Odaesan guide: Woljeongsa fir forest, Seonjae-gil trail and temple stay

Woljeongsa and the fir forest: the first two hours

Start where the temple's own visitors start, at the Iljumun (One-Pillar Gate). From there VisitKorea describes a path of about 1 km to Geumganggyo Bridge, lined with more than 1,700 fir trees. It is the walk most people picture when they think of Odaesan. Walk it in the early morning, before the day visitors arrive, and the temple appears at the far end.

Woljeongsa was founded in 643, under Silla's Queen Seondeok, by the monk Jajang. Templestay Korea's temple page says he came to Odaesan after meeting Manjusri in China and brought relics of the Buddha with him. It also says the temple was completely destroyed during the Korean War and later rebuilt, so most of the buildings date from that rebuilding. The thing to look at is older: the octagonal nine-storey stone pagoda in front of the main hall, Jeokgwangjeon. Templestay Korea says it is traditionally attributed to Jajang but in style belongs to the Goryeo period. In front of it sits a stone bodhisattva with its hands held out together, making an offering to the Buddha.

VisitKorea lists the temple grounds as open 24 hours, all year. After the temple, decide how far up the valley to go. The temple's Odaesan Culture Festival takes over the temple grounds, the fir forest and the Nature Meditation Village from 8 to 10 October 2026, according to the festival's official site. Expect it to be busier than usual on those days.

Seonjae-gil: the monks' path to Sangwonsa

Seonjae-gil is a 9 km forest path from Woljeongsa to Sangwonsa. The Korea National Park Service says monks and Buddhist pilgrims used it before a road was built in the late 1960s. Most of it is level, it follows the Odaecheon under the trees, and the park service rates the whole route easy and recommends it for families with children and older walkers. It is best known for its autumn colour along the stream.

The park service splits it into two stretches. Woljeongsa (Iljumun) to Dongpigol is 5.4 km, about 2 hours 10 minutes, through tall oak and maple forest on an earth path, with wooden steps and decks. The decks were built around the trees rather than cutting them, so you sometimes have to duck. Dongpigol to Sangwonsa is 3.6 km, about 1 hour 20 minutes. It passes a native-plant garden where the park has restored about 30 rare species of the mountain, then a bamboo-grass stretch, then a short section on the unpaved road before the path continues to Sangwonsa. Along the way the park service points out old slash-and-burn farm sites, a traditional log footbridge (seopdari) and the line of an old forest railway.

Without a car, the easiest plan is to take the Jinbu bus up to Sangwonsa and walk back down the valley to Woljeongsa. You finish near the restaurants and the bus stop, with no bus to catch at the top. Walking the other way also works, but check the time of the last bus down before you set off. The park service notes that the route stays open during the spring and autumn wildfire-prevention closures (1 February to 15 May and 15 November to 15 December, varying with the weather), when many mountain trails shut.

• Woljeongsa (Iljumun) – Dongpigol: 5.4 km, about 2 h 10 min, mostly level forest path.
• Dongpigol – Sangwonsa: 3.6 km, about 1 h 20 min, past the native-plant garden.
• Winter to April: snow lingers in the shade, so the park service advises crampons and gaiters.
• After heavy summer rain: the stream can flood parts of the path, so the park service asks walkers to call the Odaesan office (+82-33-332-6417) first.

Sangwonsa, the bronze bell and the climb to Birobong

Sangwonsa sits about 8 km north of Woljeongsa. VisitKorea says it was founded by Jajang, rebuilt in 705, burned in 1946 and restored in 1947. Its treasure is the Bronze Bell of Sangwonsa, a National Treasure that VisitKorea calls the oldest bronze bell in the country. It was cast in the 24th year of King Seongdeok's reign and is 1.67 m tall. The temple also keeps a statue of the Child Manjusri, connected by legend with King Sejo of Joseon. When we checked on 2026-10-03, VisitKorea listed Sangwonsa's hours as two hours before sunrise until before sunset.

Above Sangwonsa is the climb. The park service's Birobong course goes from Sangwonsa past Jungdae (Sajaam hermitage) and Jeokmyeolbogung to the 1,563 m summit. It is 6.8 km there and back and takes 3 hours 10 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes. The first 1.3 km to Jungdae takes about 30 minutes on gentle earth paths, and the park service calls it the park's best course for all ages. From Jungdae it is 2.1 km and about 1 hour 10 minutes to the top, flat as far as Jeokmyeolbogung and then uphill. The last 400 m are steep wooden stairs.

Templestay Korea describes Jeokmyeolbogung as holding true relics of the Buddha, and it makes a good turning point if you came for the temples rather than the summit. During the wildfire-prevention periods the park service allows walkers only from the Sangwonsa car park as far as Jeokmyeolbogung, so the summit is closed then. Check the park's closure notices before you plan the climb.

A night at Woljeongsa: what the Templestay involves

Staying overnight is what makes Odaesan more than a day trip. Templestay Korea lists Woljeongsa as a temple for foreign visitors. Its year-round Relaxing Templestay (휴식형) is a one-night stay that leaves most of the time to you. On Woljeongsa's own Templestay page, check-in and room allocation run from 15:00 to 15:30. A temple orientation follows at 16:30, dinner at 17:00, optional evening chanting at 18:20, and lights out from 21:00 to 04:00. The next morning brings an optional dawn service at 04:20 and breakfast at 06:30, with check-out by noon after lunch. The temple says the schedule can change with the weather and temple events. The temple also offers an Experience Templestay (체험형).

Book through the temple's Templestay site, which links to an English booking page on templestay.com. The temple asks for booking and payment at least two or three days before your date and says check-in must be by 15:00. Its FAQ says Templestay guests who show the check-in text message at the ticket booth do not pay parking or entrance charges. Prices are on the booking page and are not quoted here.

The real reward is the timing. At 05:00 the day visitors are hours away, and you can walk the fir forest almost alone after the dawn service.

The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty come home: the museum by the road

VisitKorea notes that Odaesan held one of the archives where the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty were kept. The National Museum of the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, at 176 Odaesan-ro, tells that story. Its welcome page says the Odaesan copy of the Annals and the royal protocols (uigwe) has returned to Odaesan after 110 years away. Its timeline gives the removal as 1909–1932, the return to Korea as 1973–2011, and the opening of the museum on 12 November 2023. Woljeongsa donated the building in 2022, and the museum reopened in full in May 2025 after remodelling.

When we checked on 2026-10-03, the museum's visitor page listed free admission until further notice. Hours were 09:30–17:30 from March to October and 09:30–17:00 from November to February, with last entry 30 minutes before closing. It closes on Mondays, 1 January, and the days of Seollal and Chuseok. Children aged six and under must come with an adult. It is on the same road as the temple, so it makes a good rainy-day stop or a stop on the way out of the valley.

Getting there without a car

The park service's directions for Seonjae-gil and Birobong go by rail: from Cheongnyangni in Seoul take the KTX to Jinbu (Odaesan) Station, then the Jinbu town bus towards Sangwonsa. Get off at Woljeong car park for the fir forest and Seonjae-gil, or ride to the Sangwonsa terminus for Sangwonsa and Birobong. A taxi from Jinbu is the alternative. The park service gives about 2 hours 10 minutes from Seoul to the Woljeongsa end and 2 hours 40 minutes to Sangwonsa. It also gives a bus route from Dong Seoul Terminal to Jinbu intercity bus terminal, with the same town bus onward, and reminds travellers to check bus frequencies. VisitKorea's rail guide notes that the Gangneung Line also starts from Seoul Station.

Pyeongchang County's sightseeing taxi also starts at KTX Jinbu (Odaesan) Station. VisitKorea lists the Woljeongsa fir forest and Odaesan among its stops, with packages that include the return KTX fare, entrance fees and the taxi. It suits travellers who want to combine Odaesan with the Pyeongchang highlands in one day.

If you drive, aim to arrive before mid-morning in October. On 3 October 2026 the park service posted at 11:00 that all three car parks on the Woljeong side were full. Odaesan's other face, the Sogeumgang valley with its waterfalls and rock formations, is on the Gangneung side of the mountain and is reached separately. Treat it as a second trip, not part of the temple walk.