10 Best Outdoor Adventures in and Around Goseong

Seoraksan National Park is one of the top outdoorsy gems in the region of Goseong, if not in the whole of South Korea. A designated UNESCO biosphere reserve, it occupies 398 sq km that begins right on the south side of Goseong city itself.

The mountains are the mainstay draw. Highlights are the jagged-backed run of Dinosaur Ridge and the soaring Daechongbong Peak that rises above it at 1,700 metres. Hikers will love all that, but nature enthusiasts are catered for as well with booming biodiversity that includes over 1,000 individual species of plant life.

The Odaesan National Park became the 11^th national park in Korea when it was designated back in 1975. The accolade is well deserved, as the 300-sq-km reserve drapes over a series of 5 mountains about 53 km south of Goseong.

There's a web of hiking routes through lofty plains and wild forests. They include the out-and-back trek through the Sogeumgang Valley and the route to the summit of the eponymous Odaesan peak. Culture comes courtesy of the Woljeongsa Temple, the main temple of the Jogye Buddhist Order, and the Sangwonsa Temple, which holds a bronze bell that's a championed national treasure.

Misiryeong Ridge is one of the most accessible places you can break away from the heart of Goseong to get your taste of the South Korean wilds. It rises as part of the front row of peaks that form the phalanx of mountains in the Seoraksan National Park, a short drive along Route 56 from the harbour and heart of the city.

With a relatively humble altitude of just 746 metres above sea level, the Misiryeong Ridge is one of the more conquerable mountains in the area. The path to the top is well laid out and there's even a visitors' centre at the trailhead. It's not just for the daytime, though – many locals venture this way to escape the light pollution of the shore and get their fix of stargazing and for when the moon's out.

Sokcho Beach is one of the jewels in the crown of Sokcho city and lies due south of Goseong on the main Route 7 coast road. It's a drive worth making regardless of where you're going, offering a montage of golden sands washed by the waters of the East Sea.

Beneath the promenade of the town of the same name, Sokcho Beach is one of the most accessible in the region. It's wide enough to host sunbathers in the summer months and has calm swimming waters thanks to protecting breakwaters. When it's time for lunch, the walks behind the beach take you to quaint cafes and cookhouses.

Yongdaejayeonhyuyangnim is a small, local forest park that's a fragment of the greater Seoraksan National Park. It lies just north of the main boundary of the reserve on Route 46 that runs south out of Goseong proper.

The park is only big enough for 1 central trail that weaves and wiggles along the side of a babbling creek to connect up a series of rustic campgrounds that are regularly used by scout and school groups. The hills on both sides of the path are packed with clusters of ancient oaks and swaying Siberian pines. It's rare to find the same crowds as in the park proper here, so it's a good option for peace and quiet.

Hwajinpo Lake shimmers a deep, dark blue and green amid the Goseong pine woods. It spreads through the far north-eastern side of the region, just 13 km south of the DMZ on the North Korea border and only a few steps from the waves of the Pacific.

Bird lovers come this way to spot migrating species from the Russian tundra. Others come to see the blooms of beach roses that pop up in spring. History lovers might prefer to spy out the grand but ageing mansions that dot the banks of Hwajinpo Lake – it's said that one of them used to belong to Kim Il-sung, the founding father of North Korea.

The Biryong Falls gush through the rock channels that are carved out of the eastern haunch of the Seoraksan mountain. They are a beautiful sight to behold, and relatively easy to get to on a trailhead that begins just outside the Seorakdong Visitor Centre – on the main road leading to the east gate of the national park.

The walk to the plunge pools crosses deep gorges on swing bridges and weaves through pockets of old-growth oak woodland. Then you see it – a spurting stream of freshwater that rushes off a ledge of exposed rock. The locals say the sound of the water resembles that of flying dragons. No bathing is allowed.

Naksan Beach is washed by light surf and backed by pockets of twisted coast pines. It's located south of Goseong, past the busier strands and ports of Sokcho, some 32 km down the highway. The reward for making the trip is somewhere peaceful and quiet, but which is also welcoming to families.

The sands here are soft and spacious, so there's lots of room to lay down the towel for sunbathing sessions. Naksan is more exposed than other parts of the shoreline, which means there are often crumbling waves for bodyboarders and body surfers. Behind, you'll find wooded parks with picnic tables and an intriguing Buddhist temple.

Songjiho Beach is the premier stretch of sand in the suburb of Oho-ri, near the heart of Goseong. It’s 5 km down the Route 7 coast road, under 15 minutes by car. Summertime brings big crowds here, but winter offers an altogether wilder experience of the East Sea.

Songjiho mingles and mixes rock reefs and ochre-hued sand to give an interesting run of shoreline that clocks up about 500 metres from end to end. The south side of the beach is dominated by the Seonangbawi Rock, a strange formation of tidal pools where the little ones can spot all manner of sea creatures when the water is low. Renebleu by Walkerhill looms in the background.

Ulleungdo is a speck on the map amid the vast blue of the East Sea. You'll need to hop on a ferry to get there, leaving from the port at Donghae south of Goseong. Services are more frequent in the summer months.

The trip will whisk you over the waves to an island that's ribbed by jagged mountain peaks. Some say it looks more like 'Hawaii' than 'South Korea'. The natural wonders come thick and fast. Inland is the Nari Bunji, a flat volcanic crater surrounded by ridges. The rocky cove of Jugam Mongdol Beach has glass-clear waters. Check out Songgot-bong, a wild mountain that lurches straight from the waves.