Fall Foliage and Temple Trails in Seoraksan
Seoraksan National Park is a national park located on the east-central Korean peninsula. It is listed by the South Korean government with UNESCO as a tentative World Heritage Site. UNESCO designated it as a biosphere reserve in 1982. the reserve includes the Dinosaur Ridge, Injegun, Yanyanggun, and Sokchosi. It is popular with tourists and nature enthusiasts. It is home to many rare taxa of flora and fauna. Cultural landmarks in the reserve include the Buddhist temples Baekdamsa and Sinheungsa. The reserve has an area of 163.6 square kilometres (63.2 sq mi) and includes many mountain peaks measuring over 1,200 metres above sea level, the tallest being Daecheongbong, at an altitude of 1,708 metres (5,604 ft).
Seoraksan National Park offers breathtaking views of Korea’s vibrant fall foliage. After the heat of summer, the cool air of fall brings a burst of color to the trees throughout Korea. On our trip, we went to Seoraksan during the peak foliage that is expected in late October. In some website the prediction of the peak foliage was october 23.
We stayed 2 nights in Osaek. We did a lot of things in Seoraksan National Park such as:
• Short Walk in Osaek trail during the night near to Osaek city.
• Five-color spring trail in Osaek. Beautiful walk, Its easy and the river canyon is breathtaking. Osaek Mineral Spring was the starting point for hiking Jujeon Valley. The trek was easy and included a number of highlights: Seongguksa Temple, a pagoda, Yongso Waterfall, and an opportunity to taste oseak, the region’s famous mineral water.
• View from Hangyeryeong Service Area. This 1,004 m-high pass connects Seo-myeon of Yangyang-gun and Buk-myeon and Girin-myeon of Inje-gun, at the border between Naeseorak and Namseorak.
Another day, We visited Seoraksan Sinheungsa Temple. It is a Buddhist temple on mountain slope featuring a bronze Buddha statue, reachable by hike or cablecar. Sinheungsa Temple was founded under the name of Hyangseongsa Temple by Buddhist monk Jajang during the reign of Queen Jindeok of the Silla dynasty.
