Seoraksan National Park, located in the northeastern corner of South Korea, is a must-see destination known for some of the country’s most breathtaking landscapes. While it’s possible to visit as a day trip from Seoul, Seoraksan is best explored over two or more days to truly appreciate its trails and scenery. With well-maintained, heavily frequented trails, it’s also a great option for solo travelers.
This park has a number of trails to explore, varying in difficulty from easy treks, like the Seoraksan Cable Car hike, intermediate courses like Ulsanbawi, Towangseong Waterfall and the Heullimgol [흘림골] River Valley course, to more advanced but ultimately the most rewarding hikes like the course through Daecheongbong Peak [대청봉] and the Dinosaur Ridge [공룡능선].
Dinosaur Ridge is not suited for inexperienced hikers or anyone unsure of their physical ability.
I cover the loop version of Dinosaur Ridge—without the summit—in a separate guide.
Hiking the Main Peak in Seoraksan National Park
This article focuses on a demanding point-to-point course starting at Osaek [오색] and ending at the park’s main entrance. The trail is 21 km (13 miles) long with a punishing 2,490 meters (8,150 ft) of elevation gain. Expect the full hike to take between 10 and 13 hours, depending on your pace and rest stops.
To take on this course, I recommend the following weekend-style itinerary: arrive Friday night, grab a few hours of sleep, and hit the trail early Saturday morning (between 3–5 AM). Spend the day hiking, then head back to your hotel to shower and feel human again before enjoying a well-earned dinner on the beach. Return to Seoul on Sunday. This gives you time to recover, enjoy the coast, and—most importantly—avoid suffering through a 3.5-hour bus ride in your sweaty hiking gear.
I cover lodging at the end of the article—it’s critical to plan ahead, as the best places often book out early.
Getting to Osaek
Osaek [오섹] / Namseorak Park Information Center [남설악탐방지원센터]* can be reached by taxi or ticketed bus from all the major bus terminals in the region (Sokcho, Yangyang, and Naksan). But if you want to do a sunrise hike you will need to travel by taxi, as the first bus arrives at Osaek at 9:30am. Realistically, if you want to do Dinosaur Ridge you need to hike the course as a sunrise hike. Starting at 8am, means you will not finish until 10pm.
*Nam means ‘south’ in Korean. It irks me that they don’t translate this right because it would be so much easier to understand if it was ‘South Seorak Information Center’.
There are also midnight buses from Seoul that arrive at Osaek between 3–4 AM, making a same-day summit technically possible. But here’s my take: if you’re still reading this guide because you haven’t done this hike—or have only done it once or twice—you should not be taking that midnight bus. Unless you’re a highly confident and experienced hiker, showing up sleep-deprived for your first attempt at this route is not the way to go. An exception can be made for the foreigner tourist group trips, for at least you are with a large number of people, and your guides are more familiar with local logistics and emergency services. But this climb is serious, and part of staying safe and actually enjoying the trail is setting yourself up to succeed.
Starting at Osaek l
The Osaek route is by far the most popular way to reach the summit for sunrise, especially during peak fall foliage season—and that’s largely because it’s only 5 km long.
Hiking this Course during PEAK Fall Foliage Season:
This hiking experience was unlike any I’d had before. While I’m no stranger to 3 AM starts, I wasn’t prepared for the crowd. Alongside me were nine full buses of older Korean men and women, all geared up and ready to see the fall colors.
Koreans love hiking, and if you want to experience that passion firsthand, the Osaek entrance in fall is the best possible example of that passion. In the fall, if you prefer relative solitude, I’d recommend starting from the main entrance instead. For the rest of the year, while you will likely not be alone on a weekend early AM hike, it’s not nearly as crazy as the chaos I describe below.
When the park gates opened, I found myself smack in the middle of the mob. It was intense—slow-moving, elbow-to-elbow chaos. For the first 15 minutes, it was bumper-to-bumper traffic. But once the trail starts to climb, the crowd began to thin out as people found their own pace.
The Climb
The trek up is demanding but doable. I consider myself a strong and efficient hiker—I managed to summit fifth among all hikers that day, and my time of 2 hours and 17 minutes, which was by far my best time ever. I have since done this exact trail with the 3/4 AM start another half dozen times, and I tend to average around 2.5 hours. Though that is still a pretty fast time. Korea National Park Service considers the average ascent time to be around 4 hours, but I think it’s probably closer to 3-3.5.
It’s a grueling climb. The trail begins with a mild incline before transitioning to a steeper, uneven, rocky path. It briefly flattens out, then shifts again into a tough series of rocky stretches broken up by VERY steep stair climbs. The final kilometer is relatively easy – as the trail flattens slightly and the forest gives way to high-altitude shrubbery and tall grasses; you enter into the clouds and the landscape transforms.
The view from the summit of Daecheongbong [대청봉] will either be the best in the entire country—or absolutely nothing. At 1,708 meters, it’s often wrapped in clouds. Depending on the season and your pace, you might reach the top just in time for sunrise or still be in total darkness. But when conditions are right, there’s truly no better place to watch the sunrise. I go into more detail about the views in my winter guide to Osaek -> main peak -> main entrance course.
It’s also worth noting that in winter, the Dinosaur Ridge trail is closed. However, you can still ascend via the Osaek trail and descend through the valley toward the main entrance.
On the trip pictured below, I reached the summit at 5:17 AM—right into thick cloud cover. With no view and no sign of clearing, I decided waiting around didn’t make sense, so I continued on. I would also note that the summit area is WINDY! And often extremely cold. I recommend bringing warm weather gloves just to use them while at the peak. It’s not uncommon to have to wait 10 to 30 minutes to get a picture with the peak stone, making supplies like a wind breaker, gloves and a hat a must have.
If catching the view from Daecheongbong is important to you, here are my top three tips:
- Pick a super clear day. If the forecast says “partly cloudy,” assume those clouds will be clinging to the peaks and blocking the view.
- Time your summit for closer to noon. Mornings—especially at sunrise—tend to be cloudier due to cooler air. Summiting later in the day increases your chances of clearer skies. Though the photos look prettier at sunrise.
- Reserve a shelter and make it a two-day adventure. There are a couple shelters to chose from in the park that are near the peak. Staying on the mountain means you could wait around longer for better conditions or even summit two times. I describe the reservation processing in the following guide.
After summiting Daecheongbong, it’s about a 10-minute walk downhill to the nearby shelter, which has restrooms and a small shop selling limited supplies like water, rice and chocolate. However, the shop operates on set hours—so if you summit early, it may still be closed. As of 2024, this shelter was torn down and undergoing reconstruction, so don’t count on it having full amenities for some time.
From there, the trail descends toward Huiungak Shelter (희운각대피소). You need hiking poles! If the trail is at all wet, hiking this section is kind of dangerous. You need to take your time, watch your step and use hiking poles. I personally recommend going with poles that are lightweight – when the poles are heavy it’s easy to convince yourself not to take them. The ones I used are the Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z, and I can’t recommend them enough.
While its slippery and a bit uneven, this section was my favorite part of this hike—where I captured all my favorite shots. I actually chose to enjoy the sunrise here rather than at the summit. In my opinion, the views along this stretch are far more beautiful—almost like stepping into a painting.
After a short break at Huiungak Shelter (희운각대피소), I began the climb along Dinosaur Ridge (공룡능선). The ridge gets its name from the jagged, steep rock formations that resemble a dinosaur’s spine—and it lives up to the name in both appearance and difficulty.
This trail is no joke. The route involves constant elevation changes and several steep, technical segments where you’ll need to pull yourself up rock faces using metal ropes. Athletic gloves are a must—they make gripping the ropes much more manageable and protect your hands from rough surfaces.
While I usually prefer to hike without poles on technical sections especially when I bring my big digital camera, I’d definitely recommend bringing them for this section. I would note that it took me a year after this hike to finally buy the equipment to attach my DSRL to the front strap of my bag (Peak Design Capture Camera Clip), leaving me hands free. Which was a game changer on the trail.
Thankfully, the best viewpoint on Dinosaur Ridge comes fairly early—just about 600 meters after leaving Huiungak Shelter. It’s a stunning spot and makes for the perfect place to stop for lunch. If you’re unsure about tackling the entire ridge, this also makes a great turnaround point. You’ll still get a taste of the iconic scenery without committing to the full, grueling traverse.
As the hike continued, I found myself walking through a landscape painted in rusty browns, bright yellows, and warm oranges.
As beautiful as the hike appears it’s equally as demanding.
But it was worth it.
Dinosaur Ridge feels like it has five false peaks. I won’t dive into every sub-peak, but it’s worth noting that on a sunny day, the sun exposure can be brutal. There’s no water source after the shelter, so be sure to carry plenty, especially if it’s a hot day.
The hike feels like it goes on forever, but during the fall, I wasn’t really complaining. The scenery around each peak was breathtaking. Just keep in mind that on sunny days, by 10-11 AM, things tend to get hazy, and your photos might turn out a bit washed out. If you’re debating whether to continue on a cloudy day, remember that while the clouds can obscure the view, they often create unique photo opportunities—especially later in the morning.
Once you hit the turn-off point at Madungryeong [마등령], the trail only is a descent, with a mix of stairs and rocky paths. However, be prepared—this section will be the toughest on your body, particularly the last 1.2 km before reaching Biseondae (비선대), as the rocks become farther apart so it’s hard to make your steps down soft. With an incline of 45.8%, your knees and legs will definitely feel the strain.
Luckily there is a nice view to distract you from that pain.
After reaching the bottom you have about a 45-minute flat stroll to the main entrance. This area has a number of decent places to eat, and sitting down for a bottle of Makgeolli is a must do. There are a number of local flavors and brands worth trying, and after all that hiking you definitely will deserve it!
Right before the exit of the park is a can’t miss this photo spot
Insider tip: The first bathroom you’ll encounter after the grueling descent is always crowded, especially for women. However, if you can hold out, there are multiple bathrooms about 25 minutes away near the temple that are much less likely to have long lines. If you can, I recommend waiting.
Foreigner-Friendly Lodging Near Seoraksan National Park
Since Seoraksan offers so much and is a fair distance from Seoul, it’s not ideal to try and explore it as a day trip. For most visitors—especially those planning to tackle Dinosaur Ridge—a two-night stay is ideal.
My perfect Seoraksan trip looks like this: arrive Friday night, grab a few hours of sleep, then hit the trail early Saturday morning. After the hike, enjoy a relaxing dinner on the beach and head back to Seoul on Sunday. This way, you get time to recover, enjoy the coast, and avoid the misery of sitting through a 3.5-hour bus ride in a sweaty hiking outfit after hiking for 12 hours straight.
If you’re planning a visit, there are two main areas worth staying in:
- Within walking distance of the park* ease of being able to relax after the hike.
- Near the water in Sokcho, ideally close to the Express Bus Terminal for convenience.
*For an Osaek start, I would recommend staying in Sokcho over the walkable locations near the park due to the availability of taxis in the early AM. But you can reserve ahead to solve this issue, and there will be taxis coming to your area to drop people off for main entrance 3/4am start. So, if you want to start hiking at say 5am the taxis are a non-issue here.
Near Seoraksan National Park (Walkable Distance)
- Kensington Hotel Seorak – Closest hotel to the park entrance, comfortable Western-style rooms, great views.
Budget-Friendly Options (About 1.5 km from Park Entrance)
These three are next to each other in a small cluster with a CU convenience store and a couple of restaurants. More dining options are just a 5-minute walk away.
- The Red House – Excellent reviews. Offers both dorm beds and private rooms.
- HK Resort – Rooms include a small kitchenette, separate bedroom, and a family sitting area.
- Bandal Bookl & Stay – Unique stay with twin rooms, a cozy lobby with communal seating, and in-house meal options.
On the Water in Sokcho (Near the Express Bus Terminal)
- Lotte Resort Sokcho – A nice hotel on a private peninsula. Multiple pools, beach access, and ocean views.
- Sokcho Moreve Pension – Rooms with private jacuzzi tubs (Rare Find!) and ocean views.
Budget-Friendly Options (Near the Sokcho Express Bus Terminal)
Hotel The Blue Terra – Western-style hotel near the beach with ocean views. Affordable and conveniently located.
Urbanstay Sokcho Beach AB – Great reviews, ocean views, and walkable from the Sokcho Express Bus Terminal. Modern and budget-friendly.
Sokcho Dderak Pension – Classic Korean pension with BBQ facilities and outdoor seating. Near the water and within walking distance of the bus terminal.
Exploring the Sokcho Region
Beyond hikes and beach time, the region offers several cultural and natural sites worth exploring. Two standout destinations are Naksansa Temple and Seongindae Peak with its nearby temple.
Naksansa [낙산사] is a scenic coastal temple located about 20 minutes south of Seoraksan National Park in Yangyang-gun, Gangwon-do. It’s considered one of Korea’s most beautiful temples and is featured on the Island and Mountain Stamp Passport Tour run by the Korea National Park Service.
Seongindae, though technically outside of Seoraksan National Park, is a fantastic short hiking course at just 6 km. It offers what many consider the best exterior view of Ulsanbawi’s dramatic rock formations.
Happy Trekking!
-Aurora
How did the course distance/time compare from Oseak-Daecheongbong versus the loop from the main entrance?