Monday, November 28, 2011

Mount Sorak The Wonder Rock and Priyong Waterfall

Mount Sorak is the third highest mountain in the country, with the main peak (Daechung) at an altitude of 5602 feet. Situated on the east coast of the Korean Peninsula in the Taebaek Mountain range, it is composed of mostly granite with rocky hills and ridges. It is also home to the Asian black bear. The main activities here are hiking, camping, and climbing and is a favorite vacation spot in Korea. Take a short cable-car ride or hike to the peak for a breathtaking panoramic view of the surroundings.

Mount Sorak
The entrance city for Mount Sorak National Park is the sea port of Sokcho in the northeast corner of South Korea. Sokcho is a modern city with a busy harbor area. Being a sea port, it has variety of fish, squid, octopus, shellfish, and other delicacies that you can order either raw or cooked. Mount Sorak is the highest point in Mount Sorak National Park. The park is an area of steep granite cliffs, densely forested slopes, and deep valleys with rivers and waterfalls. The park’s bedrock is a light, pinkish-gray granite. There are numerous trails, bridges, temples, and concession stands. Trails near the park entrance are well marked and easy to walk, while further inside the park, the trails become narrow, rocky, and steep.


Mount Sorak

The Mount Sorak national park attracts many national and international tourists all year round, but the main season for Seoraksan national park is autumn. The autumn colours in the area are considered amongst the most beautiful in Korea. The red and yellow forest is interrupted by rocks and small mountain streams flow amidst this. During the rainy season in summer especially after a typhoon these streams can swell. Perhaps the most visited part of the mountain is the main entrance valley to the Mount Sorak National Park, a fifteen minute drive from Sokcho city. The valley runs west to east with a paved road leading up to the park's entrance gate. This valley contains many beautiful sites and is well worth a day visit.

Mount Sorak Cable Car
The trail to Piryong Waterfall is wide, easy to follow, and shaded by evergreen trees. Piryong Waterfall cascades into a large, deep pool at its base. The pink and yellow colors from the granite contrast beautifully with the green of the forest. The trail leads to Allak Temple, which has a magnificent view of the valley below and of the East Sea. A river divides the mountain range by its two tributaries. The left tributary and trail leads to the Chonbuldong Valley, while the right tributary and trail leads past the Shinhung Temple to Ulsanbawi. The upper cable-car station also has a good view of the park entrance. For the non-hikers, there is a modern cable- car, which begins on the valley floor near the park entrance and rises almost to the top of a mountain called Kwongumsong.

Piryong Waterfall

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