Hiking Palbongsan: A Sunday Adventure Near Chuncheon
Late April 2025, Sunday
Living in Chuncheon, I finally went to Palbongsan Mountain, which was on my bucket list. Some say it's easy, others say it's challenging.
After lunch, we leisurely headed to Palbongsan. The cherry blossoms and fresh green leaves created a vibrant spring atmosphere.
We arrived at the Palbongsan signpost at 1:06 PM. We parked there, but soon realized it was a 10-minute walk to the trailhead. So, we drove back and parked right at the entrance. Since we were late, we found a spot on the roadside.
We initially walked to the trailhead (before driving back to park there). On the trail at the base of the mountain, many people were finishing their hike as we were just starting.
The hiking course covers peaks 1 through 8. Initially, we planned to complete all eight peaks. However, reaching peak 7, our legs gave out, so we couldn't go to peak 8. Instead, we took the path between peaks 7 and 8, which is the recommended B course (descent from peak 7).
This is the real entrance. Passing this green steel bridge marks the true beginning.
Let the ascent to peak 1 begin! While walking, we encountered a sign advising to use the detour because the routes to peaks 1 and 2 were dangerous. We followed the sign for a while, but the path felt strange, and we weren't sure if we were on the right track. It turned out we were skipping peak 1 and heading straight to peak 2. Not wanting to skip peak 1, we turned back and started from the beginning, the proper way. A lot of wasted effort from the start!
Arrived at peak 1!
It's so tiring just getting to peak 1. It felt like a rocket launching, endlessly climbing until it reached its orbit. We kept walking upwards until we got to that orbital point.
Arrived at peak 2!
Peak 2 has an observation deck, and a shrine where many people were resting. The eaves are too short to provide adequate shade. After some research, I found out it wasn't a temple but a mountain spirit pavilion (Sansingak) and a Sambuin Pavilion dedicated to three female deities.
On the way to peak 3.
Sky stairs! Due to my fear of heights, I just looked ahead and climbed the stairs. Finally, peak 3! I was nervous taking pictures because it was so high.
View from peak 3.
Peak 4
Peak 5
The reason there's no signpost at peak 5 is because the area around the summit is steep and sharp, with no place to grab and jump, so I didn't want to risk climbing it.
Let's go to the next peak! Peak 6!
We struggled to find the signposts at peaks 4 and 5, and now peak 6 is missing too! After looking around, we found it above us!
Peak 7!
I couldn't find the peak 7 signpost and thought it was missing, but it was there!
The junction of peaks 7 and 8. Peak 8 is said to be a very challenging section. My legs were already tired, so it seemed dangerous to go to peak 8, and my partner's condition was worsening due to the onset of body aches. So, we didn't go all the way and descended using the recommended course.
We came back alive!!
We started hiking at 1:30 PM and descended via the path between peaks 7 and 8, having climbed on all fours until peak 7. The information board said this course usually takes 3 hours, but we came down at 4:55 PM, taking 3 hours and 25 minutes. Longer than average.
Looking at the photos, it might seem like we climbed easily from peak 1 to 7, but we were almost the last ones to go on a Sunday afternoon when there were few people, so there was no one to follow, and there were many scary moments when we went the wrong way. There were many cliffs and places where we had to jump using momentum and step on staples. Palbongsan is definitely not an easy mountain, so I don’t know why it has the reputation of being one.
The summit markers were also small and hard to see. We went to the wrong places so many times while looking for them. This probably added to the time.
Also, I didn't bring gloves, so I wore my winter men's leather gloves from the car. My partner climbed on all fours with bare hands. Why are we like this?
Samaksan Mountain is also on my bucket list, but I can't even dream of it. I'm just glad we made it down safely.
We went to Ediya Forest and took a break while drinking iced Americanos. My partner's body was not feeling well, so she got a hot Americano. It was a hot day. Last week it snowed and rained and was cold, but a week later we're wearing short sleeves. The power of nature...
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