Hello, this is 속초어때 (Sokcho Eottae).
Today, Thursday, October 1, at 11 a.m., it is 19 degrees and clear in Sokcho (속초). The chance of rain is 4%, so there is no need to worry about rain. Things are different on the Seoraksan (설악산) side, though. Right now Sinheungsa (신흥사), Seorak Heundeulbawi (흔들바위), Seoraksan Daecheongbong (대청봉), 켄싱턴호텔 설악 (Kensington Hotel Seorak) and 더케이설악산 가족호텔 (The-K Seoraksan Family Hotel) are all 'Very Crowded'. Places inside Seorak-dong (설악동) have all reached the busiest level at the same time. The road in, Seoraksan-ro (설악산로) (toward Seorak), is also moving slowly. Donghae-daero (동해대로), which runs along the coast into the city center, is flowing smoothly, so the only real congestion is in the direction of Seoraksan.
There is a reason it is this crowded on a weekday. According to Korea Meteorological Administration observations, Seoraksan's first autumn foliage began on September 28, and this morning brought the coldest air of the autumn so far. Foliage spreads quickly when it gets this kind of cold. This weekend is a three-day holiday, with National Foundation Day (Saturday the 3rd) and a substitute holiday (Monday the 5th), and the Seorak Cultural Festival also starts tomorrow. If Seorak-dong is like this today, it is likely to be even busier over the holiday. So today we take an early look at the 'Seoraksan Foliage Season Special Traffic Measures' that Sokcho City has put together for the first time this year.
What's new this year: five organizations have split the roles
On September 18, in the situation room at City Hall, Sokcho City signed the '2026 Seoraksan Foliage Season Special Traffic Measures Agreement' with Sokcho Police Station, the Seoraksan National Park Office, the Sokcho Model Drivers Association, and Sinheungsa Temple on Seoraksan. The agreement means that the traffic jams in front of Sogongwon every foliage season will be handled jointly rather than by one organization alone. The roles are divided as follows.
- Sokcho City: running the traffic situation room, traffic information on electronic signboards, support for enforcement against illegal parking and stopping, and traffic control
- Sokcho Police Station: restricting vehicle access, deploying on-site personnel, handling traffic accidents
- Sokcho Model Drivers Association: guidance and vehicle control at the Zone B and C parking lots
- Seoraksan National Park Office: running shuttle buses in line with the stage-by-stage traffic controls, visitor safety management, mobility support for people with limited mobility
- Sinheungsa: sharing the status of the Sogongwon parking lot, cooperating on shuttle bus operations
There is a reason Sinheungsa is included. It is the first to know the situation at the Sogongwon parking lot. If information that Sogongwon is full goes straight to the situation room and the police, cars can be turned around in advance further down the access road. In the past, cars drove all the way up to Sogongwon, were told the lot was full, and came back down the single-lane road, which made the congestion worse.
The key point: when Sogongwon is full, park in Zone B or C and take the shuttle
The measures can be summed up in one sentence: When the Sogongwon parking lot is congested, vehicles are directed to the Seorak-dong Zone B and C parking lots, and free shuttle buses run by the National Park Office travel between Zones B and C and Sogongwon.
The shuttle does not run all the time. It runs 'in line with the stage-by-stage traffic controls', so it operates only when controls are in place. When controls have not yet kicked in, such as on a weekday afternoon, you can drive up to Sogongwon. When controls are in place, such as on a peak-foliage weekend, you have to take the shuttle from Zone B or C. On site, Model Drivers Association guides will point you in the right direction with hand signals, so just follow their guidance.
Here is what it looks like when you actually go.
- As you drive up Seoraksan-ro, you come to large parking areas in the order of Zone C, then Zone B. If controls are in place, you will be directed at this point.
- After parking, walk to the shuttle stop and ride to Sogongwon. You can walk there too, but it takes quite a while from Zone B, and even longer from Zone C. If you want to save your energy for the hike, the shuttle is the better choice.
- You also need to take the shuttle back. The last shuttle time may change depending on traffic controls, so when you go up, take a photo of the last downhill shuttle time on the sign at the stop. If you come down in the late afternoon and miss the shuttle, you will have a long walk back to Zone B or C.
How to make it easier on 'Very Crowded' days like today
Looking at today's crowded places, Sinheungsa and Heundeulbawi are on the list together. The two are on the same route that starts from Sogongwon. Once you enter Sogongwon, the path passes Sinheungsa and continues toward Heundeulbawi and Ulsanbawi (울산바위). Seorak-dong gets crowded in foliage season because, in the end, everyone goes in through the same single entrance.
- Go earlier. The Sogongwon parking lot often fills up during the morning. If it is already 'Very Crowded' at 11 a.m. like today, anyone leaving now should realistically plan on parking in Zone B or C. Over the holiday, we recommend setting off early in the morning.
- If you are starting from the city center, you can leave your car behind. Sokcho city bus No. 7 and No. 7-1 go all the way to Seoraksan Sogongwon. A bus doesn't need to find a parking space, so on crowded days it can actually be faster.
- If you are staying in Seorak-dong, get around on foot. 켄싱턴호텔 설악 and 더케이설악산 가족호텔 are also very crowded right now. If guests already staying inside Seorak-dong take their cars out, they end up stuck in the access road congestion again.
- Allow two to three hours round trip for Heundeulbawi. On busy days, walking slows down on the stair sections. Sunset is a little after 6 p.m., so it is best to avoid starting a hike in the late afternoon.
- Bring an extra layer. This morning's low on Gangwon's east coast was 13 to 16 degrees, and it was much lower in the mountains. Even if it is 19 degrees in the city, shaded valleys and ridgelines are different. It is also fairly windy.
For reference, Sinheungsa has not charged a cultural heritage viewing fee since May 2023. There is no need to line up for tickets at the Sogongwon entrance, so you can save time there.
If you are heading to Daecheongbong, know about the enforcement on the Yangyang Osaek side too
Seoraksan Daecheongbong is also very crowded right now. Many people climb Daecheongbong from the Osaek (오색) side in Yangyang (양양) rather than from the Sokcho Seorak-dong side, and Yangyang County is running foliage-season traffic measures for the Osaek area from October 3 to November 8.
- 27 enforcement and guidance staff will be deployed on the section from the top of Osaengnyeong (오색령) to the Namseorak Visitor Support Center (남설악탐방지원센터).
- On the section from Heullimgol (흘림골) to the Namseorak Visitor Support Center, vehicles are only allowed to stop temporarily. Parking on the shoulder and going up the mountain is not allowed.
- Large vehicles must use the 오색관터 공영주차장 (Osaek Gwanteo Public Parking Lot), and passenger cars are also directed to public parking lots first. When they are full, cars are dispersed to nearby areas.
- If you violate both the Road Traffic Act and the Natural Parks Act, you may be fined twice.
Shoulder parking in Osaek during foliage season has been a problem every year. This year enforcement begins in earnest on National Foundation Day, two days from now, so if you have planned a Daecheongbong hike over the holiday, decide where to park first.
For residents: avoid Seoraksan-ro, and the road will be widened someday
Residents who have no business in the Seorak-dong area are better off avoiding Seoraksan-ro on foliage-season weekends. In today's inbound traffic, too, Misiryeong-ro (미시령로) (toward Seoul) and Seoraksan-ro (toward Seorak) are slow, and only Donghae-daero is flowing smoothly. For getting around the city, it is better to go around via Donghae-daero along the coast.
A long-term fix is also underway. In June, Sokcho City began design work on a project to widen the roughly 1.6 km access road, from the Seoraksan National Park Office area to the Sogongwon entrance, from 8 m to 12 m, with the design scheduled to be completed by June next year. To replace the pedestrian path that will be lost when the road is widened, the Korea National Park Service will build a new trail 1.3 km long and 3 m wide toward Ssangcheon (쌍천). The trail will also have a viewpoint looking out at Towangseong Falls (토왕성폭포). The total project cost is 18.4 billion KRW. Sokcho City covers 7.5 billion KRW for the access road and the Seoraksan National Park Office covers 10.9 billion KRW for the trail, with the trail targeted for completion at the end of 2028. This means the current narrow road will still be in use through this year's and next year's foliage seasons. So for the time being, the shuttle and dispersed parking are the most realistic solution.
At-a-glance summary for anyone visiting Seoraksan this week
- Foliage status: Seoraksan's first foliage on September 28; Korea Forest Service forecasts the peak around October 20. Right now the color is mainly around the summit area.
- Today's congestion: Sinheungsa, Heundeulbawi, Daecheongbong and Seorak-dong accommodations very crowded; slow traffic on Seoraksan-ro
- Parking rule: When Sogongwon is congested, park in Zone B or C and take the free shuttle (runs according to the traffic control stage)
- Public transportation: City bus No. 7 and No. 7-1 to Sogongwon
- Yangyang Osaek: Enforcement from October 3 to November 8; only temporary stops allowed from Heullimgol to the Namseorak Visitor Support Center
- Weather: 19 degrees and clear, high 23 degrees, low 15 degrees, 4% chance of rain. It is much colder and windy in the mountains.
- Holiday factors: Three-day holiday from National Foundation Day on the 3rd to the substitute holiday on the 5th; Seorak Cultural Festival on the 2nd to 4th (Expo Lawn Plaza)
As 속초어때 sees it, the surest tip for this foliage season comes down to one of two things: 'go early, or leave the car behind'. In a year when 'Very Crowded' shows up from a weekday morning like today, you will have more peace of mind if you don't expect to drive all the way up to Sogongwon during the daytime over the holiday.
Today we looked at the Seoraksan foliage season special traffic measures and how to use the Sogongwon and Zone B and C shuttle. We hope you found it helpful. We'll be back next time with even more useful information.
