Odaesan hike info

Odaesan does not scare you with bare rock the way Seoraksan does. Five rounded peaks, Birobong among them, sit shoulder to shoulder, and the whole mountain is forest. Even at the top you get long, softly folded ridgelines rather than drops and edges. Walk the fir avenue at the entrance to Woljeongsa and you see why this has long been a mountain of temples.

There are three broad sides. Woljeongsa and Sangwonsa form an old Buddhist pilgrimage area, where people climb to Jeokmyeolbogung, a shrine tied to the bodhisattva Manjushri. On the east, from Jingogae, a trail runs over Noinbong and down the Sogeumgang valley with its falls and strange rocks. Same mountain, different mood: one side is hushed, the other loud with water.

Autumn colour is lovely, but the mountain's real season may be winter. After snow, the Sangwonsa route turns white and the ridge top is all frost-covered branches. The summit is much colder and windier than the road below, so bring a layer in any season.

From Seoul (KTX)

From Busan, Daegu and elsewhere (BUS)

To the trailhead (LOC)