A short and sweet adventure: Ulsan Bawi (울산바위)

What a view! The jagged ridge ahead of us split the world in two: rocky, snow-topped peaks to the left, and the gently sloping seashore on the right. Khaki-colored rock rose suddenly and sharply from the valleys to either side, making Ulsan Bawi (울산바위) look indeed like a fence. This majestic rock formation has graced dozens of guidebook covers and enticed thousands of visitors to Seoraksan National Park (설악산국립공원). Now, finally, it was our turn to climb this famed ridge!

A panoramic image that shows the entire rock formation known as Ulsan Bawi. The lower slopes are gently inclined and host a variety of evergreen and bare deciduous trees. But midway up, sheer-sided, sandy-hued rocks erupt from the forest and rise towards the sky. The rocks have many peaks and rugged, dramatic shapes. The sky above is a bright blue, brighter towards the sun on the upper right side of the frame.
Approaching the incredible Ulsan Bawi

Our first 2017 Seoraksan National Park adventure was in April. We went to the park during the middle of its annual spring closure, meaning the routes to the peak were off-limits. However, we were not deterred. This was going to be our first visit to Ulsan Bawi: a dramatic, prominent rock formation on the north-east side of the park. This area was not closed – and somehow also not busy!

We weren’t busy either, with this short hike on our agenda, so we took our time to appreciate everything. First, a stop to pay our respects to the giant bronze Buddha (and reminisce about the time we fell asleep in its shadow – way back during our first Seoraksan adventure!). Then, we took our time at each temple and hermitage along the way. Try as we might, we couldn’t topple Heundeulbawi – aka superman rock. But we could peek in sacred grottos and admire the rocky ridge looming closer and closer overhead.

In this image, the small figure of a woman prepares to bow to a massive bronze Buddha statue. The seated Buddha figure towers over her, a dusty green in contrast to the brown of the barren forest. Peeking out from behind a forested ridge nearby is the dramatic rock formation known as Ulsan Bawi.
A string of colorful paper lanterns bisects this vertical image. Beige rocks form the background and foreground, rising up in the background to become Ulsan Bawi. There are more colorful lanterns decorating the entrance to a grotto in the middle of the frame.

It was a perfect day to be out exploring. In the valley, the spring sun shone bright and warm. Colorful paper lanterns decorated temples and tree branches, in honor of Buddha’s Birthday.  Cherry blossom trees dazzled us with their pastel petals, set in contrast to an otherwise monochromatic brown forest.

An image of fresh flowers blooming on the nearby tree branches. Pale pink cherry blossoms are the first to bloom every spring and point to the arrival of the new season. A large, paved path leads off to the left, and there are several stone paths leading into the trees and alongside a river. The naked rock of Ulsan Bawi looms large in the distance over lower, forested ridges.
Petals and the peak!

But a cold breeze blew on top of the bare, rocky summit of Ulsan Bawi – reminding us that Korea was not yet out of the grips of winter! A blanket of snow still topped distant Daecheongbong. Evergreen in the forest were dusted with white.

An image of some of the many (800+) stairs leading up to the top of Ulsan Bawi. In this vertical image, the stairs lead up from the center of the frame to the bottom right corner. The rocky ridge of Ulsan Bawi rises up steeply through the center of the frame, forming many sharp peaks at the top. Distant ridges form less severely-angled, forested slopes.
Steps up to the summit
A panoramic image looking out across Seoraksan National Park from Ulsan Bawi. Many interesting tan rock formations line the bottom of the frame and protrude towards the center of the image. There are multiple ridges running through the middle of this photograph. The ridges are forested in brown during this early spring season. In the distance, the highest ridge is topped with snow. This is Daecheongbong, the highest peak in the park!
Seoraksan National Park, from Ulsan Bawi

Views in every direction were spectacular: looking out to the shores of the sea or across park at all its jagged peaks. With no reason to rush, we lingered here to take it all in. It was actually one of my favorite mountaintop stops: just looking and looking, finding little details to show each other.

A selfie of the author and her husband. The pair are to the left of the photo, squinting into the bright sunlight but smiling. Behind them is an incredible scene: the vertical rock walls of Ulsan Bawi rising up from a brown winter forest. The rugged peaks rise up into the sky over the author's shoulder.
Up high and happy

When we eventually made our descent, I felt calm and content. We’d explored a new area of the park and found it beautiful. And we’d had ample time to really feast our eyes on the views. Now we had experienced the famous Ulsan Bawi for ourselves!

Know and Go! Ulsan Bawi

Getting to Ulsan Bawi is simple, as this rock feature is near the main entrance to Seoraksan National Park (설악산국립공원) on the Sokcho side. City buses run to the entrance, or you can take a short taxi ride from downtown.

Ulsan Bawi is a short, easy hike – although it is quite steep in places. After passing a couple of temples, the hike is basically straight up, on stairs beside the vertical rock wall. It’s small only by Seoraksan’s lofty standards: Ulsan Bawi is actually stands 873 meters tall, and is incredibly prominent.

We visited during a time of year when we were some of the only tourists, so we had the stairs and summit gloriously to ourselves. In summer and fall, Ulsan Bawi draws the majority of Seoraksan’s casual hikers, so it can get pretty packed! If you can, I’d advise you to visit during the week or the off-season for a little more solitude.

But whenever you go, definitely go! This rock formation is famous for a reason. Upon seeing it, you might feel like you recognize it! Ulsan Bawi is often used as the photogenic face of Seoraksan, and even of South Korea.

It stands like a huge stone sentinel, guarding the northeast side of Seoraksan National Park. It’s the first thing you notice when you emerge from the long tunnel into Sokcho city limits, and it’s a dramatic and recognizable feature seen from Daecheongbong, too. It offers incredible 360 degree views over the natural beauty of Seoraksan National Park. It is a must visit! And luckily, because it’s a brief outing, you can add it on to another longer hike in the park.

An image of a signboard near the entrance of Seoraksan National Park. This sign has four arrows, the third one points the way to Ulsan Bawi, which is 3.5 kilometers to the right.
Signs point the way
A close-up image of the section of trail leading up Ulsan Bawi. Large red text indicates where the viewer stands, near the entrance of Seoraksan National Park. The trail is marked in purple and leads north past several temples to Ulsan Bawi.
Seoraksan National Park trail map

The Ulsan Bawi hiking trail forms an out-and-back course, with some short options for exploring the ridge on top. From the entrance, the top of the rock is 3.5 kilometers away, making for a 7k round-trip adventure.

Head back to the Seoraksan main page to check out other great hikes in this great national park!

Thanks for reading, and enjoy your adventure on Ulsan Bawi and beyond!

A photograph of the author, sitting atop a huge boulder on the peak of Ulsan Bawi. The author is seated on one hip, looking over her shoulder at the rocky peaks behind her. A metal railing separates the author from the jagged peaks of Ulsan Bawi, and still higher, forested peaks form the distant background.

Leave a Reply