Hello, this is 속초어때 (Sokcho Eottae). It's Sunday, September 13, 2026, and right now it's 12:00 noon in Sokcho. The temperature is 24°C with a few clouds, the daytime high is 25°C, and the chance of rain is around 20%, so it's not a day that calls for an umbrella. At sea, the wave height is 0.3 m and the water temperature is 23.7°C — one of the calmest stretches so far this autumn.
That said, the places showing up as 'very congested' in Sokcho today are 켄싱턴호텔 설악 (Kensington Hotel Seorak), 부엉이전시관(해피아울하우스) (Bueongi Jeonsigwan / Happy Owl House), and 한화리조트 설악 워터피아 (Hanwha Resort Seorak Waterpia). Behind them come 학사평 콩꽃마을 순두부촌 (Haksapyeong Kongkkot Maeul sundubu village), Cheongchoho (청초호), and 설악산 자생식물원 (Seoraksan Native Plant Garden). Four of the six are toward Seorak-dong (설악동) and Haksapyeong (학사평). The approach roads are all showing congestion too — Misiryeong-ro (미시령로, toward Seoul), Donghae-daero (동해대로, the coast and downtown), and Seoraksan-ro (설악산로, toward Seorak). Even on a day when the sea is this calm, people are flowing toward the mountains.
And over on that mountain side, there is one thing with exactly 18 days left as of today. This is about Heullimgol in Seoraksan (설악산).
Heullimgol: you can go in without a reservation only through September 30
Heullimgol is a hiking trail in Namseorak (남설악), the southern section of Seoraksan. Administratively it sits in the Osaek area of Seo-myeon, Yangyang-gun (양양군 서면 오색), so strictly speaking it isn't Sokcho, but it's a 40-some-minute drive from downtown Sokcho heading toward Hangyeryeong (한계령), which makes it, in practice, a local-area course for Sokcho travelers and residents alike.
The reason Heullimgol matters right now is that the way it operates changes completely as of October 1. By Korea National Park Service rules, Heullimgol is open as a regular trail in January–September and December, so you can simply go without a reservation. This year that period runs from June 24 to September 30. But for the two months from October 1 to November 30, it switches to a reservation-required section.
- Through September 30: no reservation needed, free entry within the permitted entry hours
- October 1 – November 30: advance reservation required, daily cap of 5,000 people
- As of today (September 13), the days you can go without a reservation number 18, including today
In foliage season, Namseorak is a place that draws crowds from all over the country. On top of that, Heullimgol was closed after a fatal rockfall accident in 2015 and only reopened in 2021, and even now 22 rockfall-risk zones are designated along it with warning lights installed. That is the background to introducing a reservation system that admits people in separate time slots.
If you want to enter Heullimgol today, you have two hours left
What's easy to miss here is the designated entry-hours system. In the summer season (April–October), entry to Heullimgol is allowed only from 3:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. In the winter season (November–March), it's from 4:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Since it's 12:00 noon now, you have two hours left if you want to walk Heullimgol today. But you also have to factor in that Misiryeong-ro and Seoraksan-ro are both showing congestion today. Forty-some minutes from downtown Sokcho to Osaek is the normal figure; with congestion, it's safer to budget over an hour. If you're only starting to get ready now, it's better not to push it today.
There are still two weekends left ahead. September 19–20, and September 26–27. But September 26–27 overlaps exactly with the Chuseok holiday (Thursday, September 24 – Saturday, September 26, followed by Sunday, September 27). If you want to walk it quietly without a reservation, next weekend, September 19–20, is realistically your last good chance. As we at 속초어때 see it, the weekdays between that weekend and the Chuseok holiday are when Heullimgol will be at its least difficult this autumn.
The Heullimgol course: first decide whether it's 3.1 km or 6.2 km
Search for Heullimgol and the distance comes up as both 3.1 km and 6.2 km. Both are correct — they just use different starting points.
- Heullimgol Visitor Support Center (흘림골탐방지원센터) → Yongsopokpo Falls junction (용소폭포삼거리): 3.1 km one way, about 2 hours 30 minutes. This is the core section the reservation system applies to, and it's one-way only. Meaning you can't turn back.
- Heullimgol Visitor Support Center → Deungseondae (등선대) → Sibipokpo Falls (십이폭포) → Yongsopokpo Falls junction → Jujeongol (주전골) → Osaek Mineral Spring (오색약수터): about 6.2 km, 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours including time for photos.
Most people take the second one, walking on through to Osaek Mineral Spring. The hardest stretch of this course is the roughly 40 minutes early on, past Yeosimpokpo Falls (여심폭포), climbing the stairs up to Deungseondae (elevation 1,002 m); once you're standing on Deungseondae, Namseorak's ridgelines of strange rock formations open up all the way around you. After that it's a steady descent along Sibipokpo Falls and Jujeongol, so the demand on your legs drops off sharply.
There is one practical problem created by the one-way rule. If you park your car at the Heullimgol entrance, you come out at Osaek Mineral Spring and then have to go back for it. So the standard approach is to park in the village parking lot at Osaek Mineral Spring, take a taxi or shuttle up to the Heullimgol entrance, and walk down. Shoulder parking along the Hangyeryeong road is subject to enforcement, so it's best avoided.
From October, here's how you have to reserve
For those making plans for after October 1, here's a rundown of how reservations work.
- Daily cap: 5,000 people, with designated time slots
- Reservation time slots: 8:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. in October, 9:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. in November (in one-hour blocks)
- Reservation deadline: online booking by 2:00 p.m. the day before your planned visit
- On-site registration: possible only if spots remain after online reservations
- Where to book: the Korea National Park Service reservation system (reservation.knps.or.kr)
- Inquiries: Osaek District Office, Seoraksan National Park, 033-801-0973
The point where mistakes happen most is that '2:00 p.m. the day before.' It's genuinely common for people to try to book on the morning of and fail. On weekends in the middle and latter half of October, when peak foliage overlaps, there's a good chance nothing will be left, so we don't recommend setting out counting on on-site registration.
For reference, Seoraksan's first foliage this year is forecast for late September to early October, with the peak in late October. With September and October temperatures forecast to run higher than average, it's trending somewhat later than usual. If you go to Heullimgol now, the foliage isn't there yet — but neither are the crowds. Which one you choose is a matter of taste.
Information you can use in Sokcho right now, today
For those with no hiking plans, here's the situation in Sokcho as of 12:00 noon today.
- Sea: water temperature 23.7°C, wave height 0.3 m. That said, Sokcho's beaches all closed at the end of August, so no lifeguards are on duty. It's a day suited to a coastal walk and photos rather than to swimming.
- Tides: today's high tides are at 04:03 and 16:18, and low tides at 10:16 and 22:46. Right now we've just passed low tide and the water is coming back in, so if you're out on the rocks, keep in mind that the water rises as the afternoon goes on.
- Sunset: sunset in Sokcho today is at 18:37. Sunrise was at 06:05. The days have clearly gotten shorter.
- Avoiding crowds: 학사평 순두부촌 (the Haksapyeong sundubu village) is congested right now. To avoid the lunch peak, after 2:00 p.m. is far better. Cheongchoho is also flagged as congested, so if you want a quiet lakeside walk, Yeongnangho (영랑호) is the alternative.
- Traffic: all three approach roads are congested. For those heading back to the Seoul metropolitan area on Sunday afternoon, the pattern of congestion on Misiryeong-ro running late into the afternoon repeats itself, so we recommend checking real-time traffic information one more time right before you set out.
The next three weeks: a Sokcho calendar
Here are the events worth keeping track of in Sokcho from today onward, in chronological order.
- Wednesday, September 16 – Sunday, September 20: a Chuseok Onnuri Gift Certificate rebate event is being held at 속초관광수산시장 (Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market). It refunds up to 30% of the amount spent on domestic seafood: 10,000 KRW for purchases from 34,000 KRW to under 67,000 KRW, and 20,000 KRW for purchases of 67,000 KRW or more. The per-person limit is 20,000 KRW across the entire event period, and you have to bring the same-day receipt to the rebate booth inside the market. It's running at three markets in the province, along with 도래미시장 (Doraemi Market) in Wonju and 황지자유시장 (Hwangji Free Market) in Taebaek.
- Sunday, September 20, 7:30 a.m.: 'Dalma! Ridge Trail Walk' (달마! 능선길 걷기), a pre-event of the Seorak Cultural Festival, departs from 설향공원 (Seolhyang Park) in Seorak-dong. First-come, first-served for 500 people; participation is free.
- Thursday, September 24 – Sunday, September 27: the Chuseok holiday. Chuseok itself is Friday, September 25.
- Thursday, October 1: the Heullimgol reservation system begins.
- Friday, October 2 – Sunday, October 4: the 61st Seorak Cultural Festival is held around the Expo Lawn Plaza (엑스포 잔디광장) and 설악로데오거리 (Seorak Rodeo Street). The highlight, the street parade, runs twice on October 3, at 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
One thing we'd like to point out here is that the Seorak Cultural Festival follows just six days after the Chuseok holiday ends. That means the roads into Sokcho get heavily crowded twice in a row, in late September and early October. If you haven't settled on lodging yet, avoiding those two windows and aiming for a weekday in mid-September or the second week of October is the better call on both price and breathing room.
In summary
Sokcho today is 24°C, a few clouds, wave height 0.3 m. It's hard to ask for better walking weather, yet people are packed into indoor attractions and the sundubu village, while Heullimgol — the place you can actually walk without a reservation — has an 18-day deadline on it. Today itself, time is tight before the entry cutoff (2:00 p.m.), so we recommend marking next weekend on your calendar.
Today we looked at Sokcho's real-time conditions as of 12:00 noon on Sunday, September 13, and the schedule for Heullimgol's switch to a reservation system — did you find it useful? We'll be back next time with even more useful information.
