Seoraksan National Park is South Korea’s undisputed most beautiful national park and ought to be on all nature lovers’ Korean bucket list. While the big peak courses have captured the attention of the foreigner hiking community, some truly fabulous trails have gone unnoticed. Top of that list is the 8km Heullimgol [흘림골] Waterfall hiking course in the southern section of Seoraksan National Park. It’s perhaps the most underappreciate valley course in all of South Korea.
The Heullimgol waterfall trail (light blue box) is in close proximity to both the Hangyaeryeong Resting Place [한계령휴게소] and the Namseorak Park Information Center [남설악탐방지원센터], the later of which is the starting point for the most direct trail to Seoraksan’s main peak – Daecheongbong [대청봉]. The former gives hikers access to both Gwittegicjeongbong Peak [귀떼기청봉] to the west, and the main peak to the east connected by the northwestern Ridgeline trail [서북능선].
Jump to:
The Heullimgol waterfall trail is 8.1km long with 275m of elevation gain. I completed it in about 3 hours, however it is the perfect course for having a picnic or just soaking up the sun, so the timing is up to you. The beginning is steep, but overall this is not a difficult course.
If you are a hiker and only have one opportunity to visit Seoraksan national park, I would recommend the Ulsanbawi Course for casual hikers, the dinosaur ridge and main peak for avid hikers or fit individuals , and the Seoraksan cable car for families, elderly and casual nature lovers. However, the Heullimgol waterfall trail is by far the best valley trail in Seoraksan and best place to relax by a stream to have a picnic.
Applying for your Hiking ‘Permit’
The Heullimgol [흘림골] Waterfall hiking course has two sections, north called Heullimgol [흘림골] and the south called Jujeongol [주전골]. The Heullimgol is a one way and requires a reservation, while the Jujeongol does not.
The Heullimgol trail’s four entrance time blocks are the following – 9:00-11:00; 11:00-12:00; 12:00-13:00; and 13:00-14:00. These times are slightly different at different times of the year, as the trail is open from 8am-1pm in winter.
Failure to reserve your spot will result in you being rejected from entering the trail – as you will need to confirm your reservation with a ranger to enter the trail. However, each of these blocks have 1,000 reservations spots and you are able to reserve for a maximum of four people per account – with the highest demand frequently occurring for the 9:00-11:00 block. FALL HIKING WILL BOOK OUT EARLY, keep that in mind as its a very popular place to see foliage in Seoraksan National Park.
Beware, that if you are late for your entrance time, you likely can’t enter the trail. There is no required exit time, however camping is illegal so you must vacate the same day.
For a detailed guide on how to reserve your spot on a trail check out my Reservation Trail guide.
Transportation Logistics
The largest draw back of this trail is that it is a bit of logistics headache if you arent just coming by bus from Seoul, but it is totally manageable!
The trail is a one way, with one starting point – You start at the Heullimgol Park Ranger Post [흘림골동원지킴터], which has no parking lot.
What does this mean for your plans?
Going by Car:
- You will need to park in the Osaek Village, which is near to the Yaksuteo Park Information Center [약수터탐방지원센터] – this will ultimately be your ending point as well.
- Buy a bus ticket from the CU to the Heullimgol Park Ranger Post – the first bus arrives at 9:30am – schedule for departure times from the CU toward the ranger post in the light blue square. The first stop is the ranger post – the bus driver may ask if you want to stop, or you will need to tell him as the official bus stop is actually at Hangyaeryeong Resting Place [한계령휴게소], which is 3km further than this point.
This bus can take you as far as the East Seoul. The opposite direction takes you to Yangyang and Sokcho on the east coast.
You can also go by taxi which is often a fixed rate of 15,000 won/원 from the Osaek village.
Going by public transport exclusively:
You can take a bus from Yangyang terminal, Naksan Terminal or Sokcho Terminal to Hangyaeryeong Resting Place [한계령], and if you request to be dropped off at Heullimgol [흘림골] they will do so, as this is the main way people get to the trails starting point.
Or you can take the bus directly from Seoul – which is the easiest way to arrive at this destination. Departing from Seoul East bus terminal [동서울], the first bus departs at 6:30am, with other AM buses including 7:30am and 10:45am. On your return trip, buses leave Osaek CU in the afternoon at 1:30pm, 4:50pm and 7:15pm.
At the end of the hike you will arrive at the Osaek village where you can either take the blue boxed bus direction to Seoul (blue box and above schedule are the same), or head east toward Sokcho and Yangyang
You can buy your ticket from the CU next to the bus station. **You can buy tickets online, however you still must print out your ticket at the CU.**
If you are not in a rush to get back home, there are four great accommodation options I would recommend.
First, you can stay in Osaek itself at the Osaek Greenyard Hotel– this would be the least hassle and you would be able to enjoy some beers and relax post-hike, without worrying about transportation logistics the same day at about $110-80 a night. The Osaek Greenyard Hotel also has Jimjilbang which you can take advantage of post-hike.
Second, for a cheaper option in Osaek, Sanaega Pension at about $50 a night and is a highly rated more Korean style option.
Third, staying on the beach and making it a proper mountain + beach get away. I’ve previously stayed with Blue Door Hostel on the beach, and enjoyed my experience there.
Fourth, if you are looking for something a little more comfortable and beachside, hands down the Ramada is your best choice.
Hiking Heullimgol [흘림골] Waterfall Course
I arrived at the start of the trail by 10:15, traveling by private hiking bus from Seoul. I frequently travel with the Korean-speaking hiking bus company, 좋은사람들, and this trip was no exception.
Earlier in the week I had made my national park trail reservation for the course, for the 9am-11am entry time slot.
Because it is not the fall foliage time, I felt comfortable waiting to book, however this is a gamble and you might want to reserve as early as you can (at most 14 days early) to ensure your spot.
In total, it took me about 3 hours to go the 8.1 km.
The trail has 275m of elevation gain with the majority of it concentrated in the first 1.2km of the trail. While it is considered to be a valley/waterfall hike, it’s most famous for Deungseondae Rock [등선대], which is a peak with fantastic views of both Seoraksan and southern mountains.
The 3.1km between the Heulimgol Park Ranger Post and Yongsosamgeori [용소삼거리] is the reservation required section – highlighted in yellow in the below map. On the below map, 용소삼거리 is labeled 금강문 on the below map.
As of spring/summer of 2024 the Yongso Waterfall [용소폭포] section is closed due to trail damage (it’s the short green section in the middle of the longer orange trail in the above map). The damage is located close to the 3-way intersection so while you can still go see this waterfall from the Yongso park information center, it currently doesn’t connect to the rest of the trail.
With the trail background covered, the following is my account of the hike.
The trail is extremely well maintained with the steep inclines being almost exclusively staircases. There is a nice bathroom at the entrance – out of frame on the right hand side of the below image.
The ranger in charge of trail check in was less than friendly, which is not the normal with the rangers I have encountered in South Korea’s national parks – but people are allowed to have off days.
10:40am: I arrived at the first point of interest, 여십폭포 – Yeoship Waterfall. No comment on the waterfall shape, the name does refer to it.
There is a nice resting area here where you can see various rock formations as well as the Seoraksan’s ridgeline in the distance, which becomes more visible as you continue onwards.
From this point onward the trail becomes more steep. The 1.2km between the entrance and Daungseondae Rock has an average gradient of 27.1%, and you can really feel in the final 600 meters to the peak. But luckily the majority of this steep section is stair hiking. This is true also for the descent following the peak.
11:00am: Arrived at Deungseongdae Rock’s peak.
The peak is fairly small but offers 360 views which are truly incredible for only a 1.2km hike to the peak. This area can get pretty crowded, pretty quickly during peak times. These are the best dramatic views of the hike and if you search 등선대 online you will find so many videos and pictures of these views in the fall.
On a good weather day, you can see Seoraksan’s main peak, Daecheongbong, to the north as I did in the below photo. The Hangyeryong Resting Place [한계령휴계소] is also visible from the peak.
The descent is just as dramatically steep as the ascent, but is mostly made up of stairs and walkways. Its clear there was a lot of investment made into this trail to make it safer and more accessible.
During the main descent you will pass a number of small waterfalls and then begin to following a stream that grows are you go along.
By the time you are halfway done with the main descent, the water is flowing much quicker and for the rest of the day you will be following this following this stream as it grows into a river.
11:50am: At the 십여폭포 bridge I stopped to have lunch.
Throughout this section of the course there are numerous areas that have been cleared and logs have been placed strategically to be used as benches. This was one of my favorite sections of the hike. While the valley sections to come were more beautiful, as I was still in the reservation only section of the trail there were far less people.
Arriving at the 3-way intersection, you are leaving the reservation only section and have two directions you can go. As of summer 2024, the light green 0.5km trail to Yongso Waterfall [용소폭포] is closed due to damaged walkways from rock falls. Hopefully by the fall the national park will fix these damage. So currently at this intersection you can only go straight, for 2.7km until the Osaek village.
It’s worth noting that there are a couple ways this trail is divided and called by different names.
1.The Osaek Jujeunggool Course [오색 주전골] starts at the Yongso Waterfall Information Center [용소폭포탐방지원세터], and runs for 3.2km until the Osaek village. As stated above, the whole course is currently not possible due to the trail damage closures, but the following 2.7km makes up the majority of the trail.
The following two sets of images come from immediately after the three-way intersection heading towards Osaek village, and then from the halfway point in that section. As you can see the valley has begun to open up and various feeder streams have grown the stream into a small river.
South Korea’s national parks are normally not friendly to the concept of recreational use of the waterways. This is highlighted by trails designs like those shown below. However, there are many places along this course that would be ideal for a picnic where you can reach the water or be very close to it. I saw many Koreans doing so, with signs only outlawing things like camping, swimming and cooking while not prohibiting you from going near the water. Which when they want restricted they ensure it is not easily feasible.
The final 0.7km includes the Seongkuksa Temple [성국사], pictured below, and has its own name, The Osaek Mineral Water Barrier Free Way [오색약수 편한길].
2. The Osaek Mineral Water Barrier Free Way is the section of the Osaek Jujeunggool Course, which starts at Osaek, and runs for 0.7km until Seongkuksa Temple [성국사] which you then double back for a total of 1.4km. This section is noteworthy as it has been designed to be wheelchair and generally accessible for all ages.
There is nothing particularly remarkable about the temple, as its fairly small without any unique designs. But its inclusion makes it a proper Korean hiking course.
Arriving at Osaek, I was struck by how ‘ideal Korean mountain town’ vibes it had, with the classic food streets I’ve come to expect as well as a couple cafes. This area had a section of pensions as well as places to relax, such a pool soak your feet near to the parking area. I ended up getting a simple 산채돌솥비빔밥, and later a cappuccino in a café. This is the same area you would have parked at, and if not, you can catch the bus back to Sokcho or Seoul at the end of the food street and a little beyond the CU using the directions provided above.
For information on Osaek and beachside accommodations in Sokcho, to make this nature adventure a weekend getaway, jump back up to my section on recommended accommodations!
Happy Trekking!
-Aurora
