Unaksan (운악산)

This mountain in Gyeonggido boasts some of the most rugged and thrilling trails in all of South Korea. This is Unaksan 운악산) – and it’s a great one!

On the left side of the frame, a rocky spire thrusts skyward above a grove of evergreens. A thin ribbon of trail is visible on the rocky, undulating ridge beyond.
Miruek bawi (rock) – one of the most dramatic formations on rocky Unaksan!

Somehow, we managed to time our arrival right at dawn. The sky was beginning to brighten, so we could see the spectacle of spires that we were approaching. We’d wanted to start after sunrise because we knew this one would be rocky, but we didn’t realize just how rocky Unaksan was until we were awed at its base.

In this action shot, Kent is climbing up a vertical staircase made of tumbled boulders and lined by a rope. It's early morning, and the photo is slightly blurred in the low light.
Going up?

We began on what would be one of the most rugged, challenging and thrilling trails we’ve yet encountered. There was a truly astonishing array of ropes, cables, ladders, handholds, footholds and stairs of every variety. None were superfluous: manmade interventions are entirely necessary for humans to negotiate their way up the incredible steep slopes of east Unaksan!

A vertical image looking up through a jumble of boulders. The route is only clear thanks to a number of metal hand/footholds affixed to the sheer rock surfaces.
Oh yes, definitely up!

I was amazed by how much this mid-sized peak reminded me of the splendors of Dinosaur Ridge with its jagged rock formations. Unaksan was an incredibly thrilling and scenic climb from bottom to top!

A captivating photograph of Unaksan's rugged and rocky ridges. There are vertical striations in the bald rock faces, making them appear even more dramatic as they rise out of a brown, winter forest.
Seoraksan? Nope – Unaksan!

Our visit coincided with great weather. It wasn’t warm, or sunny for that matter, but layered clouds made for intriguing light conditions. The sky was low and grey, but the effect was one of beauty and not dullness. Somehow, it was perfect for our Unaksan adventure!

In another captivating image, a large, rounded boulder represents the edge of Unaksan's ridge. A couple of pine trees are growing up alongside this boulder. A dappled blue cloud hangs low over dark indigo mountains across the valley.
Blue views

Breathtaking views continued all the way up the mountain. We made terrible time, and it was only partially because of the obstacle-course trail. It was also because we couldn’t stop stopping! We had to take a peek at the views from every single clearing and observation platform!

A portrait of Kent, looking up at Unaksan's jagged ridge and out from under his toque and headlamp.

Very slow going, but truly lovely. Unaksan is a mountain to be savored!

A portrait of the Peaks and Penguins pair. Carrie and Kent stand to either side of a cracked stone stele marking Mangyeongdae. The author raises her hand while her husband hoists the trekking poles into the air.

At Mangyeongdae, we encountered some friendly Korean hikers who were willing to take our picture with the stele. Now that we’d achieved Unaksan’s ridge, we came upon the peaks quickly, one after the other.

Dongbong’s twin steles

Dongbong had two huge, dueling steles built by Gapyeong and Pocheon, who share jurisdiction over Unaksan. Obviously both cities wanted to claim ownership over this incredible mountain, and who could blame them?

A photograph of the author, posing beside the large summit slab marking Unaksan's Seobong peak.
Smiles at Seobong!

The second summit, Seobong, was Pocheon’s alone, and we were alone there. We studied a huge map of Hanbuk Jeonmaek – a long, high ridge through Gyeonggido!

Here, the author carefully descends a vertical rock face, using a series of metal footholds and two parallel ropes.

There was still one more peak to discover, and that was Aegibong. It was slightly further along Unaksan’s ridge and we just had to meet it.

A snapshot taken along the high ridge of Unaksan. The path is along the edge of a cliff, lined by a rope railing. There's a tree growing up through the path in the foreground, and the trail leads off to another pointy peak.
Aegibong views

Although we were reluctant to descend, we decided to do so on a new route and explore the west side of Unaksan. It turned out to be far less steep and more densely forested. It was also very popular with big hiking clubs, of which we encountered several!

On the west side of Unaksan, the slope of the mountain is a little gentler, permitting soil to settle and forests to rise.

Just off the ridge, we were able to run on Unaksan for the very first time. But, we didn’t want to hurry our departure, so we lingered over a fun rest stop and took our time on the runnable finale.

One last photograph of the thrilling trail over bald rock on Unaksan's ridge. A set of metal steps is right next to a vertical drop on the left, and a stony peak rises up in the center of the frame.

KNOW AND GO! UNAKSAN

TRANSPORTATION

Unaksan is a mountain in the Gyeonggi province, located northwest of Gapyeong and north of Changpyeong. The best access points are the Unaksan tofu village in the east or Unaksan Natural Recreation Forest on the west.

To reach Unaksan Dubu Maeul, take the ITX or subway to Changpyeong station (just south of Gapyeong). A short connection on bus 30-6/7/8 will enable you to reach the bus stop for the 1330-44, which will take you right to the trailheads (and delicious restaurants!). This will take you about 45 minutes.

If you want to start on the west, the route to Unaksan Natural Recreation Forest is slightly less direct. A good option is to take a bus (from Gapyeong, Seoul or elsewhere) to Hyeonri. From there, you can transfer to bus 40-3, which will take you as far as Bongsuri. You can catch the 7-2 to continue north on highway 37 to reach the recreation forest. Note that there are two trailheads off highway 37 prior to the recreation forest as well!

Technically the west half of Unaksan belongs to Pocheon, but it’s far enough away that I won’t bother with directions here (particularly because you’d have to get there first, then go south just to transfer to go back north – egads!).

Sure, you could drive – but I personally like to take public transit when it’s available. It’s cheap, easy to use – and the best part is that it enables you do do point-to-point adventures, which are some of my favorites! Plus, you’re not necessarily committed to the plan of infinite patience – you can always speed things up by hopping in a cab!

HIKE & RUN…

A close-up on the metal loops affixed to the rocky surfaces on Unaksan. Without these hand/footholds, it would be extremely tough to climb this mountain!
…and scramble!

Unaksan is a big, exciting challenge of a mountain! There are many routes, all of them rugged and rocky. It’s a must-do for any mountain-lover. The climb up from the east is the most dramatic.

Unaksan happens to be located in a particularly mountainous location – very good news for big treks! Just across highway 387, a long ridge connects Myeongjisan and Yeoninsan! If you want to go even further, Hwaaksan awaits beyond highway 75! All of these are 100 summits mountains, and there are plenty of other pretty peaks in between, though none quite as exciting as Unaksan!

A photograph of a trail map. Here all the trails to the west of Unaksan are depicted in a range of colors.
Unaksan trail map – west side only, sorry!

We went up and over Unaksan, from the tofu village in the east to the recreation forest on the west.

STAY & EAT

This is a popular place to stay. As such, Unaksan’s got options!

In addition to fresh local tofu, Unaksan Dubu Mauel has plenty of pensions and other rooms for rent. There are still more options up and down the Jojong stream (and highway 387). Hyeon village isn’t far away either.

The options on the west side are a bit more scattered, but there are still options for sleeping and dining. There’s also a campsite on this side, which has use-trail access to the heights of Unaksan.

Changpyeong is the closest urban area if you want to stock up on supplies or expand your range of stay and eat options.

Kent and I stayed in Hyeonri prior to our Unaksan climb, and headed home (via Seoul) afterwards. We did not have a chance to partake in any local fare, which was my only regret about our visit to this mountain: we missed the tofu village!

OTHER NOTES

Unaksan is 937 meters high. Although not quite as tall as the neighboring mountains, it’s more rocky and incredibly thrilling! Naturally, Unaksan is on both of the 100 summits lists! The Korea Forest Service listing is here, and Black Yak listing is here.

Our eight kilometer Unaksan run/scramble took place in March 2018. On the same, exceptionally fun weekend, we also visited Hwaaksan and Myeongjisan!

Are you just getting started on your mountain mission? Read more on the 120 summits main page to plan your adventures!

A candid snapshot of the author tracing the characters on one of the two summit steles on Unaksan's Dongbong peak. The grey clouds press in overhead, darkening the open summit and author in her kneeling pose.

Have a wonderful time scaling the sharp spires of Unaksan, my friend! What a fun one!


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