Songnisan (속리산)

Cheonwangbong (천왕봉) and Munjangdae (문장대)

Songnisan National Park (속리산국립공원) is a splendid place for winter hiking! This was the third mountain we hiked on our new years trip, and we thought we might have saved the best adventure for last. We set our sights on the main peak and a very famous boulder. Cheonwangbong (천왕봉) and Munjangdae (문장대) were spectacular – and so was everything in between!

An image of an inviting path through a forest. The path is lightly dusted with snow, with the frozen brown earth showing through lightly. The path is lined by the long, flat leaves of a plant that has remained green. Rising above are some barren, brown trees. — Along the ridge at Songnisan National Park

Climbing up through a forest of white and muted green on our way to Cheonwangbong, we met an especially friendly fellow and his quieter mountain friend. They were quite curious and had many questions for us, so we slowed our pace and walked with them for awhile.

Back on our own a little later, we encountered a snowy, but sun-warmed clearing. There was a patch of soft snow that was ripe for a snowball fight, and I couldn’t resist.

An image of the author making a snowball in her two gloved hands. She is in a small clearing in the forest, with green plants lining the path and a large, snow-covered rock beside her. She is wearing a hat and scarf, but has her jacket around her waist.

Arriving at the highest peak of Songnisan National Park, we found ourselves in a cloud. We were alone, so we lingered, enjoying Cheonwangbong despite the cold. With vast views lost in the snow-laden clouds, we focused on what was near. There was much to admire in the way of frost sculptures and frozen plants.

An image of the author with the Cheonhwangbong summit stele, at the highest peak on Songnisan mountain. She is on her knees behind the stele, resting her head on her arms, which are folded over the stele.

An image of the frosty twigs of small bushes emerging from a carpet of low, green plants. Above these, in the middle of the frame are some pale grey rock formations, disappearing into a thick cloud.

Setting off down the ridge towards Munjangdae, we found ourselves just really enjoying our experience. Sometimes the clouds above us would part and for a few minutes, we would feel the warm rays of the sun. Other times, the clouds below us would lift, allowing us views of snowy forest draped over undulating valleys and ridges. We clung to every moment, knowing that this would be our last national park adventure for a while, as we were about to devote our focus to ultra training (and fueling and resting!) from our home base.

Adding to our sense of fun were the many opportunities for exploring just off the trail. There were cracks and crevices just wide enough to squeeze through and peek out on the other side, and big boulders to climb up for a high view over the trail. When we could see them, there were great views behind and before us. And when we couldn’t, the trail itself was more than beautiful enough.

An image of the author standing sideways between two rocks. Her stomach is pressed into one rock and another is close behind her back. There is also a rock just overhead. — Between a rock and a hard place

An image of the author and her husband with Songnisan's ridge as the background. There is a big grey rock formation behind them to the right, and the bare trees of the forest paint the ridge behind them brown. The sky is bright white. — Songnisan ridge view

Our next stop was Munjangdae: a massive boulder with stairs anchored into its vertical side. On top, in an area the size of a living room, dozens of people were crowded. Although it was hectic, the other hikers seemed to share our sense of joy and the atmosphere was one of celebration. The sun was out again, and the views in all directions were great.

An image of a large crowd of people assembled on top of the big boulder Munjangdae. There is a wooden guard railing encircling the summit. The rock isn't flat, so people stand and crouch at different heights. They are wearing bright hiking clothes, and carrying backpacks and hiking poles. The sky above them is blue, with some distant clouds. — On top of Munjangdae

An image of the author standing with the Munjangdae summit stele. Munjangdae is visible behind the stele, with a set of steep brown stairs leading up to the top on the right. The author is holding out 10 fingers, symbolizing this being the 10th national park that she and her husband have visited. — Below Munjangdae

As the winter sun weakened in the afternoon, we descended. We were treated to one last great view at Beopjusa, where the setting sun lit up a massive gold Buddha standing watch over the temple grounds. We ambled slowly, taking our time to soak it all in and appreciate all of our amazing national park experiences so far.

An image of the scenery of Beopjusa temple, at the foot of Songnisan. There is a giant standing Buddha illuminated by bright sunlight in the background, and the tiered, curving rooftops of a pagoda in the left foreground. — Beopjusa Buddha

Know and Go! Songnisan – Cheonwangbong & Munjangdae

Transportation

There are direct buses from Seoul that can take you straight to the park entrance at Beopjusa , where the majority of Songnisan’s hiking begins.

If you’re coming from somewhere else, you can also use Cheongju as a transit hub. Cheongju also has buses that serve the park. Cheongju is the nearest major city to the park, although the town of Goesan is closer in the north and Boeun is closer in the south.

Songnisan National Park covers a vast amount of land and is quite far from urban areas, even from Cheongju. If you don’t have your own wheels, you will definitely want to use public transportation. The bus from Cheongju takes about an hour and a half, but saves you what would be quite an expensive taxi ride!

Hike & Run

Like its neighbor Woraksan, Songnisan National Park is massive. It divided into multiple distinct hiking zones. Chances are good that you will join the majority of hikers heading to the southern area. This part of the park contains the highest summit, plus the impressive Munjangdae rock. At the foot of the mountain is the famous temple Beopjusa, so the area is a popular destination for many.

Starting from this area gives you a wealth of hiking options. You can do a quick run/hike up to either Cheonwangbong or Munjangdae, or you can spend the day enjoying the long and undulating ridge between the two.

An image depicting some of the hikes available in Songnisan National Park. There are many options visible, centered around the main ridge of the mountain in the southern area of the park. — Songnisan National Park trail map, showing routes to Cheonwangbong & Munjangdae

Stay & Eat

Like most parks we visited, Songnisan National Park had a tourist village centered around the main entrance at Beopjusa. Restaurants and small-scale accommodation seemed to be abundant.

But unlike most of the national parks that we visited, we spent almost no time whatsoever in this tourist village. We took the first bus from Cheongju in the morning, and the last bus in the evening. So we didn’t personally have a chance to check out the any of the services, save for a delicious potato pancake place on the descending trail.

As always, if you have specific preferences about food, stock up on provisions and prepare in advance. We always bring our own fruit and energy bars – perfect for picnicking on the peak!

Other Notes

We visited Songnisan National Park on January 2nd, 2016. This was the 10th national park we visited during our mountain mission year. We did a 20.7 km hike in a loop to and from Beopjusa in the southern area of the park.

We visited this park on a day trip, taking the bus to and from Cheongju.

The highest summit in Songnisan National Park is 1058 meter Cheonwangbong. Giant boulder Munjangdae is a similar 1054 meters in elevation. Songnisan is celebrated as one of Korea’s 100 famous summits by both Black Yak and the Korea Forest Service.

I learned about hiking routes in Songnisan National Park on the Korea National Park service website.

Head back to the Songnisan National Park main page for more stellar adventures in this stunning park! More national parks await you. Or get started exploring some 120 summits!