baegunsan 백운산

1222 meters

6 km loop (approximately)

📍trailhead

I really wanted to camp and hike this year during summer vacation, but since I’m still recovering from my herniated disc, carrying my pack up a mountain wasn’t an option. So I set out to find a campground that allowed me to keep some distance from other campers, but also give me easy access to a near by mountain. I found the perfect combination with “Jinteul Pension and Campground” at the base of Baegunsan.

I arrived at the campground in the late afternoon to get set up and enjoy my time next to the stream.

The next day, I got up at around 5:30am which gave me enough time to pack everything up, get ready and have a quick bite before setting off to hike at 6:30am. I was really lucky because there is next to no parking at the base of the mountain for this route, so the campground owner was kind enough to allow me to leave the car there while I hiked.

Even leaving this early, it was already a “real feel” of 32ºC and I was determined to take my time, but still finish before it hit the “real feel” of 40º at noon.

The base of the trail is next to a stream, which has a great a set-up from one of the pensions/restaurants next to it. If I ever come back to this area again, I definitely want to have some beers and food at one of those tables post-hike.

Taking the route from Jinteul, is the shortest route to the top, but of course with being the shortest, it is also the steepest. The terrain is quite rocky so you have to watch your footing.

I like to hear the sounds of nature around me, especially in summer when the forest sounds are almost deafening with cicadas humming. However, I had seen some news and images from hikers meeting up with Korea’s half moon bear on this mountain. I was worried about sneaking up one one, so for the first time ever, I opted to play music over my phone speaker the entire way, listening to my “Mountain Road Party” mix.

After hiking almost two kilometers, you’ll reach a junction. I chose to follow the trail to the left and then return on the right hand side. I wanted to reach Sinseondae peak first, and save the highest peak for the finale before making my way back down. That’s right! A bonus peak!! Of course you can go either direction though if you plan to do the loop.

The hiking will get more difficult from here to the top, but you’re more than halfway there!

Finally, you’ll reach another junction. The main peak is about 300 meters away to the right, but don’t forget to visit Sinseondae peak first! You have to go left, followed by a quick right as it will merge with another trail approaching from the left.

You can actually see Jirisan (one of Korea’s most popular mountains) from here! The next photo shows the Jirisan ridge and peak, Cheonwangbong.

You won’t have far to go to get to Baegunsan from here. It’s only about 0.4km away and is clearly visible from this peak. Head back to the previous junction and this time go right. Despite the heat, I was moving rather quickly at the point, excited to finally be on the ridge. Once at the peak, you can enjoy the views from the large platform and climb up to the summit stone.

To continue the loop, take the stairs on the opposite side of the summit stone (visible in the picture below). At the bottom of the stairs, you’ll see more wooden stairs to the right, as well as a roped path to the left, but no sign. Go right and more wooden stairs will follow.

It won’t be long before you reach another junction. Go right towards Jinteul (진틀 3.3km).

The trail back down is similar to the way you went up, but perhaps a tad steeper. You’ll encounter a verrrrrry long set of stairs. For this I was thrilled because I could trot down them quickly, but the rest of the time I had to be careful due to the rocky terrain. You’ll meet back up with the original junction and continue back to where you started.

I’m really thankful that I got the chance to hike Baegunsan on such a beautiful day. Can’t wait for my next hiking trip!