Songnisan in Fall

October 26, 2013. Songnisan National Park, Korea.

Iljumun (일주문), the entrance gate to Beopjusa and the hiking trails leading to Songnisan's peaks

This past weekend, I decided to go hiking and check out the fall colors in Korea. My mountain of choice was Songnisan, which I've been to once before. I started hiking around noon on Saturday, reached Munjangdae Peak around 2:30, and left Songnisan National Park a little after sunset. The hike itself only took around 4 and a half or five hours, but I took my time taking photos, hung out on the peak eating and reading, and spent a while roaming Beopjusa Temple after I descended (photos from the temple will be my next post).



Fall colors on the way to Munjangdae

At 1054 meters (around 3,458 feet), Munjangdae is actually the second-highest peak, but it's only three meters short of tying the highest peak and has a ridiculous view. It was a little hazy as it hasn't rained in a while, but totally worth the time and sore legs.

After yet another set of stairs, you arrive where all of the people are in this photo. From there, it's a short walk/climb to the peak.

You have a 360 degree view from Munjangdae Peak.

Buses from the Cheongju bus terminal take about and hour and 45 minutes to get to the Songnisan Terminal, and it costs ₩8,600. Getting into the park costs 4,000 won (around 4 dollars) and it's open from around 5am to sunset. This is a pretty popular area, so the best time to go would be a weekday.