Hiking in Korea is a whole experience, I tell you. Between cutesy things to see along the trail, mind-blowing views, and all the stairs (so. many. stairs.) – it’s like nothing we ever experienced in the States (and we hiked a LOT in Washington and Idaho). Sangtubong Peak has been on my list for a while now and I’ve been waiting for a free Saturday that ALSO had good weather (plus a decent AQI). So when I saw it was supposed to be in the upper 70’s this past weekend, I immediately started planning our hike.
Yeonginsan Recreational Forest
Sangtubong Peak is located in Yeonginsan Recreational Forest only about 35 minutes away from Camp Humphreys in Asan. Yeonginsan is a whole vibe on its own. Home to a spa (including a bath house which has been added to my list of “must do’s while living in Korea”), a pool, camping areas, cabins (that are shaped like mushrooms for some weird reason), a forest adventure area, botanical gardens, and so much more – there is something for everyone on the grounds. Because we didn’t have all day to spend in the forest, we headed straight for one of the upper parking lots so we could cut a mile or so off of the total hike.
Sangtubong Peak Trail
From the parking lot we headed up to the NEXT parking lot where we found bathrooms and a bug spray machine close by (which we found hilarious and also absolutely necessary as we were already being swarmed with bugs). We sprayed ourselves down, pulled Sangtubong Peak up on AllTrails, and headed up some steep stairs to begin our adventure. From what we could tell, there was a much less intense path we could have taken by just following the road around, but we were looking for something a little more intense, so up the steps we went. I’m not completely sure if we made the right choice, but we did end up at our desired location, so we’ll call it a win.
The beginning of the hike was one of the harder parts – after the steep staircase was a whole section of steep ground covered in sand. We nearly slipped multiple times and had to stop for a break even more and were grossly regretting our decision to embark on the hike about 3/4 of a mile in. Still, we weren’t in a huge hurry – and we were down for the adventure – so we pressed on. We stopped for some snacks and water and it wasn’t much longer before we reached a peak before the long descent into the botanical gardens. There was a long stretch of stairs leading down to the botanical gardens and a large grassy field where locals were playing frisbee, having picnics, and basking in the late-morning sunshine. Like so many things in Korea, it was a vibe that you’d have to be there to really understand. H ran around and made friends with other families – who kindly shared their snacks with her – and the older kids had a blast running in the open field. Brandon and I sat down to rest and wondered how our kids still had so much energy.
What was interesting to me about this particular hike was the complete lack of complaining coming from our kids. Honestly, our kids have never really enjoyed hiking. In fact, anytime we would tell them we planned to hike, we’d be met by all kinds of grumbling and groaning – which often continued throughout the entirety of the hike (at least from some of our kids). This time around, there was a little bit of complaining on the way TO the hike, but virtually none once we arrived and got started – despite the fact that it was way hotter than we’d planned and the hike was far more intense than we’d expected. Maybe it’s because we’ve refused to stop hiking just because our kids don’t love it (bad parenting exhibit A) and so our kids just accepted it. Or maybe our kids have just finally developed a love for hiking like us. Either way, it was a very positive experience for all of us.
From the open field and picnic area, we pulled the trail back up on AllTrails and we’re glad we did – I’m not sure we would have known which trail to follow if we hadn’t. We followed a narrow path as it wound around and led us to a tower with a spiral staircase. Of course, the kids were eager to climb to the top and we were eager for the views that awaited – and they did not disappoint. From there we continued our climb towards the peak of Sangtubong, completing the most brutal part of the journey – ascending what felt like an endless amount of VERY steep stairs until we reached the top of the mountain.
And when I say that the climb was worth it, I’m not kidding. Even with the smog from that not-so-fabulous AQI, we were blown away by the view below. The rice paddies (which are all flooded right now and are absolutely incredible to see) and rolling hills from above made for a satisfying end to a pretty intense hike. Our kids were exhausted, but in good spirits – happy to have conquered what was probably their most difficult hike to date. We took a long break at the top, enjoying the views, snacking on granola bars, and commending our kids on a job well done. And then, with the promise of ice cream, we started the long, winding descent back to the bottom. It’s possible that we could have gone a different way back down the mountain – there were three different staircases to take from the summit – but we figured we’d play it safe and just retrace our steps back to our car.
The way down wasn’t as intense as the way up – although there was way more climbing up stairs than we remembered – but it was slightly easier as MOST of it was downhill. Honestly, the whole hike was a good mix of up-and-down both ways, which added to the intensity of it (as well as the overall enjoyment). In all we did almost 1,400 stairs – which kind of blew my mind and explained why my calves were killing for the next two days. Ha! After getting back to the car, we drove down the winding road and exited the park, only to find a small café that served ice cream in a variety of flavors. Having promised our kids ice cream (and assuming we’d go to Baskin Robbins after getting home), we decided to try this local place and we were NOT disappointed. You wouldn’t think Froot Loops on ice cream would be any good, but it weirdly is. And ice cream so soon after our hike was EXACTLY what we all needed.
We’ve done multiple hikes during our time in South Korea, but this one was by far my favorite. It was a decent length and intensity and it was the perfect hike to really kick-off what feels like “hiking season” on the Peninsula. It got me excited and motivated to experience more hikes in the area and cross as many off our list as we can during our limited time here!
’til next time…
Ash
How to hike to Sangtubong Peak in Asan
Directions: We plugged 충남 아산시 영인면 아산온천로 16-24 into Naver which took us right to one of the upper lots. There are multiple lower lots that are free to park in and that you can get to the hike from, but be prepared to hike an extra mile each way.
Cost: We paid 7,000 total for our family of seven as we drove into the park. During the hike, there was a stand to pay more just before descending down into the botanical gardens, but it was unclear whether or not we were supposed to pay again (those coming from the opposite direction as us were paying, but others coming the same way as us weren’t). We decided to follow the advice of “when in Rome” and we followed others who were coming from the same direction as us.
Difficulty: On AllTrails this hike is rated as moderate, and I’d agree to that. That being said, there were MANY steep parts and SO MANY STAIRS – for our ages of children (and considering that Brandon and I were BOTH carrying toddlers on our backs), it was much more difficult than we were anticipating. Still, it is completely doable as long as you have realistic expectations (and, ya know, are in better shape than me).
