Seoraksan National Park
설악산 국립공원
Today
Why go
Seoraksan National Park is a mountain park of 400.027 ㎢ spanning Inje-gun, Goseong-gun, Yangyang-gun and Sokcho-si in Gangwon-do. The Korea National Park Service says that more than 30 high peaks run in a chain, starting with the highest, Daecheongbong.
The Inje side is called Naeseorak, the Osaek side reached via Hangyeryeong is Namseorak, and the east, covering Sokcho, part of Yangyang and Goseong, is Oeseorak. Even within one park, the scenery and the trails differ greatly depending on which side you enter from.
"Seoraksan National Park" is listed in Korea Tourism 100 Selections 2025–2026, chosen by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization through big-data analysis and expert evaluation.
Entry & spending
Where you’ll spend
Streets & spots
History
Seoraksan was first designated a Natural Reserve and Natural Monument No. 171 on 5 November 1965. The reserve then covered 163.4 ㎢. On 24 March 1970 it became the fifth national park in the country.
On 12 August 1982 it was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, which the Service records as a first in Korea. In December 2005 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified Seoraksan as Category II (national park), and in January 2011 Jeombongsan was added to the park.
According to the Service, Seoraksan lies on the Baekdudaegan, the spine of the Korean Peninsula, and is made mostly of granite that pushed up in the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic. It rose together with the Taebaek Mountains about 23 million years ago in the Tertiary period of the Cenozoic, and its main frame consists of the Seorak range running from Daecheongbong to Madeungnyeong and Misiryeong, the northwest main ridge running to Gwittaegicheong and Daeseungnyeong, and the Hwachae ridge running to Hwachaebong and Chilseongbong.
Today Seoraksan is a park for walking along rocks and valleys. The Service explains that rocks such as Hobakbawi, Gidungbawi and Neopjeokbawi are found around Gongnyong Ridge, Yongajangseong and Ulsanbawi, and writes that in Sibiseonnyeotang, Gugokdam and Cheonbuldong Valley, waterfalls and pools large and small blend with the rocks.
This is where Siberian and Chinese flora and fauna meet, and the Service also points out that it is both the southern limit of the northern plant Pinus pumila and the northern limit of the southern plant Styrax japonicus. The park's flagship species are Pinus pumila and the goral.
Getting there
- Address
- 강원특별자치도 속초시 설악산로 833
Photos
Tips
The park is large, so first decide which side to go. On the Sokcho side (Oeseorak), Sogongwon leads to Ulsanbawi, Biseondae and the Gwongeumseong cable car, and on the Yangyang side (Namseorak), the Daecheongbong Osaek course starts from Osaek.
To reach Sogongwon by public transport, follow the route given by the Korea National Park Service. It lists 2 hours 50 minutes from Seoul Gangnam Express Bus Terminal to Sokcho Express Bus Terminal, and 2 hours 20 minutes from Dong Seoul Terminal to Sokcho Intercity Bus Terminal (as per the Service). From Sokcho, take city bus No. 7 or 7-1 and get off at Sogongwon Parking Lot; the Seorak-dong Visitor Center is 3 minutes on foot. To go to Osaek, it is 2 hours 30 minutes from Dong Seoul Terminal to the Osaek bus stop, then 15 minutes on foot to the Namseorak Visitor Center. By car it is said to take 1 hour 34 minutes from Seoul on the Seoul–Yangyang Expressway.
Entry times are set differently for each trail. In the summer season (April to October) the way from Osaek to Daecheongbong is open from 03:00 to 12:00 and the way from Biseondae to Yangpok from 03:00 to 14:00, and in winter they are earlier. Trails from Sogongwon to Ulsanbawi, Biseondae and Gwongeumseong are restricted from sunset until 2 hours before sunrise. The Service's table says Heullimgol and Gombaeryeong operate a separate reservation system for visits.
Trail closure status changes daily, so check the Service website before you set out. The phone number of the Seoraksan National Park Office is 033-801-0900.
The cable car operator says the boarding station is about a 5-minute walk from the Sogongwon entrance. There is no dedicated parking lot, so you use the paid parking lot at Sinheungsa Temple, and for the cultural heritage zone admission fee it advises contacting Sinheungsa (033-636-8755). Check the current fees on the official website or at Sinheungsa Temple.
Show details
- Address
- 강원특별자치도 속초시 설악산로 833