In May 2023, I successfully tackled Sobeaksan National Park’s 26 km full ridge course (소백산 종주) in Danyang, South Korea. This course is one segment of the 700+ km Baekdudaegan Ridge Trail, and runs the full length of Sobaeksan National Park. While this national park has seen an uptick in foreigner visitors, in part due to the the Exploring National Parks in South Korea group, the full ridge course still gets next to no attention from the international community. As most foreigners who visit Sobaeksan tend to only explore the park’s western and central areas. While the main sections of the park are indeed stunning, the international hiking community is overlooking this hidden gem.
In this vain, I’ve written this article to inform my readers of Sobaeksan National Park’s longer and more comprehensive ridge trail. This article will cover my experience hiking the whole ridge course & present you with 2 alterative public transportation friendly hiking options that will let you see more of the ridge without dealing with complicated logistics.
Skip to: Alternative Courses or Lodging
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Background
Sobaeksan National Park, located in central South Korea, is famous for its rolling hill peaks covered in high grasses that change from bright green in the spring to light brown in the fall. These grasses create very a different atmosphere depending on the season, making Sobaeksan an excellent park to hike a second time.
I firmly put Sobaeksan in my top 10 best South Korean mountains, and I ranked it #5 among the best 5 fall hikes in South Korea.
The Hike
I completed this hike in May, 2023. This time of the year is the perfect mix of late spring flowers, without the scorching heat or intense rainfall of the summer.
Distance and Elevation: What makes this hike one of my favorites is that considering how long it is (26km) the elevation gain (1664m) is not THAT intense. Once you reach the main peak area the elevation change is closer to dramatic rolling hills. But the final decline is intense on a paved road so bring your strong knees!
Timing: I completed this course in 7 hours 40 minutes with 6 hours 30 minutes moving time. The tour group gave us 12 hours to complete the course – the average end time in our group was 9.5-10 hours.
Starting point: 고치령 / Gochiryeong
If you intend on hiking the whole trail, you will need to start early in the morning. There is no camping on the trail, but you can reserve a spot at the mountain shelter. Unfortunately, the mountain shelter is only a couple kilometers from the end of the hike. At that point you might as well finish the hike and stay in a more comfortable place off the mountain. For this trip, my bus arrived at the park at 3:10am. But if you opt to do one of my alterative trail options you can start at a more reasonable time, like 8am.
If you go with a hiking tour group, especially those that operate with the big tour buses, you are in for a bizarre experience. Since the road leading up to this valley is narrow, buses can’t make the last 5km journey. So, hiking groups contact local farmers to deliver us to the start of the trail at 3am.
At the valley starting point, Gochiryeong/고치령, you can get 1 credit for the Baekdudaegan Ridge challenge by taking a photo with the ‘peak’ stone or the animal rock thing. Otherwise, the long day on the mountains begins right away~
It’s 11.1km to the first major point of interest, 국망봉/ Gulmangbong peak – which is also a Baekdudaegan challenge credit location. Along the way, the first 4-5km are decently steep – bringing you from an elevation of 600m to 1000m. These trails have fair bit of ‘going up to go down’, so its a mix of hard and easy moments. Trail conditions are Okay by Korean standards.
At about the 7km mark, the inclines continue but become more consistent – with less declines.
Due to the constant up and down, with a net increase of a couple hundred meters, you will likely see the sunrise along the trail (not at an open view point). But as this section receives much less foot traffic there’s a good chance you can also see some wildlife. Since I’m a fast hiker, I was in front of the bus full of people by 400-500 meters. This allowed me to see two deer and an owl.
The trail becomes much nicer by the time you reach the 3 way interaction at 4.5km – in part due to quality of course and the more consistent up hill. This intersection has a large flat sitting deck area, making it a great place to rest and have a snack.
From this point onwards, there is still a decent amount of up hill left but the real views start.
Gukmangbong Peak and Rocky Ridge
Reaching 국망봉 / Gukmangbong Peak, was an exciting moment for me as it marked the official half way point of completing the Baekdudaegan ridge trail (credit 50 of 100).
In May, there were many wild flowers growing along the trail. Had I of hiked this trail one month earlier, in April, I might have seen the rhododendron bushes in full bloom. A couple of their pink flowers remained when I was there. As I was hiking this trail I kept thinking this seems like a great contender for an ideal spring hike location.
The distance between 국망봉 / Gukmangbong Peak and the main peak 비로봉 / Birobong, is only 3.1 kilometers. But, the first 2.2 kilometers were not easy. This section follows a ridgeline that is more rocky and twisty with more small up and downs along the course. It also has a different microclimate – a bit cooler – that is completely covered in trees.
The tree cover isn’t note worthy if you start at 3am like I did. But the sun exposure along the Sobaeksan Ridge Trail can become an issue if you start later on a sunny day. From the 국망봉 / Gukmangbong Peak area onwards, the trail is mostly open with little vegetation taller than bushes – and where there are trees they are mostly spaced out due to the later road hiking sections.
** Be sure to pack sunscreen and a hat of this hike! **
Emerging from this section after 2.2 km, the lead up to the peak once again has the open field appearance that this park is famous for. Once you crest the second to last hill, you have entered the main section of the park that most people hike along.
It’s only a short bit further to the peak. The main peak is at the 14.5km mark of the 26km hike.
The Main Peak + Western Ridge
Bailing Out: this is the ideal bail out spot for this hike. Just 0.6km down hill from the peak, you can take the course that leads to Cheondong (천동) which splits off at the Cheondong Intersection (천동삼거리). This downhill course is 5.4km total – 1.9km of average hiking + 3.5 km of wider downhill road like hiking. It ultimately ends at a public transportation accessible location. This cuts the remaining hike in half, and removes the uphill component.
The peak area is pretty large with a couple benches, but it is famously very windy here. If you get lucky with the wind, I would recommend this as your meal spot. I had my breakfast here, and enjoyed the sun rays for a bit before heading on. There’s a sign post here that states that the Jukryeong parking lot is 11.5km away, and I headed in that direction.
Much of the next 4.5km until Yeonghwabong Peak / 연화봉, has a rolling hill appearance. There were steeper sections, but for the most part it was easy ridge hiking.
There is an observatory and space research center on the far end of the mountain and it’s visible from quite a distance away. They also installed cute planet and other space themed displays along the trail.
The last 6 kilometers is road hiking. This is fine at first, as it’s a fairly flat road. But once you reach the shelter it shifts to a very steep paved road – see the elevations map’s sharp decline. It’s was brutal on my knees, but very efficient in dropping elevation. I was able to get down to the Jukryeong parking lot quite quickly.
In the Jukryeong parking lot, there is a coffee shop, nice free public restrooms, a great restaurant around the corner, and a bus stop which brings you back to Danyang. Additionally, you can get your Sobeaksan National Park Stamp for the National Park Stamp Passport here as well.
Alternative Hiking Courses
Option 1: Peak & Western Ridge
At 15 kilometers in length, this is the easiest hike that still involves adding on some of the ridgeline. Starting at the Cheondong Visitor Center, hike to the peak, then through the western section of the ridge, ending at the Jukryeong parking lot.
- This course has the most conventional starting location for hiking to the peak – most people start and end at Cheondong when doing a there and back hike of Sobaeksan’s peak. As a result, its very accessible by public transportation. Just take bus 304, 303 or 301, getting off at “다리안관광지”, which is also the turn around point for these buses.
- This course brings you to see the whole space research area and more of the rolling hills sections of the ridge. But you miss out on seeing 국망봉 / Gukmangbong Peak and the rhododendron bushes.
- For a more visual view of the course: Click here and everything after this point would be included in your hike.
Option 2: Gukmangbong, Peak & Western Ridge
In my opinion, this is the best course & the one I will recommend.
The second option is a 21km course that takes you to Gukmangbong peak, the main peak and the western ridge. It starts from the Eoigok Park Information Center parking lot area. As you can see in the above map, prior to reaching the information center you take a left toward “늦은맥이재”, which is just a name of a valley between two peaks on the ridge. Although this course appears longer in the diagram, its only 4.5km kilometer. From here, you head east, to Gukmangbong Peak, and then to the main peak. This course skips 9km of the eastern section of the ridge trail which I hiked. But this start location lets you take public transportation and to start at a more reasonable time in the morning – made even easier if you stay over night in Danyang.
- You can opt to skip the western section (the space area), and instead go back down the mountain toward Cheondong visitor center. This option makes the hike only 14km.
- The starting point, the Eoigok Park Information Center parking lot area, is accessible from Danyang by public transportation – ride the bus 605, 602, or 603 for 20-30 minutes (depending on the bus) until the stop “새밭계곡”. The bus turns around at this stop.
- For a more visual view of the course: Click here and everything after this point would be included in your hike.
Lodging in Danyang
After the hike, I would recommend staying in Danyang. Although it is technically possible to post-hike travel to Danyang and then take the bus immediately to Seoul – it makes for an extremely taxing day that has you in gross hiking clothes for hours. Instead, I would consider staying overnight and exploring what Danyang has to offer. For even more convenience, consider booking lodging for 2 nights so you have a proper pre- and post-hike base camp from which to hike and explore Danyang.
The Jungle Guesthouse stands out as the top-rated option while also being the most budget-friendly choice. This establishment provides excellent hostel-style accommodations along with cozy private rooms. I have personally experienced a stay in one of their private rooms. They were not only exceptionally friendly, but the quality exceeded expectations given the price. It’s the perfect choice for solo travelers on a budget or smaller groups seeking a comfortable, no-frills stay.
For a more standard western hotel experience for a slightly higher price I would recommend Stay 230 – which is the highest rated foreigner friendly hotel in the area. Great for couples or those wanting a bit more space.
Happy Trekking!
-Aurora
