National Parks of Korea: Dadohaehaesang and Byeonsan Published June 16, 2011 By Staff Sgt. Eric Burks 2nd Combat Camera Squadron OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Editor's Note: This is the sixth article in a series highlighting national parks in the ROK. In January, I embarked upon a two-day trip to visit several national parks in the southern regions of the country. The plan was to stop at four national parks, a migratory bird sanctuary and a tea plantation. After visiting Naejangsan National Park and Suncheon Bay Migratory Bird Sanctuary Jan. 15, I rose early the next morning at a small motel in the city of Yeosu. The next stop was a sunrise visit to the Hyangilam Temple in a section of Dadohaehaesang National Park, about 30 kilometers away. Many visitors gather at Hyangilam to observe the first sunrise each year, as some believe if you make a wish there just as the sun is coming up on New Year's morning, that wish will come true. Being a skeptic - and also wishing to avoid crowds - I didn't mind arriving two weeks after the big event. I took national road 17 southeast along the coast, and arrived at the town of Yulrim-ri. A short distance from the temple is a parking lot for Dadohaehaesang National Park. This area is part of a small section of the park that lies on the Korean peninsula itself - Dadohaehaesang spans across seven coastal areas and many islands along the south and west coast; in terms of square kilometers, is the largest park in the Republic of Korea. Sunrise was quickly approaching, so instead of hiking to Hyangilam Temple, I found a spot close to the parking lot featuring a panoramic view of the local town and harbor. As it was still the dead of winter, waiting a few minutes more for the sun to come up was quite a chilling experience, but watching the sunrise above the harbor was well worth it. Next, it was back to Yeosu to check out of the motel and warm up with some coffee. Checking the weather online, it appeared that snow was anticipated for a majority of the region. However, at the time there was no snow falling, so I headed back north on national road 17 toward the next destination, the Boseong Tea Plantations. Also known as the Boseong Green Tea Fields, the site had been recommended by a co-worker whose hometown is in the same part of the country. While more visitors come to Boseong in the summer months, those who venture out during winter can experience an annual light festival - usually running from before Christmas through early February - where the rows of green tea bushes are colorfully illuminated. Continuing on national road 17 north, I arrived back at the city of Suncheon and turned west on national road 2. This route not only leads almost directly to Boseong, but also was the best way to reach another of the day's planned destinations, Wolchulsan National Park. However, about 30 kilometers before Boseong, it became more apparent that the day's weather forecast would come to fruition and snow flurries began to fall. It wasn't much, but I decided to skip the tea fields and drive straight to the national park. At the city of Seongjeon-ri, I took a right to head north on national road 13. The snow was coming down a little heavier, but it was not sticking to the roads, so I continued toward Wolchulsan. I had hoped to visit the Gureumdari suspension bridge in the northeastern corner of the park, so I followed the signs to the Cheonhwang Information Center near the town of Gaesin-ri. The now was still falling when I arrived at the visitor center, but there was one encouraging sight - quite a few cars were in the parking lot and it appeared the trails were active. Unfortunately, a ranger at the entrance informed me that the park would be not be admitting anyone else until the precipitation stopped. Since it didn't look like that would be happening any time soon, I decided to head out for the next and final planned destination, Byeonsan Peninsula National Park. Also known as Byeonsanbando, it's the only peninsula-based park in Korea with a mix of mountains and sea, according to the Korea National Parks Service Web site. At this point I wasn't going to attempt another mountain trail if it was snowing there too, but I knew the coastal areas would not be closed. I backtracked south along national road 13 to national road 2, heading west toward the port city of Mokpo. From there, I took expressway 15 north towards Gunsan, then exited at the Hajang-ri interchange and followed national road 30 west. This road basically makes a large loop around the entire park area, so it's the best route to take if you want to see all the beaches. The snow was still falling when I arrived at the first in the park, Byeonsan Beach, and it would prove to be the most scenic. Even in the cold winter weather, I was not the only visitor that day. The parking lot was fairly busy as families and couples would park, run out across the snow-covered sand to the surf, snap a few pictures, and then run back to their vehicles. The local seagulls weren't deterred by the conditions, either, but weren't making much headway when attempting to fly headlong into the icy wind. It was quite a surreal scene and definitely worth the trip. I continued south, then back east, along national road 30, stopping at a few more beaches and small towns along the way. With the coast to the west and mountains to the east, it was one of the most scenic highways I'd travelled in the country. Toward the end of the loop, near the town of Boan-myeon, I followed the signs back to expressway 15 and was again headed north for Gunsan. Since my car was running low again on gas, I thought it would be a good idea to stop at Kunsan AB, rather than pay the higher prices off-base. I hadn't mapped out this side-trip, so I called a co-worker who was able to provide directions to the base. However, once I had arrived, I learned that the gas station was already closed that Saturday. Nonetheless, it was a nice place to stop for dinner and coffee before heading back to Osan. Back on the road, the final leg of the trip was just over two hours, taking expressway 15 north to expressway 40 east. Since I did have to refuel off-base twice during the trip, I spent 96,000 Won for gas. Expressway tolls came out to 15,550 Won, and my other expenses were 9,000 Won in park fees and 40,000 Won for the motel. Grand total, the two-day trip cost just over 160,000 Won. I was able to explore three of the four national parks I'd visited, a migratory bird sanctuary, and had seen much of the southwestern tip of the country ... mostly covered in snow. Now that summer has arrived, visitors to the region won't see quite the same sights, but at least they can have a more traditional 'day at the beach.' For additional information on the National Parks of Korea, visit http://english.knps.or.kr/Knp/AboutNP.aspx?MenuNum=1&Submenu=AboutNP.