Haeparang Trail Course 1: Busan Coastal Start
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Is Course 1 of the Haeparang Trail actually worth starting your east coast walk here?
Yes — and it is not even close. Course 1 of the Haeparang Trail is one of the most dramatic opening chapters of any long-distance walk in Korea. You are tracing a coastline that most Koreans associate with industrial port towns, yet within the first hour of walking you are perched on raw basalt cliffs above open Pacific water with almost nobody else in sight. That contrast — gritty city at your back, wild sea at your feet — is exactly why I keep sending clients here as a stand-alone day walk even when they have no intention of finishing all 770 kilometres.
The Haeparang Trail (해파랑길) runs from Busan all the way north to Goseong in Gangwon Province, tracing the entire East Sea coastline. Course 1 is the southernmost section, roughly 18 kilometres from the Haeparang Trail starting-point arch near Busan's Dongbaek Island (동백섬) area through to Ilgwang Beach (일광해수욕장) in what is now Gijang County, which is part of Busan Metropolitan City. It is officially classified as a moderate walk, and that is fair: the terrain includes short steep scrambles on the headlands, long flat beach stretches, and enough elevation change to keep you honest without ever being genuinely difficult.
Where exactly does Course 1 start, and how do you get there?
The official Haeparang Trail Course 1 trailhead sits at Mipo (미포), the eastern tip of the Haeundae Beach promenade in Busan. Look for the large stone arch marker near the Dongbaek Island (APEC House) end of Haeundae. Most guidebooks and the official trail app (which is called 'Haeparang Gil' on both iOS and Android) also mark the Mipo arch as the primary start point for Course 1. For the purposes of a single-day Course 1 walk, starting at Mipo is the cleanest approach and gets you onto the coastal trail immediately.
From central Busan, Haeundae subway station (해운대역, Line 2) is the closest public transport stop. From the station it is roughly a 1.5-kilometre walk east along the beachfront to the Mipo arch. If you are arriving on an Off Map Korea tour, we drop you at the arch itself — no subway confusion, no luggage storage puzzle — so you can start walking within five minutes of leaving the vehicle.
What does the trail look like in the first few kilometres?
The opening stretch from Mipo climbs almost immediately onto the Mipo headland walking path, a narrow coastal boardwalk and stone trail that hugs the cliff edge above the sea. On a clear morning the water below is genuinely turquoise where it hits the pale rock. You pass the entrance to the Blueline Park coastal train (블루라인파크), a converted monorail that runs on the old Donghae Nambu rail line — ignore the ticket queue and keep walking, because the view on foot is better than anything seen from a capsule car.
By the time you reach Cheongsapo (청사포) fishing village at around kilometre four, you have already earned your first rest. There is a small red-and-blue striped lighthouse on the breakwater, a handful of haenyeo (해녀) grandmothers selling raw sea cucumber from plastic tubs, and at least three pojangmacha (포장마차) stalls doing brisk business in 오징어 (squid) and instant ramen. Coffee is available but do not expect anything beyond canned americano or drip from a thermos. This is exactly as it should be.
What are the genuinely unmissable sections between Cheongsapo and Gijang?
After Cheongsapo the trail runs north along a dramatically eroded cliff section above Gudeok (구덕) and then drops to Songjeong Beach (송정해수욕장), a long sandy crescent that is popular with Busan surfers. Songjeong is where the character of the walk shifts: you leave the metropolitan beach culture behind and enter Gijang County (기장군), where the coastline becomes less manicured and considerably more interesting.
The stretch from Songjeong north through Jukseong (죽성) is, in my experience, the highlight of the entire first course. The trail climbs onto a series of rocky headlands where the path is sometimes little more than a worn groove in the stone, and the sea drops away sharply on your left. On the headland above Jukseong you reach 죽성드림성당, the 'Dream Cathedral' of Jukseong — a small white Catholic church perched almost impossibly on a rock shelf above the water. It was originally built as a drama set and then became permanent. It photographs as if it belongs in Portugal. Stop here.
What about the Gijang seaweed market area?
Continuing north, the path passes through the edge of Gijang-eup (기장읍) where the famous Gijang Seafood Market (기장 오징어 건어물 시장) sits one block inland. If your timing puts you here around noon, this is a logical lunch stop. The covered market stalls sell dried squid, miyeok (미역, sea mustard), and an assortment of pickled things that will confuse and delight in equal measure. Sit-down meals are available from around 8,000 to 15,000 won per person for a basic haemul (seafood) set. The market is not technically on the stamped trail, but it is a three-minute detour and worth every second.
The trail then continues north past 연화리 (Yeonhwa-ri) before arriving at the finish point for Course 1: Ilgwang Beach (일광해수욕장). Ilgwang is a wide, gently curved beach backed by low pine-covered hills. It is quieter than Haeundae, less developed than Songjeong, and a genuinely satisfying place to unlace your boots and stare at the water for ten minutes before your driver arrives.
How long does Course 1 take, and how difficult is it really?
The official distance is listed as approximately 18.3 kilometres. Most walkers with reasonable fitness and moderate pace complete it in five to six hours including stops. Add another hour if you linger at Cheongsapo and Jukseong Cathedral, which you should. The elevation profile is not severe — the highest point on the route is less than 100 metres above sea level — but there are multiple short climbs and descents on rocky headland sections that slow you down pleasantly.
The surface alternates between concrete promenade, bare rock trail, wooden boardwalk, and beach sand. Sturdy walking shoes are sufficient; trail running shoes are ideal. Full hiking boots are not necessary unless you are carrying a heavy pack. Trekking poles help on the rocky descents after Jukseong but are not essential for a fit adult walker.
Is there water and toilet access along the route?
Yes, reasonably well. Convenience stores (GS25 and CU are both present) appear at Cheongsapo, Songjeong, and near the Gijang market area. Public toilets are available at each beach and at most of the main viewpoints. The section between Jukseong Cathedral and the northern end approaching Ilgwang is the longest gap in facilities — roughly five to seven kilometres — so top up your water at Gijang market before pushing through that final section.
Why is a driver-only model the right approach for this specific trail?
This is the core reason Off Map Korea exists, and Course 1 illustrates it perfectly. The walk is point-to-point: you start in Busan, you finish in Gijang County near Ilgwang, which is an entirely different transport zone. Returning to your Busan hotel or continuing to Gyeongju or Ulsan without a waiting vehicle is a genuine logistical headache.
Ilgwang has a suburban rail station (일광역) on the Donghae Line, which does connect back toward Busan Bujeon (부전역). But 'connects' is doing a lot of work in that sentence. Services are infrequent, the journey takes over an hour, and you arrive back at Bujeon station in central Busan rather than near your Haeundae or Seomyeon hotel. If you want to continue north to Course 2 the next day, staying somewhere near Ulsan makes more sense — and you certainly cannot navigate that plan on public transport with wet socks and a tired pack.
With an Off Map Korea driver waiting at Ilgwang Beach, you finish walking, you sit down, you eat whatever is left in your snack bag, and then you go exactly where the rest of your itinerary requires. That might be a pension in Gijang town for the night, a drive up to Ulsan city, or straight back to a Busan hotel. None of these options require you to stare at a Naver Maps transit routing that keeps suggesting you take three buses and a subway.
Can the driver drop supplies mid-route or meet you at Songjeong?
Yes. Songjeong Beach (송정해수욕장) has straightforward vehicle access and a parking area near the beach entrance. If you want a warm meal at the halfway point rather than a market snack, your driver can be at Songjeong with whatever you pre-arranged — a convenience store lunch box, hot coffee from a nearby cafe, or a change of dry socks if the weather has been unkind. We do this regularly. It turns a respectable day walk into a considerably more comfortable one.
When is the best time of year to walk Course 1?
October and November are my personal preference. The summer heat and humidity make the exposed cliff sections genuinely punishing between July and August, and Haeundae beach in summer is among the most crowded places in Korea — starting your walk through a wall of beach umbrellas and floaties is not the meditative coastal experience you came for. September cools down but can still be humid. Late October delivers clear skies, reduced crowds, and that specific quality of East Sea light that makes every coastal photograph look slightly better than you expected.
March and April are also excellent. The coastal vegetation is low and sparse, which means the cliff-edge views are unobstructed, and Busan in spring feels awake and unhurried in a way it does not during peak summer. Winter walking (December to February) is possible and occasionally spectacular — the sea colour shifts to a deep grey-green, the beaches are empty, and the raw cold of a Gijang headland in January clarifies the mind immediately. Just be aware that some pojangmacha stalls close in deep winter and the wind on exposed sections can be genuinely biting.
What about walking in rainy season?
The Korean rainy season (장마, jangma) typically runs from late June through late July. I do not recommend scheduling Course 1 during this window if you have flexibility. The rocky headland sections become slippery, the views close in, and the experience of walking an exposed coastal cliff in horizontal rain is more survival exercise than pleasurable journey. The trail itself does not flood, but visibility can drop to near zero on the headlands. If you arrive in Korea during this period and want to walk, I would redirect you to a mountain trail with tree cover rather than this exposed coastal route.
What should you know before you go?
The official stamp and passport system
The Haeparang Trail has an official passport book (해파랑길 여권) and stamp system. Stamp boxes are located at designated rest areas along the route. If you plan to walk multiple courses over several trips, the passport book — available at the Haeparang Trail information centre near the Mipo start point, or through the Korea Long Distance Trails Association (한국의 길과 문화) — is worth picking up. Each stamp records the course number and location. Completing all 50 courses earns you an official completion certificate. This is not a gimmick; I have had clients plan three separate Korea trips specifically to accumulate stamps.
Navigation and the trail app
The official Haeparang Gil app provides GPS-tracked routing and works reasonably well in offline mode once you have downloaded the relevant section. Waymarking on the ground is inconsistent: the blue-and-white rectangular trail markers appear reliably on paved sections and disappear precisely when you need them on rocky headland paths. Download the app, download the section, and keep your phone accessible. The printed guidebook that Off Map Korea clients receive covers Course 1 with turn-by-turn notes and landmark photographs at the points where the markers go quiet.
Costs to expect on the day
Budget roughly 20,000 to 35,000 won for a comfortable day on Course 1. A basic lunch at Cheongsapo or Gijang market runs 8,000 to 15,000 won. Coffee and snacks from convenience stores add another 5,000 to 8,000 won. There are no entrance fees on any section of the trail itself. If you are curious about the Blueline Park coastal capsule car as an add-on, tickets run approximately 15,000 won per person for a short section, but as noted above, the walking path beside it renders it somewhat redundant for anyone with functioning legs.
How does Course 1 connect to the rest of the Haeparang Trail?
Course 1 ends at Ilgwang Beach. Course 2 picks up from Ilgwang and continues north through Ganjeolgot (간절곶), the easternmost point of the Korean mainland, toward Ulsan city. Course 2 is flatter and less dramatic than Course 1 but includes Ganjeolgot lighthouse (간절곶 등대), which has a specific claim to being the first place on the Korean mainland to see the New Year sunrise — a fact that the local tourism board mentions approximately once every seven minutes.
For a multi-day Haeparang itinerary, a logical two-day opening sequence is Course 1 on day one (Busan to Ilgwang) and Course 2 on day two (Ilgwang to Ulsan). An Off Map Korea driver drops you at Mipo on morning one, picks you up at Ilgwang that afternoon, delivers you to accommodation in Gijang or Ulsan, then drops you back at Ilgwang the following morning to continue. This is precisely the kind of point-to-point logistics that public transport cannot handle cleanly, and the reason clients book the driver model rather than trying to stitch it together independently.
Courses 3 and beyond continue up through Gyeongju's coastal fringe, Pohang, Yeongdeok, and eventually the unspoiled Gangwon coastline — but that is a conversation for another post.
My honest take after watching dozens of clients walk this route
Course 1 works because it earns its drama quickly. You are not walking through urban sprawl for three hours waiting for the scenery to start. Within forty minutes of leaving Mipo you are on a cliff edge with the city behind you and nothing but sea in front. That transition is fast and it sticks.
The clients who get the most out of it are the ones who resist the urge to push through and instead stop at Jukseong Cathedral for fifteen minutes with nothing in their hands. The ones who accept a raw sea cucumber from a haenyeo grandmother at Cheongsapo even if they are not sure they want it. The ones who arrive at Ilgwang Beach and sit on the sand for a few minutes before calling the driver, rather than walking straight to the car park.
Course 1 is 18 kilometres of Korean coastline doing exactly what Korean coastline does when nobody has paved over it yet. Start early, move at your own pace, and let the driver handle where you sleep tonight.
Private vehicle + English-speaking driver + printed guidebook + GPS app included.
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