Added to my list of fears: walking across suspension bridges. I’m only a little bit joking. Truth be told, this was a lot scarier than I thought it would be. At the time, I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to do it again. BUT I’m glad I did and now I can’t wait to find more bridges just like this one! If you ever find yourself in Wonju, hike to the Sogeumsan Suspension Bridge – you won’t be sorry.
Sogeumsan Suspension Bridge
I originally heard about this hike and the bridges from my friend, Missy. And then it seemed like I just kept hearing about it. I would see Facebook posts with epic pictures of people crossing these insane bridges. And it was the one thing that Brandon got really excited to go do. We meant to go in October, but shipping delays meant that the hiking baby carriers we ordered were coming later than we planned, and so we had to wait. I really didn’t want to be doing the hike in the winter, but thankfully, the backpacks were delivered and we were able to make time to go at the beginning of November.
Our household goods were delivered the day before we went on this hike. We probably SHOULD have stayed home and started unpacking our things. But the weather was GLORIOUS (better than we could have asked for in November) so we decided to ditch our adult responsibilities and go on an adventure. And we 100% made the right call. The hike starts off with 578 steps and it wasn’t long before we got our first closeup of the first suspension bridge. It’s a little confusing, but from what I can tell, this blue bridge is NOT the Sogeumsan Suspension Bridge and is just another bridge that you have to cross in order to GET to the main one.
Crossing that first bridge was a trip, I’m telling you. I hadn’t thought it would freak me out – considering the complete LACK of fear I’d experienced on our paragliding adventure in Boryeong in September. But the second I stepped foot onto the bridge and could feel it swaying… my stomach went up into my throat and remained there for the rest of the time I was on the bridge. Honestly, if it hadn’t been so busy, I would have sprinted (yes, SPRINTED – even with a baby on my back) to the other side. But, it was so busy that all we could do was slowly saunter forward while the bridge swayed and swung. At about the halfway point, the wobbling was at its worst, and I really thought I was going to have a panic attack for a second. I had to stop and catch my breath before I could even think about going any further. It was hard to move at all, but I did manage to have Brandon take one picture of me on that dang bridge. I might look happy, but inside I was FREAKING out.
It was a solid ten minutes before my legs stopped shaking and I felt completely normal. Was I glad I crossed the bridge? Yes. Did I ever want to do that again? No. The only problem was: we hadn’t even gotten to the main attraction yet! We stopped at the bathrooms and then followed the signs down some more steps and then up again after that. At this point, we could have chosen to follow an alternate staircase that would have allowed us to skip the main bridge. But of course we weren’t going to do that – we came for the Sogeumsan Bridge and a little anxiety wasn’t going to stop me. Soon we entered the Sogeum Cliff Walk, which was not as terrifying as the first bridge – as long as I didn’t think too much about the fact that the only thing separating us from a horrifying drop was a small metal sidewalk. Still, I managed to stay calm enough to enjoy the reality of it all (which was that this was all insanely cool AND we probably weren’t going to die) and to bask in the view as well.
The view from the cliff walk is really unmatched, especially with the fall colors in the trees. I’m not sure that anything any less beautiful could have distracted me from what seemed like certain death. Dramatic? Yes. But I never claimed to be anything else. After winding around the mountain on the cliff walk, we finally entered the sky walk (which was really incredible on its own) and took in the AMAZING views of the Sogeumsan Ulleong Bridge. This baby is one of the longest pedestrian bridges in South Korea. Hanging a whopping 100 meters above the ground and a massive 200 meters long – this bridge is awesome just to see. And we got to cross it!
The Sogeumsan Bridge was far more enjoyable to cross than the smaller bridge. Maybe it was because it seemed to be moving significantly less than the other one. Or maybe it was because this bad boy LOOKED heavy duty. Or maybe it’s simply because we didn’t die on the other bridge, so my confidence in Korean engineering was boosted. Whatever the reason, I really loved crossing this bridge! There were transparent tiles on the bridge that, while kind of freaky, were insanely cool. Remember, this bridge is suspended 100 meters from the ground – so being able to stand on the glass and look straight down was a ride!
After the bridge, it’s a pretty easy (albeit steep at times) hike back down. As we walked toward the parking lots, we got one more amazing view of the first bridge and it was cool seeing it from another angle. And, of course, an adventure like this requires yummy snacks afterwards. Thankfully, there was no shortage of treats and food to choose from. We finally got to try Hotteok (Korean filled pancake) for the first time and it was delightful. We also tried mini waffles filled with red bean paste – which is something that wasn’t unpleasant, but I still haven’t acquired a taste for. And we purchased some crab-cake-corndogs (for lack of a better name). I’m sure they HAVE an actual name, but honestly we thought we were ordering Korean corndogs. Ha! Thankfully, with a little bit of ketchup, almost everyone in our family loved them.
Through the whole hike we had people gawking, pointing, staring, and taking pictures of our family. I don’t believe anyone was doing or saying anything unkind. They just honestly aren’t used to seeing families of this size. I was carrying H on my back the entire time and at one point I found myself literally SURROUNDED by Koreans who wanted to take pictures with me and H. It was a little awkward, but mostly funny and they were all so kind and enjoyable. And when I finally broke free from the crowd of people and rejoined Brandon and the other four kids, we got swarmed again with people asking if all of the kids were ours. But, again, everyone was so nice. We are almost always met with thumbs up or clapping or “good job” when people ask about our kids. And that’s a nice change compared to the kind of reactions we used to get from people when we lived in Washington. As for our kids: they don’t seem to mind the attention AT ALL – which will come as a surprise to exactly nobody who knows our kids. They often get treats and money from random strangers, and even H has started waving and saying “Annyeong!” when she notices anyone paying attention to her.
So all that to say: we love the Korean people.
This adventure was really something else. I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced anything quite like it. It was the perfect adventure overall: good food, great company (my family AND the many kind Koreans we met along the way), incredible views, and a little bit of fear mixed in there too (or, if you’re like me and are afraid of heights – a LOT of fear). If you ask me, that’s the whole package. The longer we live here the more grateful I feel for the opportunity to have these adventures and share them with my husband and kids. WE LOVE KOREA!
’til next time…
Ash
How to visit Sogeumsan Suspension Bridge
Directions: Wonju is about a two-hour drive away from Camp Humphreys. Paste 강원도 원주시 지정면 소금산길 12 into Naver and it will take you to the main parking lot for the hike. If you go on a busy day (like we did), you will likely be redirected to one of the overflow lots. My suggestion? Get there early to avoid too many crowds!
Cost: Parking was free at any of the parking lots (if my memory serves me well – it’s been a few months since I wrote this initial post). The hike itself and suspension bridges require a wristband to get in and tickets for that cost ₩33,000 for our family of seven (about $23.50). Have Korean Won on hand just in case they don’t accept your credit card.
Difficulty: I would rate this hike as moderate. It isn’t overly challenging, but there are a lot of stairs and the way down is quite steep. Our older kids (ages 6-10) completed the hike with no real issues and our youngest two rode in the hiking backpacks.
Amenities: There are bathrooms located before you start the hike and more about halfway through the hike (just after the first bridge). In addition, there are plenty of food vendors and cafés along the street on the way to and from the parking lots. There was no shortage of food options – just bring cash!
