Travel Guide Parc National Chiaksan 치악산국립공원

This national park near Wonju in the southwestern part of the province is neither the most impressive nor the largest in the country. Nevertheless one can enjoy its beautiful scenery and above all, not least, tourists are much rarer here than in other national parks. The Chiaksan is therefore perfect if you are looking for total tranquillity. There were once fortresses on these mountains that defended Wonju City. There were also 76 temples (just that), and today only 7 remain, but none of them are really famous. The park has 5 different entrances, but the most popular and convenient is the one at Guryongsa in the north. There are 2 main peaks in the park. The first, Birobong is 1,288 m high and the second, Namdaebong, is 1,181 m high. 4 trails lead to Birobong. The round trip to the top of the mountain takes about 6 hours (10.9 km) and you have to be quite sporty, we must admit. From the top of Birobong you can also go down to the Ipseoksa temple and the village of Hwanggol (10.7 km, 5 hours). On the way we can cross a nice spring. One can also continue to 남댑봉 Namdaebong and descend from there to the fortress and Yeongwonsa temple, or on the other side via Sangwonsa temple 상원사 to Seongnamn village.