Seoraksan: Baekdamsa riverside trail opens — 23 Oct–6 Nov

A short forest path in front of Baekdamsa, the best-known temple of inner Seorak, opens in time for the autumn colour. In notice No. 2026-49 (dated 14 October, posted online on 19 October), the Seoraksan National Park Office of the Korea National Park Service announced that the 0.79 km Eunseondo–Cheongnyongdam trail will be open from 23 October to 6 November. It is only a fortnight, but it lets walkers pass the last stretch of the Baekdamsa access road on foot — the part where shuttle buses and hikers have long shared one narrow lane — which matters to anyone walking up Baekdam Valley.

When it opens, and which section

The notice itself is brief. The section is Eunseondo to Cheongnyongdam, 0.79 km; the location is San 12-21, Yongdae-ri, Buk-myeon, Inje-gun, Gangwon; the dates are Friday 23 October to Friday 6 November 2026. It adds that the path connects to the Baekdam access-road walking route (Baekdam ranger post to Baekdamsa, 5.7 km), and that the dates may change with the weather or site conditions, in which case a separate notice will follow.

Why open this section on its own?

The location map attached to the notice shows that most of the access road from the Baekdam ranger post at Yongdae-ri to Baekdamsa had a separate footpath built alongside it in 2021–2023, and that only the stretch just before the temple was too narrow to split. The 0.79 km Eunseondo–Cheongnyongdam path is drawn as the way around that stretch.

According to LG HelloVision's local news report, it is a walkers-only bypass that crosses the valley on a suspension bridge, a project Inje County and the Seoraksan park office have been preparing for about seven years. The aim is to stop large shuttle buses and walkers mixing on the narrow road, and the same report says a formal opening is planned for November after the temporary period. The notice itself states neither the purpose nor a formal opening date.

How do you get to Baekdamsa?

Private cars cannot drive the roughly 6 km from Yongdae-ri to Baekdamsa. Visitors either take the shuttle bus from Yongdae-ri or walk in along the access road. The shuttle is a paid bus run locally, not by the Korea National Park Service, and we could not confirm its fare or first and last departures from an official source. On peak-colour weekends the queue can be long, so arriving early helps.

Seoraksan National Park charges no admission, and the notice mentions no fee for this trail.

What else to see at Baekdamsa and Baekdam Valley

Baekdamsa stands where the temporary section ends. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, the temple sits where the Gayadong and Gugokdam streams meet, and it is known as the place where the monk and poet Han Yong-un (Manhae) stayed and wrote The Silence of Love.

Tradition says the monk Jajang founded it in 647, under Queen Jindeok of Silla, as Hangyesa, and that the present name — "temple of a hundred pools" — comes from the hundred pools said to lie between Daecheongbong peak and the temple. In autumn the ginkgo trees in the grounds and the cairns that fill the valley bed are the views most people come for.

Entry hours change from 1 November

Midway through the opening period, on 1 November, Seoraksan's trail entry hours switch to winter times. According to the Korea National Park Service's entry-hours page, the times for setting off from the Baekdam visitor centre towards Socheong (for Daecheongbong) and Osaeam are as below. The temporary-opening notice does not say whether these hours also apply to a short path below the temple such as this one.

Entering a trail outside these hours can bring a fine under the Natural Parks Act. If you have booked the Socheong or Suryeomdong shelter, the cut-off at the Baekdam visitor centre is extended by one to two hours.

A fortnight to walk the new path below Baekdamsa

Because this is a temporary opening ahead of the formal one, these 15 days are a chance to walk the new path below Baekdamsa in the autumn colour. A sensible plan: shuttle from Yongdae-ri to Baekdamsa, walk the Eunseondo–Cheongnyongdam section, and if you have time, carry on towards Yeongsiam.

Getting there from Seoul, and what to expect on the day

Yongdae-ri, the village at the foot of the Baekdam approach, is the starting point. Intercity buses from Seoul run to Yongdae-ri; check times at the terminal or on the operator's site before you go, as autumn weekends get busy. From Yongdae-ri, ride the village shuttle up to the temple or walk the access road (about 6 km, mostly with a separate footpath). Nothing on this trip needs a booking or a Korean phone number. We could not confirm whether the shuttle takes foreign cards, so carry some Korean won in cash. The park notice and any change notice are in Korean only; a translation app pointed at the Seoraksan section of the Korea National Park Service notice board is the easiest way to check for changes. Bring warm layers — inner Seorak gets cold early in November, and daylight runs out by late afternoon.