Mount Hallasan, the tallest mountain in South Korea, is located somewhat in the middle of the island of Jeju. Standing at 1950 metres height above sea level, it is possible the tallest mountain that I have ever trekked.
Climbing it wasn't my intention at all but once I got to Jeju, I just knew it was something I ought to do. Doesn't matter that I am not a very active person.
In fact, you will be surprised at the number of elderly aunties and little kids who will be making the climb with you. Then you will feel embarrassed once they overtake you. And overtake you they will - that is if your climbing and physical stamina are both s*** like mine.
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| A portion of the map of Mt. Hallasan |
There are about five trails from the base of the mountain with only two of those leading to the summit - Gwaneumsa Trail located at the North side and Seongpanak Trail at the East side of Mount Hallasan.
Seongpanak Trail is the longer of the two at 9.6 km versus the 8.7 km of the Gwaneumsa Trail but it is also the more gently sloped course. It is a popular trail known to provide the easier climb of the two. The Gwaneumsa Trail though, is said to be more scenic.
If you wish to experience the scenic trail but don't wish for the hectic climb up, consider doing the climb up via Seogpanak Trail then hiking back down via Gwaneumsa Trail.
We took the Seongpanak Trail to get to the summit because I wasn't in the best of physical fitness and didn't want to push it. And since we were planning to ride to the base of the mountain, we had to do the descend via the same trail where our scooter was parked.
Do note that if you wish to ascend via one trail and descend down the other, the only common point between the two trail is the summit. So you will have to reach the summit first before you have that choice. There are no other midway intersection points for the two trails.
The Other Three Trails
All these trails lead to Nambyeokbungijeom which is at a height of around 1745 metres.
Donneko Trail
At the Southern part of Mt. Hallasan. You could see the coast view of Seogwipo. The trail is 7 km long and takes about 3.5 hours one way.
From this trail if you hike another hour from Nambyeokbungijeom along the Nambyeok trail, you will reach Witse Oreum Shelter that connects to the other two trails.
Eorimok Trail
Located at the Northwest side of Mt. Hallasan. This trail is 6.8 km long and hiking it one way takes about 3 hours.
Yeongsil Trail
Also at the Northwest of Mt. Hallasan, this is the shortest trail at 5.8 km. A one way hike takes about 2.5 hours. Do be warned that if you plan to ascend via this trail, there are steep steps along the path.
*If you wish to have a relaxing hike, without care about reaching the summit, these trails are great options. With beautiful scenery to boot!
A popular option is to ascend via Eorimok Trail and then do a descend via Yeongsil Trail. Total time to accomplish the two way journey is about 6 hours.
Preparation for the Hike - What to bring along, etc
Shoes
I used regular shoes and they were alright for the most part. Though sometimes it feels like my ankles might get twisted or hurt during the descend.
Get more sturdy shoes if you can. Especially in winter, you will need shoes with better grip.
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| These are the shoes I wore. You could see the rip on the right pair if you look closely |
Water and Food
Bring lots of water and pack yourself some food. According to other climbers, there is a shop on one of the shelters but I didn't see one.
Also if you are running a tight schedule to reach the checkpoints on time, you might not be able to stop to buy food or drinks.
Suggestion:
- Get some Gimbab (similar to Japanese sushi) like we did. Really easy to eat - just pop it into your mouth along the way.
- We got ours from Mujigae Gimbab. Address is 294-25, Yeon-dong, Jeju-si, Jeju.
Jacket / Scarf / Gloves
It can get really cold while hiking the mountain so do bring some warm clothing to protect from the cold.
Insect Repellant
Get yourself some of these if you are prone to attracting insects while on hikes. Especially if you are going to hike with exposed arms and legs!
Wet Wipes
Might seem strange to bring this but the toilet at one of the shelters didn't have any basin. Wet wipes are your next best option.
Those are really all the items it took for us to embark on the hike. You could do with lesser items as well.
The Base of Seogpanak Trail / Visitor Center
We rode to the Seongpanak Visitor Center after having bought our breakfast (Gimbab). There was a bit of a confusion as to where we could park exactly.
We were chased from the spot we initially chose by the carpark attendant. No idea why with our language barrier. But managed to find another spot that didn't seem to upset him.
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| Seongpanak Visitor Center |
You could get a map from the visitor center. It is not strictly necessary because there were sufficient signs along the trail informing climbers of the distance covered and remaining distance to reach certain shelters / checkpoints.
There is almost zero chance of getting lost along the well-maintained path. Especially if you are taking the Seogpanak Trail. This is by far the more crowded trail to the summit. So lots of people along the way to follow.
The Actual Climb Up Seogpanak Trail
We started the hike around 9.30 a.m. and it was raining slightly at that time. It was a good thing we were dressed quite warmly for the climb.
This is the start of the trail (looking backwards).
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| You can see the visitor center from here |
There are three levels of difficulty along this trail - Easy, Normal and Difficult and the trail slowly progresses from easy to difficult as you make the climb.
The first part, the easy part is the most gently sloping course and it extends until the Sokbat Shelter and then about a further 1.7 km.
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| Most of the easy part of the trail - carpeted rocks |
Honestly, the views were less than scenic. Kind of wish we had taken the Gwaneumsa Trail instead. Or at least able to make the descend via that trail.
Sokbat Shelter
We reached Sokbat Shelter at about 10.45 a.m. taking around 1 hour and 15 minutes for the supposedly easy part of the trail. 4 km done, another 5.6 km more to reach the top!
Toilet is available for use...
From here we have to reach Jindallaebat Shelter (checkpoint) by 12.30 p.m. which gives us only about 1 hour and 45 minutes to cover 3.2 km. Of which half of the course was of 'Normal' difficulty.
According to estimates, it will take about 1 hour 40 minutes to get to the second shelter from Sokbat Shelter so without taking any rest we pushed on!
And it was bloody difficult!
I remember just climbing and climbing and climbing! Especially during the final kilometre to Jindallaebat Shelter, I had to pull from every strength I had inside of me to complete it. What made it worse was that I needed to use the toilet!
Lots of stairs...
Yet more stairs...
And then climbing these rather steep rock. You need to be very careful when climbing these as the path is quite narrow and you will be sharing it with people climbing down.
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| Wondering how I managed to climb these rocks |
And honestly, some of these people don't really care if they shove into you a little too hard. Ahem *Auntie* Ahem *Uncle*.
So make sure you have a stable footing at each step!
Jindallaebat Shelter (checkpoint)
Then finally at 12.05 p.m., we made it to the second checkpoint! Oh the pride I felt. Only I know the pain my entire body had gone through. Still I was rearing to push on to reach the summit!
But first, to the toilet...
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| Outdoor toilets at second checkpoint |
No toilet papers or hand wash area here. So bring out those wet wipes!
Then the bad news...
The absolute worse news anyone on a mission to a mountain's summit could get - The summit was closed to visitors!!!
Meaning we couldn't continue our climb! What a truly sh***y turn to the day!
Apparently while we were making the climb, someone decided that it is not safe or something to get to the summit (because we didn't hear this news when we first began the climb).
So we didn't make it to the summit in the end. Only reached a height of 1500 metres. Oh well, what can you do...
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| Path to the summit barred to us |
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| Jindallaebat Shelter |
Took lots of pictures here. After all I do need memories of my first mountain trek!
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| Here is one of them |
After getting enough rest and finishing up our Gimbab, we began our descend.
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| Entering the shelter for our much needed break |
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| Having Gimbab within the shelter |
The Last Leg of the Climb (for the Lucky ones)
If you are lucky and the weather permits, do note that the last 2.3 km of the hike is the Difficult part of the trail. Estimated to take about 1.5 hours to get to the summit.
Most importantly, there is a last time to leave the summit - 2 p.m. in the Winter / Autumn and 2.30 p.m. in Summer / Spring.
So if you start you hike up from Jindallaebat Shelter at the cut-off time, 12.30 p.m. (in Winter / Autumn), you will probably reach the summit at 2 p.m. (assuming you take 1.5 hours). That will mean you have to immediately make your descent. Which is a great waste!
Make sure you give yourself enough time to stay up at the summit by starting early.
I mean you do have to take the time to bask in your glory!
The Descend
Surprisingly the descend felt a lot worse than the climb up for me. Probably because there was no more adrenaline to fuel my hike. And no more motivation to reach certain checkpoints by a certain time.
We stopped to rest more often and of course ended up taking more pictures too. It's a waste the trail wasn't more scenic.
Descending the 'Normal' part of the trail.
Was even more tricky than ascending it. I guess I kind of (not very much though) understand why I was knocked against so much on the climb up.
Surprisingly the descend felt a lot worse than the climb up for me. Probably because there was no more adrenaline to fuel my hike. And no more motivation to reach certain checkpoints by a certain time.
We stopped to rest more often and of course ended up taking more pictures too. It's a waste the trail wasn't more scenic.
Descending the 'Normal' part of the trail.
Was even more tricky than ascending it. I guess I kind of (not very much though) understand why I was knocked against so much on the climb up.
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| Our stoic descent down the numerous stairs! |
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| More steps to descend |
Noticed this rock as we were making our way back.
It was during the descend that I truly wish I had better shoes. There were a couple of times when I actually caught myself from stumbling over the rocks.
And remember the carpeted rocks in the Easy part of the trail? Those were the worse to descend from! Just kept snaking on and on and on.
Finally though we reached the base with me feeling all exhausted and sore. There is a wash area that we used to wash the mud off our shoes.
And then off we rode away from the mountain we conquered. Oh alright - partially conquered.
** But it was such a well-spent day. One of the things I treasured most during my time in Jeju! Even though we didn't get to the summit.
For other ways to spend time in Jeju, do read my Four Days Jeju Itinerary.
Try to start the entire hike early though so you could take your time and enjoy the climb rather than hurriedly trying to meet cut-off times. And expect the entire two way hike to take up almost the whole day - 8 hours at least.
I hope you will enjoy your climb up Mount Hallasan as much as we did ours!
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