National Parks of Korea: Seoraksan Published Oct. 20, 2010 By Staff Sgt. Eric Burks 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Editor's Note: This is the first article in a series highlighting national parks in the ROK. Earlier this month, I took the first step toward achieving one of my off-duty goals during my tour here: visiting all 20 National Parks of Korea. I decided to start at Seoraksan, having heard it was one of the most scenic parks in the country, especially during the fall. It's also one of the most accessible from base - the 51st Force Support Squadron's Information, Tickets and Travel office typically offers at least one trip each month - or through public transportation. Since I would be on-call during the next scheduled ITT trip to Seoraksan, I chose the latter option and planned a "do-it-yourself" trip involving no planes, a couple trains, and multiple automobiles. Steve Martin and John Candy would have been proud. Seoraksan is divided into three areas with distinct features: Inner, Outer, and South. For this trip, I decided to visit the Outer east region near the seaside town of Sokcho, a primary transportation hub for many visitors. My goal was to explore at least two areas: the Biseondae Rocks, near one of the central park valleys, and Ulsanbawi Rock, overlooking Sokcho and the East Sea. So at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday, I set out for the Songtan bus terminal. If you're planning your own trip, it's a good idea to bring along plenty of Won, as most buses, restaurants and hotels outside of the local area don't accept U.S. dollars, and not all accept credit cards. A ticket to the Nambu bus terminal in Seoul was 3,600 Won, and just after 8 a.m. the bus was on its way. The Seoul Express Bus Terminal, which has departures to Sokcho every half hour between 6:30 a.m. and 9 p.m., is just two stops up from Nambu on Line 3 of the Seoul Metro. Once at the express terminal, just follow the signs to tickets/information and look for the "Foreigner" booth ... you won't meet any hair metal legends, but you can get a deluxe express bus ticket to Sokcho for 24,400 Won. The trip takes about four hours, including one 15-minute rest stop. Bus schedules can be found on the Korea Tourism Organization website at: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/index.kto. From the Sokcho Express Bus Terminal, it's very easy to get to Seoraksan. Just go out the front door and cross the street to the local bus stop. Look for either the No. 7 or 7-1 bus ... one or the other arrives every 10-15 minutes and costs between 1,200 and 2,000 Won. The ride is just under 30 minutes and you'll get a nice tour of Sokcho and some glimpses of the East Sea as well. Seoraksan National Park is the very last stop before the bus turns around, and you'll know when you arrive - you can see the park information center, and nearly all the other passengers will exit. It was around 2 p.m. when I arrived inside the park, collected an English map and began the walk to Biseondae. The route was considered a short and "easy" hike - just an estimated hour from the information center - but dark clouds had already settled on the mountains and seemed to be just waiting to unleash a torrential downpour. I had come prepared with a small umbrella and waterproof camera, but nonetheless was hoping to stay dry as long as possible. All the way to Biseondae, my luck held, and the hanging clouds seemed to only enhance the scenic landscape - temples, bridges, streams and valleys. It took just 45 minutes to reach my first destination, so I then doubled back to begin the climb up Ulsanbawi Rock. The Ulsanbawi "course," as hiking trails here are called, proved to be a little more challenging. For starters, unlike some mountain "day trails" in U.S. national parks, this one didn't wind around to the summit. Instead, it was fairly vertical from the beginning, so it seemed as though I was climbing steps up an endless, rocky path. And that was before I got to a long series of metal stairs - the final ascent to the peak. But in the end, both the view and the sense of accomplishment were worth it. Even on an overcast afternoon, you can still all the way to Sokcho and the East Sea, and you have an impressive view of the park's many ridges and valleys. I made my way back down the mountain and out of the park around nightfall, and took a No. 7 bus back to Sokcho. There are several lodging options inside the park, but I opted to spend the night at a small hotel just blocks from Sokcho Beach. The plan was to catch an East Sea sunrise, head back to Seoraksan for a little more hiking, and then return to Songtan Sunday afternoon. 40,000 Won seemed to be the average at a few of the hotels I checked in the vicinity, and they only accept cash. Sokcho also features several large, Western resort-style hotels that do take credit cards, but you can expect to pay four or five times as much. The next morning, there wasn't much of a sunrise as the sky seemed even more overcast, but it was still nice to walk on the beach and take in a little sea air before another hike. After a cup of coffee - there are many shops, hotels and restaurants near Sokcho Beach, so it was easier than expected to find a café - it was back on the local bus to Seoraksan. For the second day in the park, I opted for a less strenuous hike and purchased a round-trip cable car ticket for 7,500 Won to the Gwongeumseong ruins on Bonghwadae peak. The car travels most of the way up the mountain, but there was still a good 15-20 minute hike to the summit. However, the view was impressive, and worth the trek. After that, I just hiked around the central area, visited a few gift shops, and headed back to Sokcho. From there, I purchased a ticket back to Seoul at the express bus terminal. The ride back was a little faster than getting to Sokcho - closer to three hours. From there, I took Line 7 of the Seoul Metro to Garibong, where I transferred to Line 1, which stops at Songtan. The total cost for my two-day trip came out to around 120,000 Won, or about $100 U.S. dollars. For those interested in a group trip with travel directly to and from Osan, the next scheduled "Mt. Sorak and East Coast" tour through ITT is Oct. 23-24. For more information, call 784-4254. For additional information on the National Parks of Korea, visit http://english.knps.or.kr/Knp/AboutNP.aspx?MenuNum=1&Submenu=AboutNP.