If you know anything remotely about South Korea, it is all about its surrounding mountains and gorgeous national park that is worth hyping about.

Jirisan National Park known as the country’s first and largest national park is a gorgeous starting point for hiking.

In my opinion, spring and autumn are two seasons where the country’s landscapes truly come alive!

I may have missed the cherry blossom season but the red Azaleas took my breath away and were gorgeous.

Heck, I even cycled here taking the rural route starting from Mokpo to spend two days to hike and relax here. Even if you’re not so adventurous, there are so many hiking trails that you can do.

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What You Should Know Before Hiking in Jirisan National Park?

a splendid view of jirisan national park, one of korea’s best national park for autumn and spring sightings

🥾 Hike reservations: If you’re planning to hike here, a reservation is required on the KNPS website.
(p.s: I got a Korean to help me register but you can ask your guesthouse owner to help you!)

🚆 Transportation: The bus route is quite complicated. Best to book a train here on Trip.com from Seoul to Guryegu (there’s a 7am train). From there take a taxi or bus to Jirisan National Park.

🍁 Autumn Foliage tours: Not interested in hiking? You can book this tour from Busan that gives you a complete foliage tour of Jirisan: Autumn Foliage Tour of Jirisan.

🏨 Best places to stay in Jirisan National Park:
⭐ Hotel Jirisan Haetsal (I stayed here – it was so clean & cosy)
⭐ Camp Jirisan Parkview (next best option!)
⭐ Hanok Stay – JukRokJungSa (gorgeous hanok wooden stay!)

When Is The Best Time to Hike Jirisan National Park?

here’s the best time to hike jirisan national park

There are seasonal closures in Jirisan National Park mainly to prevent forest fires and protect these ecosystems.

I went towards end of April and it was perfectly fine to climb Ngodan peak. But you do see the trees looking a bit bare and burnt from the forest fires.

Spring (March–May): This is fire-prevention season, so many ridge trails are closed from early March until mid-May. But I went in April end and it was fine.
Summer (June–August): The park is fully open but sometimes it can be a bit slippery.
Autumn (September–early November): This is the peak hiking season and the best time to see autumn foliage. Many hikers time their trips for late October to catch the best of the colours.
Winter (December–February): Hiking Jirisan in snow is a quiet, magical experience, though conditions can be icy and tough!

What are the best hiking routes?

Difficult hike: Cheongwanbang Peak (1,915 metres): GPX route
Easy Hike: Ngodan Peak (1,505 metres): GPX route

The best hikes that people come to do in Jirisan National Park is either Cheongwanbang at (1915 metres) or Ngodan Peak (1,505 metres).

The first one (Cheongwanbang) is essentially the second highest peak in mainland Korea.

You get to see that whole sea of the clouds but bear in mind this is a difficult hike and you gain close to 1,300 metres elevation gain in a day.

It is a 11.4km hike of uphill struggle but the view is absolutely worth it just because of how gorgeous it looks — although there’s some steep stairs and stairway all the way to the top!

The second one I did is Ngodan Peak (1,505 metres) simply because of lack of time and exhaustion. I wanted a gentle hike and I found a lot of families carrying their kids to hike this!

I took me close to 3 hours and the length was about 7.7km. The sunrise would be ideal but even if you go a bit later it is gorgeous!

Hiking Ngodan Peak (My Experience!)

It was late April with gorgeous sunshine and crisp clear skies, but the trees were unfortunately mostly dead from the forest fires.

The views were a bit desolate but the waterfalls and energy of other hikers and breezy top made the whole hike amazing.

When we started there was already a warning that this was bear territory so it is important to take all your rubbish with you. There are currently a total of 89 Asiatic black bears, including four cubs that reside around Jirisan National Park.

The last sighting of a bear was in June. You’ll want to wary of bears if you’re going from June to August because it is mating season! The last was seen in June 2024 on the trails.

The trail was quite easy and you’ll find stones, stairs until you reach a check in point to scan your access code and then there’s a long stairway or boardwalk of sorts to the top.

It is not surprising to see Koreans on a school trip sometimes doing this trek, group of families, and people having one too much shoju.

I believe in Autumn and Winter the views can be quite spectacular in Jirisan National Park and perhaps the best time to do this trek as well!

At the bottom after descending, you’ll find cafes, a mini mart and even a CPR machine to test your skills of saving someone - you never know when you would need it!

Things To Do in Jirisan National Park

1. Hwaeomsa Temple (화엄사)

hwaeomsa temple in jirisan national park

I stayed close to the temple and it was one of the most breathtaking places. Since it is one of Korea’s most important temples, dating back to the 6th century, you’ll find temple stays quite common here in a mountain setting.

When we visited, there was a group as part of the volunteer camp and WWOOF program which offered the experience in assisting with tasks like tea harvesting on temple grounds or nearby tea plantations.

2. Asiatic Black Bear Eco Center (반달가슴곰 생태학습장)

There’s actually a black bear centre where you can learn about the endangered “half-moon” bears that inhabit Jirisan National Park.

There are conservation efforts and sometimes offers a chance to see these iconic animals in protected areas. I went a bit too late as they usually close by 2.00pm so do keep an eye out on the timings when you arrive there!

3. Piagol Valley

I kept hearing how Piagol valley is a must visit during Autumn. The valley is famous for its fiery red maple leaves, clear streams, and hiking paths.

It’s one of the best spots in Jirisan to experience the changing seasons up close.

You can also hike from Piagol to Banyabong Peak (which is less crowded than Cheonwangbang) with open views of Jirisan ridges.

But it can be a very demanding hike covering 16.3km.

4. Ssanggyesa Temple & Hwagae Cherry Blossom Road (쌍계사 & 화개 십리벚꽃길)

In spring, the 4 km cherry blossom tunnel leading to Ssanggyesa is one of Korea’s most famous floral spectacles. The temple itself houses important Buddhist relics and art.

This is a bit out of the way from Jirisan National Park and would be worth it to go if you have extra time.

6. Museum of Korean Pressed Painting

I didn’t get to go here as it was situated in Gurye’s main town but if you have time you should visit, this special museum holds the title of South Korea’s only dedicated exhibition hall for pressed-flower paintings.

It showcases approximately 600 pressed flower artworks, many of which have been recognized in exhibitions or competitions.

The museum displays works made using wildflowers sourced from the Jirisan Mountains as well which is pretty cool!

7. Take in the slow vibes at Jirisan’s cafe culture

some of the cute cafes in jirisan national park

To be honest, there were not so many cafes when we were there but the handful we visited in Jirisan were charming and gorgeous.

This place 카페시옷 was lovely and had some healthy food and sweet bread that you could pack for your hike.

Another place with a large bakery where you can walk around was called Ban-Yawon cafe. The rain covered garden and pastries look divine!

Jirisan restaurant also has some lovely vegetarian meals which was easy to make friends and have a nice dinner after our hike!

8. Gokseong Seomjingang Train Village

the scenic train ride between gurye and gokseong

If you have a car, you can drive 25km away to this train village and ride a restored steam locomotive along the scenic Seomjingang River.

If traveling by public transport, you can take a local bus or train between Gurye and Gokseong, then a short taxi ride to the village

It runs 10km between the old Gokseong Station in Seomjingang Train Village

We saw this while biking to Jirisan National Park and the train looked so cute passing through scenic towns!

9. Ssangsanjae

This was just in the outskirts of Gurye which I wanted to go but didn’t have time. Ssangsanjae is a collection of 15 traditional hanok houses spread over 16,500 square metres of gorgeous landscape in Gurye.

There’s an entrance fee of 10,000 won and you can grab coffee or cup of plum tea, and head out to explore the stunning gardens and bamboo forests!

This place has been passed down through 7 or 8 generations of oldest sons.

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