Juwangsan National Park in Gyeongsangbuk-do is the smallest national park in Korea. However, don't let that stop you from going there as it has everything you want in a national park from mountains, rivers to beautiful waterfalls.
About Juwangsan National Park Korea
Juwangsan National Park (Korean: 주왕산국립공원, Hanja:周王山國立公園) is part of the Taebaek Mountains in the North Gyeongsang Province of South Korea. Juwangsan was designated as the 12th national park in 1976. Its total area is about 100 square kilometers and is 720 meters high. The overall size of the park is quite small compared to other national parks in the country.
Juwangsan National Park now is home to more than 80 species of plants and more than 900 species of animals. Belonging to the backbone area of the Korean peninsula, Mount Juwangsan is composed mainly of rocky cliffs and deep valleys. Despite its small size, it offers great areas for walking and breathtaking viewpoints.
This is the smallest national park in Korea. @jiminnnkim
The name of the park is said to originate from the Jin imperial family of China. Wanting to reclaim the abandoned property, Chu Du, also known as Juwang in Korean, plotted to overthrow the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty but failed. Defeated, Juwang and his forces and family were driven out of China and took refuge in the Juwang mountains of Korea. Emperor Tang sought revenge and pressured the Shilla dynasty to find and kill Juwang. General Ma of the Shilla army found and killed Juwang, beheading him and destroying his palace in the mountains.
How to move to Juwangsan National Park?
If you are not in Seoul, Andong or near Juwangsan National Park, it can be quite difficult to get to this national park unless you are driving yourself. However, if you want to take public transport it's best to go to one of the cities I mentioned above because there there are buses that run directly to the park.
Although there are direct buses to the park from the cities listed above they do not operate as often. So it's best to check the bus schedules in advance to make sure you don't have to wait too long.
First, make your way to Gwangmyeong Station, where you can catch the KTX to Dongdaegu Station. Then take one of the first trains in the morning and it takes about 1.5 hours to reach DongDaegu. Then, walk to the bus stop connecting to DongDaegu station. Continue taking a bus to Cheongsong. This journey takes about 1 to 1.5 hours more. Finally, in Cheongsong there are quite frequent buses to Juwangsan National Park as it is the closest town to the park.
Hiking in Juwangsan National Park
Although Juwangsan National Park. is a small-sized park there are several hiking trails with great scenery. Especially during the autumn time, the number of visitors here spikes because the tree-filled hills turn a brilliant yellow-orange. Although there are many trails to choose from there is one popular main road that is best known in the park.
It's a roundabout 4-5 hours, first takes you to the top of Jubong - the highest peak in the park, then as you go around it takes you down to the main valley with its waterfalls, cliffs and Great scenery all around. Juwangsan is truly a surprising park with impressive scenery.
The trail itself begins at Daejeon Shrine, which is well worth your time to explore. Right in front of the temple there is a huge ginkgo tree which, if you time it right, creates a wonderful yellow foreground with the rocky peaks behind the temple.
From Daejeon Temple, the trail splits and you'll want to follow the trail up Jubong Peak. It was a steady climb but nothing too difficult or technical as there were quite a few stairs. In addition, along the way there are excellent viewpoints and platforms from which to see the beautiful mountain scenery. Continue walking along the mountainside and then you will begin to descend into the valley area.
If you come here in the fall, the descent into this valley offers some of the best views of fall colors and is not to be missed. Finally you reach the valley and cross bridges over a small stream and the whole area is jungle. It is a very peaceful and beautiful area.
As you continue down the path, you'll come to some of the park's famous waterfalls. These have crystal-clear pools and are great places to spend some relaxing time and enjoy a small picnic if you bring some food.
In the park there are waterfalls for visitors to relax. @wl_.young
Further down into the valley you'll come to what is possibly the most interesting part of the park and quite unique to Korea National Parks, where the trail is carved through the rocks and boulders big. As you weave your way through these cliffs, you'll be truly amazed to see the geography of Juwangsan National Park and all it has to offer is truly amazing. In this area is another waterfall and you feel so small standing among the rocks and cliffs.
Finally, you'll complete the path back to Daejeon Temple and possibly head back to where the bus dropped you off to return home. Like many of Korea's other National Parks, the entrance to the park is filled with food stalls and places to eat. If you have time you should stop at one of these places and recharge after your hiking trip.
