(설악산) Mt. Seorak Hike

The third highest mountain in South Korea, Seorak-san (Mt. Seorak) stands at around 1,700 meters high. That’s not a lot – is what I thought. But talking to two Koreans who I know hikes, their first reaction was – “Are you sure? That’s a hard mountain!”

Either way, I still did it. Oh, and they were right haha.

Budget: KRW49,000/person (~USD45)

KRW30,000 – Roundtrip bus, Seoul to Sokcho
KRW3,000 – Roundtrip bus, Sokho to trailhead
KRW12,000 – One night at the hut near the summit
KRW4,000 – Rental for two blankets

Hike date / Difficulty

January 11-12, 2020. 3 of 5. It’s about 1,000 meter gain, and the first half is a very gradual ascent. The latter part is a long steep assault, but nothing technical.

When to go

Anytime during the year. The hut is heated and blankets can be rented, so overnight hikes do not require extensive preparation.

Special Note: Before the Hike

Reserve the shelter. Go to this link via your laptop. (Mobile access is not allowed, so you’ll have to change the settings of your phone to desktop site if you insist on using your phone.) Reserve “Jungcheong”, as it is the biggest one and merely 15 minutes ish from the summit. Shelter reservations are tricky – first come, first served, and with a very specific time frame. A quick example, February 1-15 reservations can only be done on January 15. February 16-28 can be reserved on February 1, 10am Korean Time. Take a screenshot just to be safe.
Reserve the bus (Seoul to Sokcho). It can be done online – IF you have a Korean card. If you don’t, then this is not applicable. OR, find someone who does to do it for you. Is it needed? In my case, I was hiking in winter which is not peak season. I bet it’ll be a different story in autumn or spring.

Itinerary

Saturday

05:45. Arrival at the Dong Seoul Bus Terminal, sometimes referred to as East Seoul Bus Terminal. I did not reserve a bus as I don’t have a Korean card, but I was able to buy the ticket (KRW15,000 ish). There were two companies – one at the first floor and another at the second floor. I don’t care about the company, but I wanted the 6:05 bus, and once we asked, it’s at the first floor. Simply say “Sokcho” and you’re good.
08:10. Arrival at Sokcho Terminal. Just wait for the last stop, but I think it’s here.
08:15. Take the Bus 7-1 (yes, there’s a dash) at the bus stop. Just go to the main street, and the bus stop is about 5 meters to the right. Pay KRW1,400 ish – just insert the money at the transparent looking box, and if you need a change the driver will provide it. We were charged KRW2,900, but I just assumed he shafted us. Haha. Oh well.
08:45. Arrival at Seoraksan trailhead. It’s the last stop of the bus, but here’s the pin for google maps.
09:00. Start hike. Ok, the hike is divided into sections, with the first 3-4kms mainly flat. It’s about 11kms in total, with an elevation gain of about 1,600meters. So expect stairs and plenty of ascent.
15:00. Arrival at Jungcheong. Check in, pay. (KRW12,000, changes depending on whether it is peak season or off season). Tidied up. Their shelters are awesome!
- On “rooms”. The rooms are fully heated. Rooms are misleading. There’s a space for 100+ people, two big rooms.
- On “beds”. You get a little space where you can put a blanket (rental at KRW2,000 per sheet, max of 2 per person). It’s about the size of half a single bed. You can see the pictures at the reservation site.
- On food. There’s little food available (mainly snacks – like the small packet of chocolate pie), so make sure you have your own stove and food. The most substantial “meal” they sell is microwavable white rice. So if you want some meat/viand with your rice, you’re out of luck.
- On water. Water is sold at KRW3,000 per 2 liter bottles. No faucets etc, so leave the water filter at home.
- Others. Gas canisters are also sold, so are some crampons, spikes.
- In summary, DO NOT rely on the shelter other than for blankets, heated room (and toilets!), and bottles of water.
15:30ish. Headed out to summit.
16:00ish. Summit! Took plenty of pics, then left. Haha.
16:30ish. Started on dinner, then went to sleep.

Sunday

06:30. Woke up, breakfast and coffee.
07:30. Sunrise. Take note – the beautiful view is blocked by the summit and CANNOT be seen from the shelter. I’d still rather not freeze so I’m happy missing it haha.
09:00. Started going down.
13:00ish. Back at the bus stop.
13:40ish. Took bus 7-1 again going back to the bus station.
14:50. Bus back to Seoul. It was supposed to be a two hour, ten minute bus.
19:00. Arrived at Seoul. Ouch with the traffic.

The start of the hike! This towering gate is the first thing you'll see upon getting off the bus. Pretty hard to miss.

The entrance is filled with so many statues and can easily entertain anyone for a couple of hours. But, we have a hike to do so off we go.

All was well, other than the fact that it was biting cold.

The river was gorgeous.

And the trail right next to it.

The path was well manicured, and has a gentle slope. Soon enough, it was mainly nonstop stairs.

Halfway, everything was covered in snow.

Just a winter wonderland here.

Pretty, aren't they?

We are finally at the ridge!

Still nonstop stairs.

And icicles!

We got into the hut, checked in, and left our bags there to go straight to the summit. This is our view looking back - that's the well heated mountain hut in the middle of the ridge.