"Oseak Trail is the shortest route to the summit, steep, lots of stairs, well marked and maintained trail. Used a taxis to get to/from the trailhead, including an Uber taxi from Sokpo. Very humid, bugs not an issue. Hike is in the trees with few views. Trail open at 3AM in summer months. " — fredbrown585 • Aug 12, 2025

"Started at Seongpanak Trailhead in the dark and finished using the Gwaneumsa Trail. Rained on enroute to the summit. Hail and extreme wind/fog on the summit. Go early, the mountain was closed down at a checkpoint just below the summit temporarily due to extreme weather which I encountered on top. Since I had gone early and hike faster than most I was already on the summit when the mountain was closed. Hiking to the summit requires a reservation, which was easy to obtain given it was mid-week. Made it the day before. The website shows you the number of slots available and is easy to make a reservation. Make sure you have your passport/ID when you check-in for the hike in addition to the reservation confirmation. Had no issue using taxis to and from the mountain. Used Uber extensively in Korea to get a taxi. No need for Kakao Taxi app. Trail is well marked and easy to follow." — fredbrown585 • Aug 6, 2025

"Drove a rental car to the Jungsan-ri Visitor Center, parking in their parking lot (fee required). You pay when you leave and you need to know the last four numbers of your vehicle license plate so snap a picture. Signs to Cheonwangbong Peak, in English and Korean, guide the way to the summit. Hike is steep with stairs and well placed rocks. I started hiking around 5AM and saw no one for more than 30 minutes when I passed a hiker. Very humid, although no issues with bugs. Most of the hike is in the woods with some scrambling over rocks. Best to have shoes or boots with decent grip. I wore trail runners which were perfect for this type of hike taking care to avoid stepping in water puddles to reduce the chance of slipping on the many smooth rocks that form the trail. Nice hike, especially the upper third. Having trekking poles is a plus." — fredbrown585 • Sep 6, 2023

"24th June’23: - Finally yesterday I hiked the Mt. Hallasan(1947m) which is the highest peak of South Korea. - Ascended from Seongponak trail & descended from Gwaneumsa trail. - The views were amazing while descending from Gwaneumsa trail. - It was a cloudy day until the afternoon. After reaching the top the clouds were cleared so, I was able to watch some beautiful views. The weather is really unpredictable here. - With Hallasan, I competed hiking the top 3 peaks of South Korea before leaving this country😊✌️." — saiganesh • Jun 23, 2023

"Jirisan National Park : Finally here it is 🤩. hiked the 2nd highest peak of South Korea(Cheonwangbong Peak 1915m) in Jirisan National Park. I took the Jungsanri course to complete in a day. It was hard as the Jungsanri course is direct way to the peak which is completely steep from the start. But I enjoyed the journey. It was one of my greatest experiences 😇. There is an overnight bus to Jungsanri from Seoul Nambu terminal at 11.30 Pm and the return bus is at 3.30 Pm. For the people who rely on public transportation, I highly recommend this option. This bus is available only during weekends. — at Cheonwangbong Peak" — saiganesh • May 19, 2023