Mountain park · North Chungcheong, North Gyeongsang
Woraksan
월악산국립공원
A rock peak standing over the water of Chungju Lake.
Yeongbong rises to 1,094m in a single steep block above the reservoir, and the last stretch is a long series of steel stairways bolted to the rock.
The park also holds Songgyegyegok valley and the old Silla-era route over Hanuljae pass.
Photograph by Rhythm, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized for this page.
Getting there from Seoul
Door-to-door estimates for a normal day; they stretch on a holiday weekend. Check the timetable before you rely on a last bus back.
Bus
Express coach from Seoul Dong Seoul to Chungju, about 2h, then a local bus to Songgye valley or Deokju.
Train
Train to Chungju on the Chungbuk line, then bus. Slower than the coach.
Car
About two hours. The lakeside road round Chungju Lake is worth driving in its own right.
Wildlife & plants
Animals
Goral on the cliffs, otters in the reservoir arms, plus wild boar and roe deer. Ospreys fish the lake.
Trees & flowers
Pine on the rock faces, oak and maple in the valleys, and wild azalea across the lower slopes in May.
Korea’s wildlife is shy and mostly nocturnal — you’re far more likely to see tracks than animals. Wild boar are the one to know about: keep your distance, don’t run, and never get between a sow and her young.
More parks
Bukhansan
A proper granite mountain inside Seoul, reachable by subway in under an hour.
Byeonsanbando
The only park that pairs mountains with a west-coast shoreline.
Chiaksan
Steep, quiet and hard work — a hiker's mountain near Wonju.