Autumn in Korea: A 3-day Road Trip from Seoul to Gangwan-do

Speeding: Korea’s ppali-ppali (hurry-up) culture means people floor it whenever possible. GPS apps warn about speed cameras, so it’s a game of speed-brake-speed-brake, creating bottlenecks every 20 minutes.

Korean Drivers: A mix of overly cautious and overly aggressive, and nothing in between. Most drive like they’re in a Fast & Furious remake. Many don’t use indicators, cut in at the last second, and honk just because they feel like it.

Speaking of toilets, the restrooms at a hyugeso always leave me with PTSD after doing my business. Imagine hundreds of urinals crammed so close together that you’re shoulder-to-shoulder with Mr Kim and Mr Lee. And it’s always packed, like Walmart on Black Friday. A full-on peepee factory. But hey, when nature calls, you answer.

Koreans will swear by certain hyugeso having the best food in the region. Some even plan their road trips around these pit stops. From grilled octopus to dumplings, pork cutlets to robot-made coffee, there’s something for everyone, even if you weren’t hungry when you pulled in.

One of my favourite hyugeso eats (and the rest of Korea’s) is sotteok, a skewer of sausages (so) and chewy rice cakes (tteok), brushed with a sweet and spicy glaze.

We stayed two nights with Jin’s cousin in Sokcho. For normal people—aka those without family in Sokcho—we’d recommend 2U Pension on Cheonjin Beach. It’s perfect for morning or afternoon strolls along the East Sea.

East Sea? Yeah, even though the rest of the world calls it the Sea of Japan, don’t even think about saying that in Korea unless you want a history lecture. It’s the East Sea, period.

Anyhoo.

On our second day, Jin’s cousin, a born-and-raised Sokcho local, suggested we check out Seongindae for some hiking and the best autumn views in the area. In the afternoon, we had a fantastic seafood lunch and swung by Ayajin Beach (아야진해변) for a stroll.

We left early on day three to take the Seoraksan cable car before returning to Seoul via the Yangyang Highway.

The view over Inje Secret Garden was stunning. The wide valley with trees and textures painted in fall colours was a proper autumn masterpiece. Besides taking in the peace and the colours, though, there’s not much else to do here.

Inje Secret Garden itself is actually off-limits due to its location near a military base, so you can’t walk down into the valley. There are no facilities except for a dingy toilet in the parking lot.

Here is the Naver Map Pin to the parking area.

Over half a million birch trees spread across 138 hectares make up Wondae-ri Birch Forest, also known as Whispering Birch Forest. Best way to describe it is a slice of Scandinavia hidden in Korea.

But why is there a metric fuckton of birch trees in the Korean mountains? Is IKEA secretly growing its own flat-pack supply out here?

Nope.

They were actually planted in the late 1970s by the Korean Post Office to support the paper industry. Digitization saved them from the axe, and today, the forest is protected and open for visitors.

After hiking more than an hour through pines and other trees found on a typical Korean mountain, we were suddenly met by thousands of slender, white-barked birch trees standing tall, their silvery trunks glowing in the afternoon light.

Being surrounded by nothing but white trunks of birches was an utterly surreal feeling.

We had our doubts on the hike up, but once we arrived, we both agreed that Inje Birch Forest is totally worth it. It’s definitely one of the best places we’ve visited in Korea.

But he was slow (as mountains are). By the time he finally arrived, all the spots were taken. Heartbroken and humiliated, he cried an entire lake. Defeated, he turned back toward Ulsan. But when he passed through Seoraksan, he stopped.

Now this—he thought—is the most beautiful place on earth. Why go back to dreary Ulsan when he could stay? And so, he did.

I love legends like this. It reminded me a bit of Fei Lai Feng in Hangzhou, an angry mountain that supposedly flew all the way from India before settling and finding peace in China.

Jin ordered the abalone rice porridge, and I went for the sea urchin bibimbap. Both were incredible. Like any good Korean restaurant, our meal came with a spread of tasty banchan (side dishes).

If you visit in autumn, you’ll find a huge patch of pink muhly grass next to the restaurant’s parking lot, a favourite photo spot in Sokcho.

The rock pools drew us in like moths to a flame. We spent most of our time at Ayajin Beach peering into the pools and spotting tiny fish, crabs, and sea slugs hiding among the kelp and seagrass.

Before dark, we swung by the Ayajin Port Red Lighthouse (아야진항 빨간등대), where we watched fishermen trying their luck in the little harbor.

The sea-themed murals added a nice touch.

There are also many seafood restaurants in the harbour area, where live fish, crabs, and shells are swimming in tanks before they are chosen and sent to the kitchen.

Don’t expect fish and chips, though; this is Korea. They will likely be served raw or in a nice and spicy stew.

After a full day of hiking, we were knackered, and our legs were wrecked, so instead of eating out, we headed back home and ordered Sokcho’s famous snow crab for dinner. It was a great decision.

Arriving at the Seoraksan parking lot, I pulled into a spot, grabbed my gear (where’s my extra camera battery?!), and we were just about ready to head off when—knock, knock—a parking attendant tapped on my window.

I rolled it down, and he told me I’d parked wrong. Apparently, I MUST reverse into the parking space, not go in nose-first. I pointed out that it’s not the law. He shrugged and said, “This is Korea. Do as the Koreans do. When in Rome.”

“Well, FML, it’s not Rome; it’s Seoraksan,” I muttered not so quietly under my breath. But there was no point in arguing. I sighed HEAVILY, put the car in reverse, and reparked.

As we walked to the cable car station, I couldn’t help but notice quite a few cars parked exactly like I had the first time. Guess they didn’t get the memo about Seoraksan being Rome.

From the top station, the views stretched across Seoraksan’s rugged peaks, with Ulsanbawi visible from a whole new angle. The dramatic rock formations and the autumn colors in the valleys were also very scenic.

At the base of the cable car station, there’s plenty to see before or after your cable car ride.

The Great Unification Buddha, a massive bronze statue, stands tall against the mountains, symbolizing hopes for Korean reunification.

Nearby, Sinheungsa Temple, first constructed in 653, is said to be the oldest Zen temple in the world.

After a few hours at Seoraksan, we ate cousin Seolla’s lunchbox in the car, punched Jin’s home address into Naver Map, and hit the road. We made it back to Seoul around 16:00, just before the afternoon rush.

Seoraksan Cable Car Info:
Hours: Usually 9:00-18:00 (depending on weather)

Cost:
Adults: 15 000 won
Children: (under middle-school): 11 won
Children under 3: Free

A Korean road trip in fall doesn’t get much prettier than ours. If you have any questions about our road trip or visiting Korea in autumn, drop us a message in the comments below
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