This wind turbine farm is a famous spot among the Korean campers and hikers, but has not yet taken off as a must-see spot for the international community. Well, I seek to change that! Its iconic wind turbine and open field appearance offers a truly unique experience, that is worth a trip out to Gangwon-do to see.
Seonjaryeong needs to be the next big thing for the foreigner hiker community!
In December, I completed this 12 km hike as part of the Baekdudaegan Ridge Trail Challenge. There are a couple route options to choose from, all of which have the same start and end location – the Daewallyeong Rest Stop (대관령휴게소). This Rest Stop is located along the highway that connects Pyeongchang and Gangryeong, making it a convenient add on to any Gangwon-do adventure!
Jump to the Exploring the Sheep Farm!
Jump to non-camping accommodation options
The Hike
Overall, I consider this hike as having a low-moderate difficulty with a high rating in views and pay off for your effort. For the avid hikers, I might compare it to Woraksan National Park’s Jaebibong in terms of quality of views – though it’s a fair bit longer.
A great pick for people who hike generally, but not necessarily often.
Timing: Start to finish I spent about 4 hours out on the mountain – with my moving time only lasting about 2.5 hours. It’s a great mountain for a picnic and we did just that. Budget a lot of time for wandering about the fields and photo taking with the wind turbines.
Elevation: The peak elevation is 1,157 meters but the hike itself only has 580 meters of net elevation gain.
Climbing Up the Mountain
The climb isn’t very intense, with only 580 meters of elevation gain spread out across 6 km of slight uphill hiking. The course starts out at the Daewallyeong rest stop (대관령휴게소), with the first 1km being along paved road. There is a well marked turn off on you left hand side, that takes you into a pine forest.
At about the 2-2.5 km point there is an opportunity to turn right to take a slightly longer course that has a lookout point. The view from that look out is shown in the bottom right photo. It did add a bit more elevation gain to the hike. If you look at the elevation map provided above, the V like drop that occurred between the 2 and 4 kilometer mark is a consequence of taking this trail. The trail without the lookout just has a steady incline, making it the much easier course overall – but you miss out on a lovely wooded area and this view.
At about the 4-5km mark the two trails intersection and you begin to walk through a more field like environment. Continuing up over the crest of a hill, you emerge into wide open fields where the wind turbines are located.
The Main Camping Area
Since I completed this hike in December there weren’t any campers present. But during warmer months this whole area is covered in camping tents. The turbines weren’t particularly loud so it’s likely still a comfortable to camp despite the wind/machine noise.
This area is deceptively large, with much of it having a bit of a slope (which isnt ideal camping conditions), but the upper section is quite flat.
The Peak
There aren’t any extra views that are noteworthy from the peak. But the peak stone is dramatically tall, which is great in photos.
Down the Other Side
Hiking through the peak area brings you out the other side. There are wind turbines in the distance, but they are surrounded by shrubby and wooded areas – not accessible to hikers.
There is a loop option to the hike, that starts its decline from this section. It all leads back to the same starting point so you can also just double back down the trail if you would prefer views over forest.
The Woody Trail Descent
We opted for the trail that runs up against the sheep farm – spoilers there isn’t a view of the sheep farm from this trail. The trail was fairly flat and it was nice to be in the pine forests – espically since its a less frequented course.
The Daewallyeong Yangtte Sheep Farm
I have been to this sheep farm 4 times – twice in the winter and twice in the summer. Its a fun, family friendly spot that’s inexpensive. If you are in the area you have to stop by!
Daegwallyeong Yangtte Farm/ 대관령양떼목장 ~
Address: 강원 평창군 대관령면 대관령마루길 483-32 대관령양떼목장 https://naver.me/5qaiCqQT
It’s open all year round, but the winter is an especially nice time to visit because the lambs have just been born and they are extra cute. There is a separate building for the lambs and their mothers that’s only open in the winter. Year-round, there is an outdoor feeding area, which lets you purchase and feed one basket’s worth of hay to the sheep for 1,000 won per basket.
In the summer, you have the opportunity to see the sheep out and about in the fields.
Making it a Overnight-Trip
Whether you are coming from Seoul or Pyeongtaek, it’s a decent drive to get out to this area. Depending on your free time and budget, I would advise you consider making it an overnight trip.
The coolest option by far is the Lambs Village, an private house with three bedrooms, perfects for groups! For couple and solo travelers, the Hyundai Elliot Hotel and Resort is an inexpensive western style hotel. For a pension experience for those wanting a more homy feeling or want to do your own BBQ, I would recommend the reasonably priced Honey Bear Pension. ‘
Additional Regional Options:
In the summer, an overnight trip might include a stop at the beach. 강릉/ Gangryeong is a largish town that’s only another 30 minutes away and is famous for its coffee street and open beaches. The seafood is also great here.
Additionally, located in Gangryeong is the departure harbor to go to Ulleung-do Island, a famous island tourist destination and the launching point to see Dokdo Island. Dokdo is an rocky island that Korea has great pride in, with the slogan “우리 땅” meaning ‘our land’ like a national slogan.
In the winter, you can combine this stop with a day on Yongpyeong Ski Mountain or with a visit to the Pyeongchang’s Ice Fishing Trout Festival.
If you want to support my blog or get yourself some cool Korean national park swag, please consider checking out my Etsy shop! I make Korean camping and hiking souvenirs!
Happy Trekking!
-Aurora
