Obongsan hike info

Obongsan is only about 778 m, but on foot it feels tougher than the number. Five peaks, Nahan, Gwaneum, Munsu, Bohyeon and Birobong, are strung along a single crest, and between each pair you scramble over bare rock. Ropes and chains are bolted in at several points, so you use your hands a lot. Many hikers rate the rock ridge between the third and fourth peaks as the best stretch.

On the far side sits Cheongpyeongsa temple, tucked into an inlet of Soyang Lake. A boat from Soyang Dam jetty takes about 15 minutes to reach it. The valley path up to the temple passes Guseong Falls and Gongjutang pool, where the legend of a princess and a snake spirit is set. So hikers and temple-only visitors end up on the same boat.

In autumn the colour slides down toward the lake; in winter snow sits on the rock crest and makes it look rougher. There are two ways to do it. The classic is the traverse from Baehuryeong pass in the west, down to Cheongpyeongsa. The short option is up from the temple to the top and back.

From Seoul (TRAIN)

From Busan, Daegu and elsewhere (BUS)

To the trailhead (CAR)