Gyebangsan hike info

Gyebangsan is the highest peak inside Odaesan National Park and one of the five tallest mountains in South Korea. It is not a jagged, rocky peak like Seoraksan. It lies broad and rounded, so from the top the view opens in every direction at once: the Taegisan and Odaesan ridges to the west, and layered lines of mountains toward the Seorak side to the north.

Winter is what made its name. It sits in the snowy Gangwon highlands, so rime and snow flowers come early and linger. The Unduryeong pass, where the main route begins, is already above 1,000 m, which leaves only about 500 m of climbing. That makes it a favourite first snow hike. Once you reach the ridge, though, nothing stops the wind.

Along the way you pass a grove of Korean yew trees, and in spring the dog-tooth violets bloom. Down in the Pyeongchang valley is the birthplace site of Lee Seung-bok, which many hikers visit afterward. The routes are short and gentle, but the weather is as moody as the height suggests. Carry a thin jacket even in summer.

From Seoul (KTX)

From Busan, Daegu and elsewhere (BUS)

To the trailhead (LOC)