Best trails in Songnisan National Park
Songnisan National Park, also known as Second Geumgang or Sogeumgang (Small Geumgang), was designated as South Korea's 6th national park. This park's beauty and natural treasures have made it a place where visitors from all over the world come to visit. Check out the natural treasures which include: jeongipumsong, mandarin ducks, otters and endangered animals such as martens and the small eared cats.
The environment at Songnisan consists mainly of mountainous terrains. The main peaks here are: Munjangdae, Cheonwangbong, and Birobong, all of which are connected by the baekdudaegan mountain ranges or the backbone of Korea. Visitors can also visit one of Korea's largest temples here, head over to Beopjusa Temple located on Mount Songnisan. The temple is also home to the largest Buddha statue (Cheongdongmireukbul) in the world.
Top trails
Trail reviews for Songnisan National Park
**The national park stamp is at the big field study building directly on the road leading up to the temple. Their hours are 10-5 and the stamp is only out during that time** Really lovely trail that convinced me Songnisan is lowkey an upper tier park despite being a bit slept on. Certainly in the top 25% of Korean national parks. It's intermediate difficulty throughout, but the eastern part of the loop is a bit more difficult (rockier). The eastern part is also the most scenic, so I might suggest going counter-clockwise so your back isn't to the best views going down. The western side has more stairs, so easier for descent. The peak is nothing to write home about, but the trail as a whole is great. Sometimes it's the inverse in the national parks. I went in the late fall, but I suspect it would be great year-round. The rock formations are the main attraction and they look good regardless of season hehe. If you're using public transit, Daejeon is a good base (there's a bus directly to the park from there). Unfortunately as of November 2024 the return times were pretty limited (7:00, 9:15, 12:10, 2:30, and 5:40) so you definitely need to start early. Lots of great food/cafe options on the main street leading to the trails. Oh, and the temple at the base is gorgeous. One of my favorites in Korea. Definitely worth spending some time there to take it in.