Korea national park trail closures — 15 Nov to 15 Dec 2026

Park offices across the Korea National Park Service posted their autumn wildfire notices at the end of October. The wildfire-caution season itself began on 1 November, but the period in which high trails are actually shut runs 31 days, from 15 November to 15 December. Anyone planning a ridge hike at the tail end of the autumn colour needs to check the dates first. This article sets out which trails close and which stay open in Seoraksan, Deogyusan and Sobaeksan, where the offices published full lists, and explains how to check parks such as Jirisan, Taebaeksan and Byeonsanbando, which have so far published their routes only as maps.

When is the last day to climb Daecheongbong in Seoraksan?

According to the Seoraksan National Park Office notice (No. 2026-47), 11 trails close in total. Nine close from 15 November, and the two around Gombaeryeong on the Inje side closed from 1 November. The nine include Osaek to Daecheongbong and Baekdam visitor centre to Daecheongbong — the two standard summit routes — as well as Madeungnyeong to Hangyeryeong, which takes in the Gongnyong (Dinosaur) Ridge, and Biseondae to Huiungak shelter. In practice the summit is reachable only until 14 November.

Which Seoraksan trails can I still walk during the closure?

The notice says every official trail not on the list stays open; unbuilt side paths were never open in the first place. Two sights that lie inside closed trails are kept open as access points: you sign an entry register at the named post, and going beyond the access point is fined in the same way as entering a closed trail.

The autumn trail map the Seoraksan office posted alongside the notice marks these as open: Sogongwon to Biseondae; Sogongwon via Sinheungsa temple to Ulsanbawi rock; Biryong Falls and the Towangseong Falls viewpoint; Gwongeumseong fortress (Anrakam side); the Jujeongol valley route from Heullimgol past Yongso Falls to Osaek mineral spring; and the native-plant garden entrance to the Gamasogol entrance. Most of the valley walks starting from Sogongwon in Outer Seorak can therefore still be done.

What closes and what stays open in Deogyusan?

In a 29 October press release the Deogyusan National Park Office announced 11 fully closed trails and 2 partly closed ones. Only two of the fully closed trails are named: Anseong visitor centre to Dongyeopryeong (4.4 km) and Songgyesa temple to Baegambong (6.5 km); the other nine appear only on the attached map. Six trails stay open, and the notice and press release agree on them. They include the 0.6 km walk from Seolcheonbong (the top of the resort gondola) to Hyangjeokbong, and the route from Gucheondong past Baengnyeonsa temple to Hyangjeokbong, which makes Deogyusan one of the few parks where you can still reach a summit during the closure.

The Deogyusan office asks hikers to check open trails on its website or by phone before setting out, and not to smoke, cook or burn anything in the park. The same release says enforcement against smoking and cooking is being stepped up for the wildfire season.

How many Sobaeksan trails are closed?

The Sobaeksan National Park Office notice says 7 of its 20 trails close — 51.58 km of 101.01 km, a little over half the network by length. Most routes up Gungmangbong from the Yeongju side in North Gyeongsang close, and on the Danyang side in North Chungcheong the Baekdudaegan ridge section from Myojeongnyeong to Jungnyeong is included. Other routes to Birobong, the main summit, are not on the notice's closure list; check the attached map before planning.

What about Jirisan, Taebaeksan, Byeonsanbando and the other parks?

The Jirisan (South Gyeongsang) and Taebaeksan offices announced the same 15 November to 15 December closure, but their trail lists exist only as an attached map and a Hangul-format document, so we have not reproduced them. On 1 November the Byeonsanbando National Park Office said it would close 5 of its 15 trails: Badeujae to the Yonggakbong junction, Naebyeonsan visitor centre via Gamaso to the Gulbawi entrance, Sebong to Injangam, Manseok-dong to Gambul, and the Sebong junction to Gamaso. For other parks, watch each office's notice board as notices appear, and if a map is hard to read, phoning the park office is the most reliable check.

What to check before hiking during the closure

• Entering a closed trail without permission is fined up to KRW 500,000 under Article 86 of the Natural Parks Act.
• Smoking and carrying flammables such as lighters are banned in national parks all year round, not only in the wildfire season, with fines of up to KRW 2,000,000.
• Cooking and burning are also banned. If a long hike involves a stove, check the shelter rules as well.
• Dry-weather or high-wind warnings can close even open trails on the day, so check the park notice board or phone again just before you leave.

In short, the month from 15 November is a time for valleys and low-level colour rather than high ridges. Do Daecheongbong or the Gungmangbong ridge before 14 November or leave them until after 16 December, and during the closure pick a trail that is confirmed open, such as the Sogongwon area of Seoraksan or the Gucheondong valley of Deogyusan.

Getting there and what to expect on the trail

For Seoraksan, express and intercity buses run from Seoul (Dong Seoul and Seoul Express Bus Terminal) to Sokcho in about two and a half hours, and Sokcho city buses 7 and 7-1 go on to Sogongwon, the trailhead for Biseondae, Ulsanbawi and Gwongeumseong — all open during the closure. For Deogyusan's Hyangjeokbong, most visitors ride the resort's tourist gondola at Muju Deogyusan Resort to Seolcheonbong and walk the last 0.6 km; the gondola is a private operation, so check its own timetable and whether it takes advance booking in season. The national parks charge no entrance fee and the open trails need no booking. Trail junction signs and the main maps at trailheads carry English as well as Korean, but closure notices pinned at barriers and the closure lists on the park websites are in Korean only, so note the Korean name of your trail before you go. A closed trail is usually marked by a rope or barrier and a sign; if you are unsure, the ranger posts at Sogongwon, Biseondae and Hangyesanseong can point you to an open route, though staff may speak limited English.