Odaesan

Straddling Pyeongchang, Gangneung and Hongcheon in Gangwon Province, Odaesan is remembered for soft ridges and deep forest rather than jagged rock. From the summit of Birobong five peaks stand around you like a folding screen, and in the valleys below are temples and hermitages more than a thousand years old. It is one of the most sacred mountains in Korean Buddhism and has been a national park since 1975.

The mountain: five peaks and three districts

The main peak, Birobong, rises to 1,563 m. Together with Dongdaesan (1,434 m), Durobong (1,422 m), Sangwangbong (1,491 m) and Horyeongbong (1,561 m) it gives the mountain its name, "the mountain of five plateaus". To the west lies Gyebangsan (1,577 m), the highest point in the park, while below the detached eastern peak of Noinbong (1,338 m) opens the rocky valley of Sogeumgang.

The national park is therefore divided into the Odaesan, Sogeumgang and Gyebangsan districts. Odaesan and Gyebangsan are gentle earth mountains with flattish summits and easy ridges, while granite Sogeumgang, "little Geumgangsan", is all crags and waterfalls. Odaesan sits in the middle of the Baekdudaegan, the mountain spine running from Baekdusan to Jirisan, between Seoraksan and Taebaeksan.

History: the mountain of Manjushri

In 643 the Silla monk Jajang is said to have met the bodhisattva Manjushri on Mount Wutai in China and been told that a similar five-peaked mountain existed in Silla. Back home he founded Woljeongsa in the central valley and enshrined relics of the Buddha on the southern slope of Birobong, today's Jeongmyeol Bogung. From then on Odaesan was revered as Manjushri's dwelling place, and Sangwonsa and many hermitages grew up beneath the five peaks.

In the late Joseon period one of the dynasty's archives for the royal annals, the Odaesan Sago, was also kept in these mountains. An iris first found here in 1964 was named Iris odaesanensis after the mountain. Part of the high moorland deep in the forest was listed as a Ramsar wetland in 2008 and is closed to the public to protect its ecology.

Classic routes

• Birobong route: Sangwonsa → Jungdaesa → Jeongmyeol Bogung → Birobong, 3.4 km, about 1 hour 40 minutes one way; the shortest way to the summit, past the relic shrine.
• Sangwangbong loop: Sangwonsa → Birobong → Sangwangbong → Durollyeong → Bukdaesa → Sangwonsa, 14.1 km, about 5 hours 30 minutes, a big circuit along the ridge.
• Seonjae-gil: Woljeongsa → Dongpigol → Sangwonsa, 9 km, about 3 hours 30 minutes, a level forest walk along the stream, good if you would rather not climb.
• Sogeumgang route: Mureunggye → Sipjaso → Yeonhwadam → Sikdangam → Guryong Falls → Manmulsang → Baegundae → Nagyeong Falls → Noinbong → Jingogae, 13.3 km, about 7 hours. Even a round trip to Guryong Falls shows you the best of Sogeumgang's rock scenery.
• Dongdaesan route: Jingogae → Dongdaesan → Dongpigol, 4.4 km, about 2 hours 10 minutes.

Nearby

• Woljeongsa: the large temple at the entrance to the mountain, famous for its fir forest path and octagonal nine-storey pagoda.
• Sangwonsa: the trailhead for Birobong, home to a bronze bell cast in 725.
• Sogeumgang: the rocky valley in the eastern, Gangneung side of the national park.

Tripto tips

• Admission: free. Parking for cars starts at KRW 1,100 for the first hour, then rises with time.
• Trail hours: as a guide, trails can be entered 04:00–16:00 in summer (April–October) and 05:00–15:00 in winter (November–March), but this varies by section. Night hiking, from sunset until two hours before sunrise, is banned all year.
• Seasonal closures: some trails close during the fire-risk seasons in spring (2 March–30 April) and autumn (15 November–15 December). Check the national park website before setting out.
• Best time: autumn colours and winter hoarfrost are especially beautiful. The ridges are very windy in winter, so bring proper cold-weather gear.
• Time needed: half a day for the Seonjae-gil alone, 3–4 hours for Birobong and back, and a full day for the big ridge loop or the full Sogeumgang traverse.