Chiaksan Birobong: Gangwon's 1,288 m Peak Few Foreigners Climb
The ridge smelled of pine resin and cold granite — and we had it entirely to ourselves.
It was a Tuesday in late October, and I was driving a couple from Edinburgh up Route 19 toward Chiaksan (치악산) National Park. The valley below was on fire — oak and maple going scarlet and amber — while the upper ridge held a thin line of snow from the night before. My clients had spent three days in Seoul ticking off Bukhansan. This, I told them, would feel like a different country.
Chiaksan Birobong (비로봉) stands at 1,288 m and anchors the southern end of Gangwon Province, about 15 km east of Wonju city centre. It is the highest point in the park and, by most measures, one of the steepest sustained climbs in central Korea. Yet almost no foreign trekking content covers it. That absence is the reason I keep bringing people here.
Why Chiaksan Gets Overlooked — and Why That's Your Advantage
Most guides route foreign visitors toward Seoraksan or Odaesan when they want a Gangwon mountain experience. They're not wrong about the scenery, but they are wrong about the crowds. Seoraksan's Ulsanbawi trail on an autumn weekend is a slow shuffle. Chiaksan on the same weekend is a proper walk.
The park draws mostly Korean day-trippers from Wonju, and the foreign visitor count is low enough that park rangers occasionally do a double-take when they see my clients signing the trailhead register. That low profile means well-maintained paths, fully operational mountain shelters, and a genuine sense of space on a summit that rewards the effort of getting there.
Getting There: Why Public Transport Falls Short
Wonju is reachable by KTX from Seoul Cheongnyangni station in roughly 50 minutes (around 14,800 won one-way as of 2024). The problem starts after you arrive. The main Guryong-sa (구룡사) trailhead is about 12 km from Wonju station, and local buses run infrequently — often hourly or less on weekdays, with no direct route to the upper parking areas. Taxis from Wonju station to the trailhead run roughly 12,000–15,000 won, which is manageable one-way but unreliable on the return if you finish after 5 p.m.
That last-bus-or-no-bus problem is why I get calls from people who have already attempted this independently and found themselves stranded at the trailhead as dusk arrived. Having a driver waiting at a pre-agreed lower car park removes the entire logistical knot and lets you focus on the 9.9 km round-trip to the summit instead of your phone signal.
The Temples Along the Route
Chiaksan's defining character isn't the summit — it's the density of Buddhist architecture on the way up. The name itself comes from a pheasant (치 / chi) legend tied to a temple rescue story, and the mountain has been a place of worship since at least the Silla period. Multiple functioning temples and hermitages (암자 / amja) sit within the park boundary, ranging from the large and well-restored Guryong-sa at the valley entrance to tiny hermitages tucked into cliff faces near the 1,100 m mark.
Start your ascent from Guryong-sa itself. The main hall was reconstructed in recent decades, but the surrounding stone pagodas and the approach boulevard of ancient ginkgo trees feel genuinely old. Give it 20 minutes before you push on; the building's rear courtyard faces a waterfall gully that most hikers walk straight past.
Higher up, Beopjeong-am (법정암) sits at higher elevation and is the last place to refill water from a natural spring before the final ridge push. Do not skip this stop. The trail above it is exposed quartzite and moves fast underfoot — you want full bottles.
The Birobong Ascent: What the Trail Actually Feels Like
Come in mid-October for peak colour, or early May when the wild azaleas (진달래 / jindallae) bloom across the upper slopes in a wash of deep pink against bare rock. Summer is humid and the leeches on the lower trail are real; I recommend avoiding it.
From Guryong-sa to Birobong summit is approximately 4.8 km with 950 m of elevation gain — that ratio tells you everything. The lower third through forest is gentle and fragrant, all pine duff underfoot. The middle section tightens into a rocky gully with fixed chains at two points that require hands-on scrambling. Nothing technical, but poles are a hindrance here; collapse them and clip them to your pack.
The final 400 m below the summit ridge opens onto a narrow spine with views east toward Yeongwol and west down into the Wonju basin. On a clear day you can see as far as the Sobaek range. The summit cairn is modest — a low stone pile and a wooden marker post — and on a weekday you may well have it to yourself for the 10 minutes it takes to eat lunch and look around.
Practical Numbers at a Glance
- Round-trip distance (Guryong-sa trailhead to Birobong and back): approximately 9.9 km
- Total elevation gain: approximately 950 m
- Moving time: 5–6 hours for a moderate-pace hiker
- Entry: Korea's national parks have been free to enter since January 2007. Car parks at trailheads usually charge.
- Nearest large town: Wonju (Gangwon Province)
- Best seasons: late April to early May, and mid-October
One Thing to Know Before You Go
Chiaksan has seasonal trail restrictions (통제 / tongje) that close certain high routes during fire-risk periods, typically March to May and November. The Guryong-sa to Birobong main route is usually exempt, but confirm with the park office or check the Korea National Park Service website before your visit. I check this for every client booking during those months as a matter of course.
I watched my Edinburgh clients reach the summit cairn at 1 p.m., eat kimbap in the wind, and stand there quietly for a long moment looking east. Neither of them said anything. On the drive back into Wonju — windows down, the valley still glowing — one of them said it was the best day of their trip. I believed them. Go find out why for yourself.
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