the ability to fill you water bottle. Theres another water refill opportunity after about 1km.
Along the way there is an option to turn off the trail to see the Saraoreum Volcanic Cone (사라오름) and the lake that rests inside it. This roughly 2km detour adds some serious stair climbing to your journey, but you get the opportunity to see some views early and walk along this circular lake. Because of sun direction it’s a bit difficult to photograph during the late morning, but its still very beautiful in person.
Afterwards the trail transitions to be more dominated by steep and winding staircases with a normal or ‘b’ grade ranking. Through this section of the hike, while its pretty because you are in the forest and the biomes changes so its not monotonous, there are still no views for the first 7.3kms of this 9.6 kilometer hike.
After successfully navigating the never ending stairs, you come to Jindallaebat Shelter (진달래밭 대피소). Over the last 7.3km you have doubled your elevation by climbing from 750m to 1,500m. This shelter is a rest point and always has a large congregation of people relaxing and preparing for the following 2.3km difficult grade hike ahead of them. Available here are bathroom facilities and snacks for sale including coffee and chocolate cakes.
Over the next 2.3km you will continue to increase your elevation to 1,980m. To make those gains there are significant stairs and steep rocky trails to transverse.
It is here that you begin to see a view and its a blockbuster from the start.
As you continue to proceed up the trail, the tree cover continues to lessen and the view becomes more clear.
There is still a while yet to go as the last 500meters of the hike are by far the most intense. Steep stairs, uneven rocks and some non-technically difficult rock climbing need to be conquered in order to reach the top.
Shortly after taking this photo, on my first hike of this mountian, I would be informed that a typhoon was to be unexpectedly hitting Jeju Island. Ferries were to be canceled later in the evening – our planned departure time. We had to get back down soon. My group would quickly summit and literally jog the rest of the way down the mountain. My legs would ache for two days afterwards. – I don’t recommend jogging down if you aren’t a trail runner.
After the final push, reaching the top is an incurability rewarding experience.
Beautiful views await you.
Depending on the time of year the crater lake, situated next to the summit can look very different.
There was a dense crowd mulling around the summit as there are extensive platforms and stairs from which you can relax on, take photos and video call your friends and family. Because even on the summit of Hallasan there’s great 4G coverage.
Don’t forget to grab photos with the two most famous sites on the summit.
I would recommend going on a day where the weather isn’t 100% clear. When there are some clouds in the sky the photos come out well, as the clouds lay below the elevation of the summit.
Heading back the way you came, the next 9.6km will be a killer on the knees and calves. We took our time in the beginning to enjoy the views and soak up some of those rays.
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Happy Trekking!
-Aurora
