Jirisan Baraebong Backside: The Namwon Trail That Skips the Jeongnyeongchi Crowd
Off Map Korea English-guided walking trips through Korea. Quiet trails, hidden villages, slow moments. Driver-only, self-guided. ▸ Plan a trip Most hikers who make it to Baraebong — the 1,165-metre grass-topped peak on the western shoulder of Jirisan — arrive from the wrong side. They drive up to Jeongnyeongchi, the paved mountain pass at 1,172 metres, step out of a tour bus, and walk a two-hour ridge trail that is more rest stops than mountain. In late May, when the royal azaleas bloom and the summit turns the colour of a bruised apricot, that ridge is a slow-moving line of hiking poles and selfie sticks. There is a quieter way. It starts on the opposite side of the mountain, in a village called Unbong, where sheep still graze on the slopes beneath the summit and the trail begins at a wooden gate behind an old pasture building. From Unbong, Baraebong is a steady, honest climb — about two hours up through pine forest and herders' tracks, with no cable car...