Seoraksan National Park

Before winter really hit, I wanted to get in a hiking trip to Seoraksan National Park. I had heard that this was Korea's Yosemite and there were some challenging, yet breathtaking heights. My friend Eleanor and I made it just in time to see fall sprinkle the park with orange, brown and yellow. Overall it was a great way to clear my head from the Seoul smog and overpopulation.

Getting there from Seoul is quite easy. We took a bus to Sokcho ( a small beach town and great summer destination) from the Seoul Express Bus Terminal. The bus fare ran about 17,0000 won and took around 3 hours. Then you take the 7 or 7-1 city bus and get off on that last stop at Seoraksan National Park. You will have to pay to get into the park, luckily for us our hotel was inside the gate so we only had to pay once all weekend.

If you do make the journey to Seoraksan I would definitely reccomend staying at the Seoraksan Tourist Hotel. Although the room was a little pricey (80,000 won/night), in Korean standards, it came with a  comfortable/normal sized bed, a large tub, and a breathtaking view of the Park. (picture below) Also, the manager, Charlie, speaks fairly good English and has a lot of advice to offer about the area.

A few other things to not about Seoraksan:

-if you do stay inside the park, beware that the restaurants are expensive

-there are several different hikes to go on but Ulsanbawi peak (seen above) will give you the most breathtaking view of the skyline, in fact my friend and I stayed up there for hours until the sun came down. 

-the Ulsanbawi hike is challenging the last 20mins when you're basically just climbing vertical stairs. Many people I have talked to say this is one of the hardest hikes they have conquered in Korea. For a out of shape drinker like me, I encourage leaving plenty of time to take breaks on the way.

-depending on the season there is a Hot Springs not too far from the park ground, which would make a perfect post hike relaxation destination. I regret staying in to watch TV the last night instead of going there. 

Overall I would encourage this destination to anyone looking to escape the city for a view days and replace your conscious with cool, crisp nature air. It' s an easily reachable destination that has so much to offer aesthetically.