Juwangsan (주왕산)

It was love from the first hike. This remote, hidden gem of a park took us ages to travel to. But we were absolutely delighted from the moment we arrived at Juwangsan National Park (주왕산국립공원).

Our first view of Juwangsan was from a temple, set in perfect harmony with nature at the base of a dramatic, rocky cliff face. It was like a traditional painting, only better, because we were about to walk into it!

An image of a colorful, traditional temple at the foot of a mountain. The mountain slope is gentle and forested about two-thirds of the way up, then erupts into 5 dark grey peaks. — First glimpse of Juwangsan National Park

Instead of joining the other hikers heading into the park’s famously scenic canyon, we took a left after the entrance. Our trail wound up the mountain slope adjacent to the cliff face we’d admired from the temple. We climbed up steps through a forest of pines. Soon, we were standing on a high observation platform, with a bird’s eye view!

An image taken from a high observation platform. On the left, the rocky peaks of Juwangsan emerge from a green and brown fall forest. To the right is a longer view into the valley where the temple grounds and river valley are visible. Further away, the mountains disappear into a haze. — High views of the rock formations and temple grounds of Juwangsan

An image of the the author and her husband on the observation deck. The forest and some rocky ridgeline is visible beyond them. — Windy, wonderful Juwangsan viewpoint

We enjoyed our first peak at Janggunbong. Just beyond the peak, we entered the stark beauty of a winter forest. The trail and leaves beneath our feet were covered by a thin layer of soft snow. A cold wind whipped up from below and chased our footsteps across the ridge.

An image of the author and her husband at one of the peaks of Juwangsan. There is a sign pointing the way on the left. In the center is the author in front of the summit stele and two fire prevention posters strung from trees. To the right is the author's husband, holding the camera and half out of the frame. — Janggunbong peak in Juwangsan National Park

An image of the author's husband in the foreground. The author is entering the middle of the frame, running on some snowy leaves. The two are in a forest of bare brown tree trucks. — The windy, wintery ridge of Juwangsan

After a short stop at another peak, we left the snow behind again and began to descend into a warm, sheltered river valley. We’d planned to ascend again to reach the main peak – but found the connecting trail closed. So we opted instead to slow our pace and linger on the path through the beautiful gorge. There were waterfalls, clear pools of fresh water and massive rock faces to admire…and fallen leaves to play with!

An image of a waterfall tumbling down grey rocks into a dark green pool. There are some trees surrounding the falls and pool, and an upper observation deck is visible high on the right. — Water features in the gorge

An image of a snowy walkway with wooden railings extending down the center of the frame. To the left and right, extending the whole length of the frame, are tall, grey canyon walls decorated with tufts of grass and small plants. — Classic national park walkway between high canyon walls

An image of the author standing in brown leaf litter above her ankles. She is throwing leaves into the air. Aside from the author's blue jacket and black pants, the image is almost entirely in shades of brown: brown leaves, brown dirt trail, and brown tree branches. — Playing with the leaves in Juwangsan

After dancing along wooden walkways and picnicking on little bridges over mountain streams, we re-emerged from the park. We tasted some fresh maekgoli from giant cauldrons complete with bobbing apples, then warmed up with a meal of rice and mountain veggies beside a woodstove. The limited bus schedule meant that we were destined to stay the night at the foot of the mountain, and we were glad of it.

An image showing a steep rock pillar rising high above a stream bed. The main rocky face of the mountain is in the background. At the foot of the pillar and across the river is a traditional octagonal building used as a shelter and mini library. — Steep rock formation above a resting house

After a night in a small room above a quiet restaurant, we had another morning to explore. This time, after passing the temple at the park entrance, we turned right. We climbed directly to Juwangsan’s main peak, Jubong. We lingered a little, enjoying the forest and summit stele. On the way down, we had another beautiful perspective on the central rocky massif that so characterizes this park. Our footsteps slowed as we reached the entrance. It was hard to say goodbye.

An image of the author jumping into the air beside the Jubong summit stele. The summit is mostly bare earth with some bare trees in the background. A park map is also visible to the right of the summit stele. — At Jubong, the highest summit of Juwangsan

An image of the main rock formation of Juwangsan mountain, rising out of a green pine forest. This image was taken from near Jubong and another prominent peak, Janggunbong, is visible in the background. — Another view of the rock formation at the entrance to the park with Janggunbong in the background

Know and Go! Juwangsan National Park

Transportation

This park is incredibly remote. Unless you live in Andong or Cheongsong, the nearest population centers, expect to make a trip out of visiting this park. The good news is, you will be richly rewarded for making the journey! There is a direct bus to the park from East Seoul bus terminal, and from East Daegu too. Alternatively, you could take a train to Andong or a bus to Cheongsong, and then a local bus to the park. Unless you have your own wheels, plan on spending two days here.

Hike & Run

There are several great routes in Juwangsan National Park! Many hikers and tourists alike flock to the gorgeous scenery of the central canyon. This path is an accessible, easy hike that requires ample time for stopping to admire the natural features. The main peak is located to the east of the canyon, and there’s a nice platform en route offering great views of the rocky cliff face at the opening of the canyon. Alternatively, you can hike west of the canyon to reach a couple of other peaks and get another expansive perspective on the park from on high. These trails can be linked to form a longer route so, if you choose, you can take in more of the park on one outing.

A map of the trail network in Juwangsan National Park. — Juwangsan National Park trail map

Stay & Eat

Juwangsan has a particularly great tourist village at its base. The remote location seems to bring out the friendly best in the vendors. The area around the park is famous for growing apples, so apple maekgoli (rice wine) is a local specialty late in the year. The restaurants include the usual mountain vegetable dishes, and there are a few markets where you can buy fresh produce or dried goods. There are plenty of places to stay: mainly minbaks – Korean-style accommodation that usually features ondol (floor sleeping) and is often located on the second floor above a business.

Other Notes

We spent two days in Juwangsan National Park in December 2015. This was the 4th national park we visited during our mountain mission year. We did a 13.4 km hike the first afternoon, and a 6.2 km hike the following morning. On the first day, we went up the western ridge to Janggunbong (687m) and down the central canyon. For our second hike, we did an out and back from the main entrance to the peak. We took the once-daily bus to and from Daegu to access the park.

We went in late fall and were really happy with the weather. It was only mildly chilly and with little foliage left on the trees, we were able to see the shapes of Juwangsan’s unique rocks very clearly.

Jubong is Juwangsan’s main peak at 720m. It’s a cosy peak in a clearing in the forest. There are tremendous views from a nearby observation platform. There are also multiple other trek-able peaks arranged in a horseshoe shape around the canyon in the middle.

We really enjoyed our stay in Juwangsan’s tourist village. However, because this park is so remote, I would definitely recommend packing extra provisions. This could prove especially handy if you have any dietary restrictions.

I used the Korea National Park Service website to research Juwangsan National Park before our trip. If you’re climbing 100 summits, check out the Black Yak listing for Juwangsan here, and/or the Korea Forest Service description here.

Please join me for more national park adventures! And there are still more mountains – climb Korea’s 120 summits!