Cheongsong guide: Jusanji Pond, Juwangsan's gorge and where to stay

Jusanji Pond: go early, and check the 2026 road closure

Jusanji is small, and you should know that before you drive a long way to see it. VisitKorea describes it as a man-made reservoir inside Juwangsan National Park. Work began in August 1720 and finished in October of the following year. It is about 200 metres long and 8 metres deep, and VisitKorea says it has never dried up, even in a drought. The reason to come is the willow trees rooted in the water itself, about 150 years old by VisitKorea's estimate. Their trunks rise out of the still surface against wooded slopes. It is one of the most photographed views in Korea.

Plan Jusanji as a short visit of an hour or two, not a full day. Come early in the morning, especially on autumn weekends, before the crowds arrive. Keep to the paths and the viewing areas by the water. The trees are old and grow at the edge of the pond.

Access in October 2026: the Juwangsan National Park office announced that the county is building a Jusanji tourist site. To keep visitors safe, the access road (rural road 301, between Jusanji-ri 186-8 and Jusanji-ri 83) is closed from 25 August to 23 October 2026. During the closure you park at the Jusanji Theme Park car park (Jusanji-ri 112) and walk in on a temporary path. If you visit around those dates, check the national park website or call Cheongsong County's tourism policy division on +82-54-870-6239.

Juwangsan: the valley walk to three waterfalls

Juwangsan became Korea's 12th national park in 1976. The Korea National Park Service describes a ring of peaks around Juwangsan (722 m) and calls it one of the three great rock mountains of Korea. Its cliffs are made of welded tuff, left by lava that flowed and cooled about 70 million years ago. Most visitors start at Sangui car park and walk past Daejeonsa Temple, where the rock peaks rise right behind the main hall. VisitKorea says the temple was founded in 672 and rebuilt in 1672, after a fire during the Imjin War destroyed the original buildings. When we checked on 2026-10-03, VisitKorea listed the temple as open from sunrise to sunset, with a cultural-heritage admission of 4,500 won for adults. Check this at the gate, because we could not confirm it with the temple.

The Juwang Valley course is the walk to do if you only have one. The park service gives it as 5.3 km from Sangui car park to the old Naewon-dong village site, taking about 2 hours 10 minutes. The first 2.7 km to Yongchu Falls is a flat dirt path (about 1 hour 15 minutes) along the stream, suitable for children, older walkers, pushchairs and wheelchairs. Beyond Yongchu the path is stony, with wooden decks and bridges. Pushchairs and wheelchairs cannot manage it, but trainers are fine.

VisitKorea describes the three falls in order. Yongchu Falls pours through a narrow gorge of encircling rock. Jeolgu Falls, with the Seonnyeotang pool below it, is about 1 km further on. Yongyeon Falls, the largest of the three, has two streams of water. VisitKorea lists the falls trail as open all year and free.

When we checked, the park service listed Sangui car park at 4,000 won on weekdays and 5,000 won on weekends and in peak periods (1 July–31 August and 1 October–15 November) for a small car.

• Juwang Valley course: Sangui car park → Yongchu → Jeolgu → Yongyeon falls → Naewon-dong, 5.3 km, about 2 h 10 min one way (KNPS)
• Juwangsan summit loop via Kaldeung Pass and Hurimegi: 10.1 km, about 4 h 40 min (KNPS)
• Janggunbong course: 11.8 km, about 5 h 25 min, with steep rock sections; KNPS says it is for experienced hikers

Jeolgol Valley and the longer hikes

Jeolgol is the park's quieter southern valley, on the same side as Jusanji. VisitKorea describes it as a 5 km gorge from the Jeolgol visitor centre to Daemun Bridge, cut into welded volcanic tuff that cracked vertically into steep cliffs. The park service says the stretch to Daemun Bridge is close to level, with stepping stones and wooden bridges. After that, a steep climb of about an hour leads to Gamebong peak. Jeolgol to Gamebong is 5.7 km, about 3 hours. The full Jeolgol course over Gamebong down to Sangui is 13.5 km and takes about 7 hours. The park service asks hikers to avoid the valley during the summer rainy season.

Jeolgol needs a reservation in autumn 2026. The park office's notice says the trail from the Jeolgol entrance to Gamebong is under a reservation system from 16 September to 14 November 2026. It is open from 09:00 to 18:00, with a limit of 1,350 people a day. Book online through the national park reservation site (reservation.knps.or.kr). Entering without a booking can bring a fine of up to 500,000 won under the Natural Parks Act.

There are two other long routes. Gamebong from Sangui is 7.2 km, about 4 hours, and the park service calls it the hardest route in the park. On clear days you can see as far as the sea at Yeongdeok. The Gatbawi course starts on the east side and is 13.3 km one way, about 6 hours 45 minutes. It is steep and the park service does not recommend it for older walkers. Start any of these in the morning. Carry water and food, and check the park's trail-control notices first.

Songso House, the geopark sites and Dalgi Mineral Spring

UNESCO designated the Cheongsong UNESCO Global Geopark in 2017. It covers the whole county, 84,606 hectares according to UNESCO. UNESCO picks out the Flower Stone Ecotrail, a 1.1 km route past outcrops of spherulitic rhyolite, a rock that cooled in dark and light rings that look like flowers. It also lists the Sinseong-ri dinosaur footprints and the Yongchu Gorge in Juwangsan. Dalgi Mineral Spring, north of the park, is one of UNESCO's two representative geosites. VisitKorea says the carbonated spring was found about 130 years ago, while a waterway was being dug, and that it forms when rainwater meets carbon dioxide rising from magma. The park service notes that the baeksuk cooked with its water at Dalgi Yaksutang is famous.

Songso House (Songso Gotaek) is the hanok to see, or to sleep in. VisitKorea says the house of the wealthy Sim family was built around the 1880s, in the square layout of a Joseon aristocrat's home. Its annex is now a guesthouse, with activities such as a tea ceremony, rice-cake pounding and, in season, apple picking. UNESCO's geopark page also names it as a cultural highlight.

In winter, Eoreumgol (Ice Valley), on the edge of Juwangsan, is known for its frozen falls. VisitKorea describes the valley as warm in winter and cool in summer, and says ice forms in the rocks on the hottest summer days. Near the park entrance, the Cheongsong Folk Museum is a free rainy-day option. When we checked, VisitKorea listed it as open from 09:30 to 18:00, closed on Mondays.

Getting there and getting around

Cheongsong has no railway station, so most visitors arrive by road. The park service puts the drive from Daegu at about 2 hours 30 minutes, via the Sangju–Yeongdeok expressway to Cheongsong IC and then local roads to Sangui car park. From Seoul it is about 3 hours 30 minutes. With a car, you can see Jusanji, Jeolgol and Dalgi in one day.

By bus, the park service lists these routes. From Dongdaegu Transit Center there are buses to Cheongsong Terminal, then on to Juwangsan Terminal and the Sangui visitor centre (about 2 hours 30 minutes in total). From Dong Seoul Terminal, buses towards Andong and Juwangsan reach Cheongsong Terminal (about 4 hours 50 minutes to Sangui). By rail, take a train from Cheongnyangni to Andong, then a bus from Andong Terminal to Cheongsong and Juwangsan (about 5 hours). For Jusanji and Jeolgol, change at Cheongsong Terminal to the local bus towards Ijeon and Jusanji.

We could not verify local bus timetables from an official English source. If you come without a car, base yourself in the Juwangsan tourist area and use taxis for Jusanji, Dalgi and Songso House. Agree the return pick-up before the taxi leaves, so you are not stranded at a trailhead.