When does the Chiaksan free shuttle run?

From 3 October to 15 November 2026, on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays only. Buses run from 08:30 to 17:30.

Where do I catch the Chiaksan shuttle to Guryongsa?

Board at the stop outside the Chiaksan National Park Office and get off at Sinheung-dong car park (425 Guryongsa-ro, Socho-myeon, Wonju) at the Guryongsa entrance. Coming down, board at Sinheung-dong car park; the bus stops at Guryong car park 1 (coaches) and ends at the park office.

How often does the Chiaksan shuttle run?

Every 20–30 minutes according to the park notice, adjusted to the number of visitors. One to four 25-seat buses are in service.

Do I need to book or pay for the shuttle?

No. It is free and there is no booking — you board at the stop during operating hours.

How late can I start up Birobong?

The park's trail guide says the route from Seryeom Falls towards Birobong closes from 14:00 in summer and 13:00 in winter. From the Guryong ticket office it is 6 km and about 3 hours 30 minutes to the summit, so set off early.

Is it worth going if I do not read Korean?

Yes. The shuttle needs no booking, ticket or form, so the only Korean-language hurdle is finding the stop outside the park office, and trail signposts in the park include English names. Plan around weekends and public holidays, and check the closure time beyond Seryeom Falls if you want to reach the summit.

Programme·Korea National Park ServiceOn nowFree

Chiaksan: free weekend shuttle to Guryongsa — to 15 Nov

Kang Shin-wookPublished 17 October 20263 sources checkedEditorial policy 이 글을 한국어로 읽기

Chiaksan shuttle notice and route map (Korean)

The essentials

Dates: 3 October – 15 November 2026 (Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays) (On now)
Where: Guryong area, Chiaksan National Park — park office stop ↔ Sinheung-dong car park (425 Guryongsa-ro, Socho-myeon, Wonju, Gangwon)
Admission: Free
Booking: No booking — walk up and board at the stop, so a foreign phone number or card is never needed.
Who it is for: Anyone visiting the Guryong area (the park asks that downhill buses go to children, older people and others with limited mobility first)
Language: Notices, timetable and route map are in Korean only; trail signposts in the park carry English place names. Expect the drivers to speak Korean.
Hours: 08:30–17:30, every 20–30 minutes (adjusted to demand)
Buses: 25-seat shuttles, 1–4 in service; extra buses on peak autumn weekends
Route: Up: park office → Sinheung-dong car park / Down: Sinheung-dong car park → Guryong car park 1 (coaches) → park office
Contact: Chiaksan National Park Office +82-33-740-9900

Written up from Korea National Park Service's own announcement of 30 September 2026. Details change — check the official page before you travel.

From 3 October to 15 November 2026, Chiaksan National Park in Wonju runs a free shuttle bus on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays between the car park outside the park office and Sinheung-dong car park at the entrance to Guryongsa temple, the start of the park's best-known autumn walks. Buses run 08:30–17:30 every 20–30 minutes and need no booking — you simply board at the stop. The catch: there is no service on weekdays, and the trail beyond Seryeom Falls towards the summit closes in the early afternoon, so a summit day has to start early.

In short

The free shuttle in the Guryong area of Chiaksan National Park runs from 3 October to 15 November 2026 on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays only — never on weekdays.
Board outside the Chiaksan National Park Office and ride up to Sinheung-dong car park at the Guryongsa entrance; buses run 08:30–17:30 every 20–30 minutes, according to the park notice.
It is free and needs no booking: you board at the stop. One to four 25-seat buses run, depending on demand.
The path from Seryeom Falls to Birobong closes from 14:00 in summer and 13:00 in winter, so start a summit hike on one of the first buses.
Nothing about the shuttle is signed in English, but there is nothing to book or fill in — the stop outside the park office is the only thing you need to find.

On autumn weekends the car parks near Guryongsa temple, in the Guryong area of Chiaksan National Park, fill early and the approach road jams. In a press release on 30 September and a park notice (No. 2026-29) on 10 September, the Chiaksan National Park Office announced a free shuttle on weekends and public holidays through the autumn peak season, linking the large car parks around the park office with Sinheung-dong car park at the Guryongsa entrance. Leave the car lower down, ride up, and you start the leaf-lined walk to Guryongsa, Guryongso pool and Seryeom Falls without the queue.

Clear water running between boulders in Guryong Valley, with red and yellow maples around the red-pine forest trail — Autumn colour along the pine-forest stream in the Guryong area (photographed 17 October 2015) Photo: Korea National Park Service · KOGL Type 1

When does it run, and how often?

It runs on weekends and public holidays only, within the autumn peak season. The park notice sets out the service like this.

Chiaksan Guryong area shuttle at a glance (park notice No. 2026-29 and press release)

Days: Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 3 Oct – 15 Nov 2026
Hours: 08:30–17:30 (adjusted to visitor numbers)
Interval: Every 20–30 minutes
Buses: One to four 25-seat shuttles
Route length: About 4 km round trip
Fare: Free

The peak-weekend dates differ between sources

The 30 September press release treats the weekends from 25 October to 8 November as the peak and plans 3–4 buses a day; the earlier 10 September notice says 4 buses on 31 October and 1 November. Both are plans, so treat extra buses as something decided on the day.

Zelkova trees on both sides of the road to Guryongsa turned orange, forming a tunnel — Zelkova trees forming a tunnel of autumn colour on the road into Guryongsa (registered October 2014) Photo: Korea National Park Service · KOGL Type 1

Where to get on and off — the stops differ up and down

The route map attached to the notice shows different stops in each direction. Going up, you board only at the stop outside the park office. Coming down, the bus makes one extra stop at Guryong car park 1, the large car park used by coaches — if you parked there, get off on the way down.

Uphill and downhill stops (route map)

Up: Chiaksan National Park Office stop (start) → Sinheung-dong car park (end)
Down: Sinheung-dong car park (start) → Guryong car park 1 (coaches) → Chiaksan National Park Office stop (end)

To shorten the wait for those who most need a seat, the park asks that downhill buses be left as far as possible to children, older people and others with limited mobility. If you walk comfortably, the leafy approach road from Guryongsa back towards the park office is a pleasant way down in itself. Sinheung-dong car park is at 425 Guryongsa-ro, Socho-myeon, Wonju.

Guryong Valley stream flowing between large rocks, with a maple tree at the water's edge — Autumn leaves over the rocky stream of Guryong Valley (photographed 17 October 2015) Photo: Korea National Park Service · KOGL Type 1

Why run a shuttle?

The Chiaksan office says the aim is to ease traffic on the crowded autumn weekends and to cut the distance visitors have to walk before the trail even begins. In the press release the official in charge said the park wants visitors, including those with limited mobility, to have no trouble getting in, and asked everyone to help prevent disorderly behaviour on the trails.

Red maple leaves filling a portrait frame above Guryong Valley — Autumn colour in Guryong Valley, portrait shot (registered October 2014) Photo: Korea National Park Service · KOGL Type 1

Where to walk from the bus — Seryeom Falls or Birobong

Guryongsa and Guryong Valley begin right where the bus drops you. For an easy look at the leaves, go as far as Seryeom Falls; for a full day in the mountains, aim for Birobong, the summit. The park's own trail guide gives these figures.

The two main routes from Guryong (KNPS Chiaksan trail guide)

Guryong–Seryeom Falls (3.3 km, 1 hr 30 min): Guryong visitor centre – Guryongsa – Yongso pool – Daegok safety centre – Seryeom Falls. A gentle walk that suits families.
Guryong–Birobong (6 km, 3 hr 30 min): Guryong ticket office – Guryongsa – Yongso pool – Daegok safety centre – Seryeom Falls – Saridari Byeongchang – Birobong. Real climbing starts at Seryeom Falls; the Saridari Byeongchang ridge path (2.7 km) is steep with many steps and rated very hard, and beginners are advised to take the valley path (2.8 km) instead.

Start early if you are going to Birobong

According to the park's trail guide, the route from Seryeom Falls towards Birobong is closed for safety from 14:00 in summer and from 13:00 in winter. The guide does not say which applies on which autumn dates, so if you are aiming for the summit, set off around the first bus and check the sign at the trailhead. The guide describes the 3.3 km Seryeom Falls course as a round trip, but its wording is not consistent, so allow extra time.

The roof of Guryongsa's Boganggru pavilion with a late-autumn mountainside behind — Boganggru pavilion at Guryongsa and the late-autumn hillside (registered November 2015) Photo: Korea National Park Service · KOGL Type 1

From the ticket office to Guryongsa's One Pillar Gate a wooden boardwalk runs apart from the road, safe enough with children; from the gate to the temple an earth path continues through a stand of Korean red pines, the trees once reserved for royal timber.

Temple halls of Guryongsa seen from the hill behind on a rainy day, with wet autumn leaves — Guryongsa in autumn rain, seen from the hill behind the temple (registered November 2015) Photo: Korea National Park Service · KOGL Type 1

Beyond the temple is Guryongso (also called Yongso), the pool tied to the legend of nine dragons that gave Guryongsa its name — one of the highlights of the Seryeom Falls walk.

A small waterfall dropping into the dark pool of Guryongso in autumn rain — Guryongso pool with its small waterfall in autumn rain (registered November 2015) Photo: Korea National Park Service · KOGL Type 1

From the Daegok safety centre to Seryeom Falls the path is broad and unpaved. The park advises hiking boots: the gradient is gentle, but the surface is stony and can be slippery. If you go on to Birobong (1,288 m), you choose between the Saridari Byeongchang ridge path and the valley path at the fork past the falls.

A trail signpost on the Saridari Byeongchang route surrounded by trees in autumn colour — Autumn colour and a trail signpost on the Guryong–Birobong (Saridari Byeongchang) route (photographed 11 October 2018) Photo: Korea National Park Service · KOGL Type 1

When is the colour at its best?

The park has not forecast a peak date for Chiaksan this year. The park's own photographs in this article show Guryong Valley and the ridges below Birobong in colour in mid-October in past years, with Guryongsa in late-autumn tones by November. The late-October and early-November weekends when extra buses are planned are also the most crowded; for a calmer visit, try the weekend before or an early start.

Before you set off

There is no shuttle on weekdays — weekends and public holidays only.
The number of buses and the hours can change with visitor numbers and the weather. Questions go to the Chiaksan National Park Office (+82-33-740-9900).
Entry to Chiaksan, like all Korean national parks, is free, but the car parks charge; follow the rates posted on site.
Parts of the trail network can be closed at short notice; check the live closure information for Chiaksan on the KNPS website before you go.

Layer upon layer of Chiaksan ridges in autumn colour, seen from below Birobong towards Guryong — Autumn ridges stretching towards Guryong, seen from below Birobong peak (photographed 11 October 2018) Photo: Korea National Park Service · KOGL Type 1

In the Guryong area the walk in is half the point, and skipping the fight for a parking space makes the whole day easier. The shuttle runs on weekends and public holidays only until 15 November, so plan around those dates. For other national parks in autumn, see Korea National Park Service.

Getting there without a car, and what to expect on the day

Chiaksan is in Wonju, Gangwon Province. Wonju Station is on the KTX line from Seoul's Cheongnyangni Station, and Wonju city bus 41 runs from the city to the Guryongsa area, according to local timetable listings — confirm the route number and the current stop names at the station's tourist information desk, since we could not check them against an official timetable. If you arrive by public bus you may not need the shuttle at all: it mainly serves people who parked near the park office. Nothing about the shuttle needs Korean beyond finding the stop: there is no ticket, no form and no booking, so a foreign phone number or card is never an issue. The notice, the timetable and the route map are Korean-only, and drivers are unlikely to speak English, but trail signposts inside the park carry English names (Guryongsa, Seryeom Falls, Birobong). Carry cash or a Korean transport card for the city bus.

Frequently asked questions

Q. When does the Chiaksan free shuttle run?: From 3 October to 15 November 2026, on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays only. Buses run from 08:30 to 17:30.
Q. Where do I catch the Chiaksan shuttle to Guryongsa?: Board at the stop outside the Chiaksan National Park Office and get off at Sinheung-dong car park (425 Guryongsa-ro, Socho-myeon, Wonju) at the Guryongsa entrance. Coming down, board at Sinheung-dong car park; the bus stops at Guryong car park 1 (coaches) and ends at the park office.
Q. How often does the Chiaksan shuttle run?: Every 20–30 minutes according to the park notice, adjusted to the number of visitors. One to four 25-seat buses are in service.
Q. Do I need to book or pay for the shuttle?: No. It is free and there is no booking — you board at the stop during operating hours.
Q. How late can I start up Birobong?: The park's trail guide says the route from Seryeom Falls towards Birobong closes from 14:00 in summer and 13:00 in winter. From the Guryong ticket office it is 6 km and about 3 hours 30 minutes to the summit, so set off early.
Q. Is it worth going if I do not read Korean?: Yes. The shuttle needs no booking, ticket or form, so the only Korean-language hurdle is finding the stop outside the park office, and trail signposts in the park include English names. Plan around weekends and public holidays, and check the closure time beyond Seryeom Falls if you want to reach the summit.

Editor's note · Kang Shin-wook

For anyone heading to Guryongsa, Seryeom Falls or Birobong peak on an autumn weekend. We checked the timetable against the park's press release, its posted notice and the attached route map, and filled in the interval and bus numbers the first draft had left open. For national parks in general — free entry, trail closures — see Korea National Park Service.

Sources

Official notice (Korean)

Written in our own words from the sources above, never copied from them, and every date and price checked against at least two pages. The originals are in Korean. Spotted a mistake? Ask for a correction.