Overview
The park is a UNESCO biosphere reserve and holds Korea’s densest concentration of granite spires; the outer valleys are walkable in a day, the inner ridges are serious mountain country. A cable car runs from the entrance to Gwongeumseong, a rock fortress ridge, which is why most visitors reach a summit without a long climb. Sinheungsa temple, at the gate, has a fourteen-metre bronze Buddha of 1997 that is the first thing everyone photographs.
Highlights
The Ulsanbawi trail is the classic day walk, four hours return with 808 steel steps at the end. In peak autumn the cable car queue is two hours; book online or go on a weekday. Buses from Sokcho take thirty minutes and drop at the park gate, where the entrance fee is separate from the cable car.