Hallasan National Park

Incredible mountain to hike! The trail itself isn’t difficult, but it is very very long, also a lot of staircase and tricky rocky paths. It took us around 7 hours to complete the trail back and forth, which is around 20km total, including breaks and a lunch on top. Definitely brings lots and lots of water! The feeling when you’re on top is amazing! Being 2000 meters high up in the sky in altitude is an incredible feeling! If you have the chance to hike this volcano, it’s something to experience in your lifetime!

An incredible hiking trail! While you can't really explore the park other than the trail to the top, it's still an incredible place to spend a day. Take either trail up and take the other down for a great experience 😁

Absolutely stunning. The journey path consists of three types of difficulty level easy, type A difficulty and normal difficulty), still the 9.6 km (~ 5 hour) was enjoyable. There are two shelters over the whole route. Before the summit one need to book the slot through visithalla.jeju.go.kr website and the certificate of completion can be obtained from the kiosk. Also one need to bring water and food accordingly. The view after reaching the peak heals all hardship and tiredness of climbing. Those refreshing feelings keep you strong while coming back. And the overall experience becomes a wonderful memory for the rest of life ❤️ ❤️.

Hallasan National Park is incredible. Easily my favorite of the 8 other Korean National Parks I've seen so far. The highlight of course is hiking all the way to the summit of Hallasan, where, if you're lucky like I was, you'll get to see a sea of clouds below you as you stare down at a beautiful, sleeping volcano. But regardless of the weather and time of year, Hallasan is a beautiful sight to see. If you have the opportunity (and you're able to score a permit to hike to the summit via the Gwaneumsa or Seongpanak trails), you should totally do it. The hike to the peak is awesome, probably the most enjoyable one I've done in Korea. Getting there isn't exactly easy, but if you're in at least decent physical condition it shouldn't be too hard. It took me a little less than 6.5 hours to get to the top and back down, but I've heard some people say it took them around 9 hours. Either way, a hike to the summit is an all-day affair, so start as early as your permit will allow you to. I started at around 9:30am on the Gwaneumsa Trail and reached the final shelter at 11:40am, only 20 minutes before they stopped letting people continue to the summit. A 10am-12pm permit probably won't leave you enough time unless you move at a breakneck speed and don't stop for pictures or to catch your breath a couple times. Even if you don't make it to the summit, it's still an awesome sight, and if you take the Gwaneumsa Trail, the views along the way will be absolutely spectacular. Of course the best views are all beyond the final shelter on either course, so do try to make it there before last call. But regardless, this is perhaps my favorite thing I've done during my time in Korea. Wholeheartedly recommend

Wow what a beauty Hallasan is! The mountain was bursting with color when we visited late October, and also a very cold day so much so there was snow/icicles on the top of the mountain. We took the Gwaneumsa trail and while insanely beautiful, it was brutal, definitely do not attempt if you haven’t trained properly for this hike. Saw many people with hiking poles and knee braces, a great idea for this route as your knees will definitely wear down a little after this one! The trail itself is very well maintained and there is no way you can get lost once you start, it’s a straight shot up to the summit. Happy trails!

Good nice hike but I did prefer sokcho. It’s an all day plan that is recommendable if you are staying in jeju for a while but maybe skip out on if you are only staying a couple of days. If you are doing the hike all the way up I’d recommend starting early on your time slot to avoid rushing up. There is a cut off point along the trail that if you reach too late you won’t be allowed to continue so my recommendation is to start early and take breaks Knee braces I found super helpful specially on the way down since it is a long hike with uneven terrain which can be tiring on the joints

Remember to bring spikes for your shoes/boots and put them on or else you may not be allowed to climb. You can buy them from the store at cafe near the entrance to Yeongsil trail so no worries if you don't have them.

I ascended Hallasan on 13 October 2022 at 0800. Before you go up, sign up for a certificate appointment time at the kiosk near the trail head. The rest stops are very comfortable and have ample seating outside. The ascent was very humid...50 meter visibility. Many people recommended a jacket, but I wore a long sleeve shirt, t shirt and shorts and I was not cold. With the humidity, moisture wicking clothes are very helpful. The view of the crater is very nice, but there is no acces to the crater. The trail is brutal...its mostly lava rock. The Google searches show a wood plank walkway, but this is only about 20% of the trail. The other 80% of the trail is lava rock (see attached pic). This rock is very uneven and slick which makes the treck MUCH more difficult especially coming down. I fell twice on the way down and cut my ankles on 2 other slips. Additionally, there is NO POTABLE WATER. I used 3 liters on the hike. I also had to carry lunch/snacks. Overall the view was nice, but I don't want to endure that lava rock trail again any time soon. The view from Pikes Peak is nice too and MUCH easier to traverse.