The wind rustled in the tall grasses and pine needles. Dark grey clouds scuttled low over the green rice fields below and gathered over the long ridge that characterizes Jirisan National Park (지리산국립공원). But here, the sun was shining warm and bright – and we were alone on the top of Baraebong (바래봉)!
Baraebong is one of the lesser-known peaks in Jirisan National Park. It rises tall over the flat, fertile lowlands of the Jeolla provinces at the end of a long, north-pointing spur. From this summit of this high peak, the entire ridge of Jirisan is visible: from Nogodan in the west to Cheonwangbong in the east.
It would not be an overstatement to say that we’d been curious about this peak for years. We were also eager for an opportunity to return to one of our favorite national parks, and challenge ourselves on the long ridgeline traverse. A new peak plus an epic route made for a perfect birthday weekend plan.
Jirisan is nearly as far from our current home in Gangwondo as it gets. So we knew it would take a bit of effort just to get back to this pretty park. But things were complicated still further when we rescued a kitten the night before our planned trip. But 24 frantic hours later, with the little life in the care of a dear friend, we were off…slowly. Two taxi rides, traffic and a missed bus had me juggling our plans on the fly. We ultimately made it to Namwon, where we’d be based for our Baraebong climb.
Exhausted already, we allowed ourselves the little luxury of sleeping in. This meant we’d get a late start on Saturday, but I thought it was important to have the energy to truly enjoy this peak. We took a taxi to the park after the sun was already up and shining brightly.
To our surprise, there was nobody else at this trailhead. There was a sprawling park complex alongside the trail – but it seemed closed. Although we couldn’t understand why we were the only visitors, we were grateful: it’s certainly not everyday that you get a national park trail to yourself!
And this trail was something special! It began as a gnarly, heavily eroded dirt road. But immediately after we passed a large map and the first national park standard signboards, its character changed. Here, trimmed grass and flat stones made for good footing. The wide road meant we could climb up side-by-side.
Although wide and well-manicured, this was no easy climb! The road up was incredibly steep. But the even, road-like surface made it look deceptively easy. Several times I found myself wondering why I was having so much trouble maintaining a good pace! As the angle increased, we slowed from a run to a jog, then to a hike and finally to a bit of a slog.
The road was right at the edge of the forest, so every so often we’d have great glimpses over the rice fields in the valley below. I remembered with full force just why I love Jirisan: it is so massive and dominant over the surrounding flat farmland. The emerald green of the forest set in contrast to the lime green of the rice. Although we were now in the far north of the park, I was reminded of my awe gazing at a nearly identical landscape on the opposite side of the mountain during our UTMJ training runs.
I was especially happy on the climb up Baraebong. Maybe it was the views, the memories, the celebratory birthday vibes or the flow of endorphins produced by strong effort. But I felt joyful and full of gratitude. I was able to truly embrace the challenge and enjoy each and every uphill step.
Eventually, we climbed up out of the forest to the ridge, which we could see undulating away to the south of us. There was a fork in the road, and we turned left, towards Baraebong. From here, our trail dipped into a sweetly-scented pine forest, then climbed some wooden steps.
The peak was a round, grassy mound with two observation platforms. The slightly lower platform faced the main Jirisan ridge, which at the moment, was completely lost in clouds. Still, we had great views along the north ridge that connects with it, and a chance to look down into the secret, remote little valleys to the north of the massif. It was beautiful!
The summit stele stood right in the middle of the higher platform, resting on some rocks that protruded above the floorboards! I literally danced around; high on heights. Some rocks just beyond the summit begged to be climbed. A wild wind blew and made our summit photos a little funny.
It was difficult to leave this happy place. But we still had time to see a little bit of the ridge to the north. So we ran back the way we came through the pine forest, then turned south towards the main Jirisan ridge.
We ran over the undulating terrain of the ridge, sometimes in open grassland and sometimes in a deep, cool bamboo forest. This ridge bore an amazing resemblance to the main ridge! But we didn’t venture too far along it. We calculated that we could run for about 20 minutes before we needed to turn back. Luckily, there was a nice, grassy summit at just the right place! We had lovely views of the southbound ridge, stretching into the distance.
Running back down the road was easy, although we took a bit of a pounding doing it quickly. We dropped by the little temple we’d passed on the way up and then proceeded all the way down into the tiny town of Unbong. From there, we took a bus, a train and a taxi (#4 of the weekend, if you’re counting) to reach Hwaeomsa: our home base for the following day’s Jirisan adventure!
Kent and I both felt extremely happy to be back in the folds of this special mountain. We took a stroll in the forest, alongside a rushing river. Looking up, we could just see the power towers atop Seongsamjae – the rest of the ridge was still locked in cloud. It was a special, peaceful time between two adventures: a time for enjoying the sights and sounds of the moment.
Know and Go! Baraebong
Transportation
Namwon is a well-connected city in Korea’s southwest. Travel there by rail, intercity bus or car. As is the case with most Korean cities, the train station is slightly out of town, whereas the bus station is located close to downtown.
Namwon, however, is not truly the last stop, because Baraebong is several kilometers east. Local buses run to Unbong, close to the trailhead for Baraebong. If you want to get an early start, take a taxi instead!
Hike & Run
From the trailhead in Unbong, Baraebong is a steep 4 kilometers away. The trail is broad and well-maintained, but don’t underestimate it!
A hike up Baraebong might just be the beginning. From this peak, a trail runs straight south until it meets the main ridge at Seongsamjae. There are several other high peaks along this route, and two highway crossings where you can rest or resupply. You could go very far indeed if you follow this ridge and the main one!
The Baraebong trail connects to the Jirisan dullegil, which is yet another way to experience this massive and magnificent mountain.
Stay & Eat
Although closer, I don’t think Unbong has many options for staying and eating. I’d recommend doing both in Namwon before (and/or after) you visit Baraebong.
This trailhead does not have an active tourist village. There is a large park at the base of Baraebong, but it was closed at the time of writing. So if you will need snacks for your trek, better plan ahead!
Other Notes
Baraebong summit is 1165 meters tall and features incredible views of Jirisan’s main ridge. Baraebong is included on the Black Yak 100 mountains list, online here.
We climbed Baraebong as part of our birthday celebrations in September 2018. We did an out and back route of just over 15 kilometers (including a little extra south-bound exploration).
We went at the tail end of summer and had a marvelous time in the fine weather. However, if you can go in spring, you might want to! Royal azeleas color Baraebong pink in late spring. Read more about that here.
Return to the Jirisan main page, or check out the following day’s adventure: the Hwadae traverse!
Want more of Korea’s marvelous mountains? Head back to the 120 summits main page, or check out other national parks of Korea!
Enjoy beautiful Baraebong!