Travel Guide Parc National Sobaeksan 소백산국립공원

About 5 km from Danyang is one of the entrances to the "Little White Mountain" park. It is so named in contrast to the Taebaeksan, the "great white mountain" which gave its name to South Korea's main mountain range. The Sobaeksan, designated the 18th national park in 1987, is a less spectacular secondary mountain range than the Taebaeksan, but it's still a great place for hiking. The flora of this park is particularly rich, as demonstrated by the park's emblem, the royal azalea. In one of his essays, the Confucian scholar Yi Hwang, whose pen name was Toegye, likened the park's flowery landscape to a "colorful silk curtain". Beautiful words to describe an even more beautiful reality. That's how magnificent they are.There are several ways to explore this national park. You can start from Danyang and head 5 km east to the village of Cheondong, one of the park's entrances (you have to take a city bus). There are a few minbaks and yeogwans. From here, a pretty path leads along a stream to the highest peak, Birobong (1,439 m).You can also enter from the south and go as far as the Heuibang waterfall, above which stands the Heuibangsa temple. The trail continues on to other peaks. There are no famous sites within the park, apart from the beautiful Buseoksa temple on its eastern boundary. There are campsites at Heuibang and Cheondong, but no mountain huts.