There was nothing in sight. Nothing but white in every direction. We were deep in a cloud on the top of Sobaeksan National Park (소백산국립공원). The swirling winds swept snow over our footsteps, leaving no trace of our hike behind. The summit stele was frozen into illegibility and the invisible forest below seemed a distant memory. We could only see each other: whitened eyelashes and stray hairs, scarves whipping in the wind.
On the last day of 2015, we wanted to celebrate a full, happy and adventurous year in the best way we know how: on the summit of a new mountainous national park! For the site for our year-end festivities, we chose Sobaeksan. Sobaeksan National Park covers a huge land area, has a long summit ridge and sits near the middle of the Baekdudaegan mountain range that runs the length of the Korean peninsula.
After one of the longest daisy-chains of buses we’d yet taken on our mission to visit all the parks, we arrived in a place called Darian, just after sunset. Darian turned out to be a tiny town that seemed all but faded out of existence. Although there were many pensions on the road leading to the park entrance, all were still and silent. We walked along this lonely road as darkness descended, searching for somewhere to stay. We were in luck! A little motel was open and happy to have us.
The next morning we woke up delighted by a fresh snowfall! Everything was white, and ours were the first footsteps on the trail! At first our route was on an access road, wide and snowy. Then suddenly, the road ended, and the trail metamorphosed into a magical, misty, forest path. We ascended on a gradual slope upwards, enjoying the sight of the frosty trees and the sound of the snow crunching underfoot.
In another sudden and complete change of character, we emerged from the frozen forest onto a bald crest. We were in a thick cloud, and couldn’t see beyond the ground in front of us. A true winter wind rose up out of nowhere and blew a flurry of snowflakes around us. Exchanging a look, we broke into a run for the summit.
It was wild and icy on top. After a few moments spent enjoying this peak, we made a chilly, snap decision to race back down the way we’d come: out of the wind, in the forest. Although we’d initially wanted to explore the whole ridge, we recognized that today wasn’t the day to pop out somewhere random to start searching for a bus. So we bid the icy, ethereal peak goodbye and raced back to the shelter of the trees.
Partway down, I actually had to stop, and add an emergency pair of socks. I was well on my way to being actually frozen!
But it was beautiful, and there was something glorious about being on the ‘little white mountain’ on a white day! The last day of our year had been well-spent in Sobaeksan National Park.
Know and Go! Sobaeksan
Transportation
Sobaeksan National Park lies between the cities of Jecheon in the northwest and Yeongju in the southeast, both of which offer local buses to the park.
The park has a variety of access points. We chose the tiny town of Darian, near slightly bigger Danyang, because we had hoped to explore the long, grassy ridge of the mountain. Plus, it met our needs for transportation and accommodation. Buses to Danyang can be caught from East Seoul bus terminal and other cities.
However, the main entrance to the park seems to be in the southwest, just off highway 55. Coming from Seoul, you could potentially get there by taking a train from Cheongnyangni Station to Huibangsa Station.
Alternatively, you can take a bus from Seoul directly to Guinsa Temple, which is found in the northeast of the park and is a famous destination in its own right. There are great options for hiking from here as well.
Hike & Run
With such a long ridge, hiking/running opportunities abound! If you’re there in fair weather and open to a bit of adventure, try a point-to-point adventure to take in as much of the park’s unique grassy crest as you can. There are some waterfalls and temples to explore. Plus, the southwest tip of the park sees less visitors than the main peak, so you could (possibly) have it to yourself. The ridge is long and the mountain high, so plan your hiking time accordingly!
Stay & Eat
There are food and accommodation options in all of the towns surrounding Sobaeksan National Park. If you’re planning a stay in one of the valleys closer to the trails, it might be best to book a pension in advance. Same goes for if you’re interested in enhancing your hike with a temple stay experience.
As is usually the case with national parks, we had no problem finding restaurants and small markets (even though we were there during a holiday). Restaurant fare here consists chiefly of meat and a few rice dishes. So, if you have any strict dietary requirements, you’d better have a decent command of Korean, a local friend, an amazing gift for charades, or alternate provisions.
Other Notes
The main peak of the park is Birobong, standing at 1439 m – but the whole summit ridge is famous for its baldness. If you time your visit just right in the spring, you might get to witness a flower festival! Read more about Sobaeksan on the 100 summits challenge – here is the Black Yak listing and here is the Korea Forest Service listing.
My husband and I visited Sobaeksan on a snowy New Year’s Eve in December 2015. This was the 8th national park we visited during our mountain mission year. Our hike was a 16.3 km long out-and-back, plus a 2 km wander down the road to catch a bus.
We entered and exited the park by way of Darian, a small village on the north side of the park near Danyang. It was a quiet place to stay: we got a motel a couple of kilometers down the road from the hiking trail.
I did a bit of Sobaeksan National Park research using the Korea National Park service website.
More national parks and 120 summits await!