Palbongsan hike info

Palbongsan is only 328 m, yet it earns its name. Eight rocky knobs sit in a row along the ridge, and you drop down and climb up again at every one. There are fixed ropes, bare rock, and near-vertical iron ladders. Plenty of people write it off as a small hill and come off with trembling arms.

The Hongcheon River wraps around three sides of the mountain. On the peaks the ground simply ends under your boots, and the river bends slowly far below. A small shrine called Sambuin-dang is said to sit near the second peak, and there is a rock squeeze between the third and fourth knobs.

The trail opens each year around mid-March and closes before winter ice sets in, so check with the county before a cold-season trip. Autumn colour along the river pairs well with the rock, but the eighth peak carries a warning sign. If you are new to scrambling, turn back before it.

From Seoul (BUS)

From Busan, Daegu and elsewhere (BUS)

To the trailhead (LOC)