Daegwallyeong Pass

Daegwallyeong is an 832 m pass over the Taebaek Mountains linking Pyeongchang and Gangneung in Gangwon Province. For centuries it was the gateway between the inland Yeongseo region and the east-coast Yeongdong region. Today the top of the pass brings together an old footpath through the forest, the wind-turbine ridge of Seonjaryeong and high pastures dotted with sheep. It stays cool even in midsummer and gets heavy snow in winter, so it looks completely different from season to season.

A great pass, a great gateway

The name means "great pass" and "formidable gateway". To reach the capital, Hanyang (Seoul), people from Gangneung had to cross it: scholars heading to the state examinations and merchants carrying goods all walked this road. It was hard enough that Gangneung people used to say the happiest life is one in which you never have to cross Daegwallyeong.

Shin Saimdang, the Joseon-era artist born at Ojukheon in Gangneung, is closely tied to the pass. It is said that after her marriage, on her way to Hanyang, she looked back towards Gangneung from here and wrote a poem missing the mother she had left behind. Near the top stands a shrine to the Guksa Seonghwang, the guardian deity of the Gangneung Danoje Festival. Every year the festival opens with a mountain-spirit rite and a ceremony here, after which the deity is carried down into Gangneung. The festival is on UNESCO's list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The coolest place in Korea

Because it is a plateau above 800 m, Daegwallyeong has a climate of its own. Its weather station records a January average of -6.9 °C and a July average of 19.7 °C, both the lowest among Korea's stations with long-term averages. Summer nights stay cool, and in winter moist winds from the East Sea hit the mountains and drop heavy snow. Fog is common in summer, so clear, open views are something of a prize.

What to do at the top

• Old Daegwallyeong Road: an old footpath that descends through forest from Banjeong, near the former Daegwallyeong rest area, to the Daegwallyeong Museum on the Gangneung side. It is a little over 5 km and mostly downhill, about 2 hours on foot, with a restored inn site halfway.
• Seonjaryeong: a ridge walk from the old rest area (about 840 m) to the 1,157 m summit. With only a little over 300 m of climbing, it is popular with beginners, and the line of wind turbines and the views towards the East Sea are wide and open. In winter it is famous for snow-covered trees, but the wind can be ferocious.
• Daegwallyeong Yangtte Ranch: sheep graze on the pastures right beside the pass. A fenced trail of about 1.2 km takes around 40 minutes, and you can hand-feed the sheep hay.

Tripto tips

• Ranch tickets: adults KRW 9,000, children KRW 7,000, concessions KRW 6,000 (group discounts for 30 or more). Opening hours vary with the season and weather, and the ranch closes on Seollal and Chuseok days. In winter the sheep are kept in their barns.
• Best seasons: May–October for green pastures and the old road; December–February for snowy Seonjaryeong. Bring an extra layer even in midsummer.
• Time needed: about 1 hour for the ranch alone; half a day if you walk the old road or Seonjaryeong.
• Getting there: buses from Dong Seoul Terminal reach Hoenggye Intercity Bus Terminal in about 2 hours 30 minutes; from Hoenggye a taxi is the easiest way up to the pass. Drivers can park at the former Daegwallyeong rest area (Daegwallyeong Village Rest Area). If you walk down the old road, plan how you will get back to your starting point.