Korea Monsoon Hiking: When to Cancel, When to Go
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The Question I Get Every July Somewhere around the first week of July, my inbox fills up with the same message in different words: 'We fly in on the 14th — will the hiking still be okay?' It is a fair question, and the honest answer is: sometimes yes, sometimes absolutely not, and the difference matters more than most people realise. Korea's monsoon season — jangma (장마) — typically runs from late June through late July, sometimes bleeding into early August. It does not rain every single day. But when it rains, it can rain hard and fast, and the combination of steep granite, high humidity, and sudden downpours creates conditions that are genuinely dangerous, not just unpleasant. After several summers of driving clients to trailheads from Seoraksan to Wolchulsan to Hallasan, I have developed some fairly firm opinions about when to push on and when to call it off. Here is what I have learned. Why Monsoon Hiking in Korea Is a Different Beast It Is Not Just About Gett...