Mount Hallasan’s Shortest Trail: Eoseungsaengak Trail

I went to Jeju in winter (January 2023) for a conference and was only able to stay for two days. People had told me that Hallasan is especially beautiful during the winter, so I decided to hike it. Since I only had a little free time during the conference, I chose to hike the shortest trail, which is the Eoseungsaengak Trail.

To reach the Eoseungsaengak Trail, you can take a bus or a taxi. If you choose the bus, head to Jeju City Intercity Bus Terminal and take intercity bus number 240, getting off at Eorimok. In my case, I woke up later than expected and opted for a taxi instead, which took me 30 minutes to get there, and the fare was around 15,000 KRW. Here’s the Naver link https://naver.me/FSNlE6C5

Despite my poor cardio endurance, the 1.3 km hike to the peak was surprisingly easy for me, and I reached it in just 40 minutes. The altitude at the peak is 1,169m, and the scenery was particularly beautiful at that time.

When I arrived at the entrance, I saw that many people had added spikes to their shoes. Unfortunately, my dumbass had not been prepared for hiking and had only brought one pair of Doc Marten boots, so I wore those instead. I asked around and learned that the park office lends out spikes. The trail consisted of a lot of wooden steps and uneven rock surfaces, all covered in snow. I arrived at 9 am and encountered many people who were already heading down the mountain, so the trail was a bit slippery due to the melting snow.

Here, you can see my timelapse hiking video

The flash naik gunung pic.twitter.com/AYPkc2fDiO

— Nadhira Noor (@dhirathexplorer) January 10, 2023

As I reached the peak, luckily I was alone for about 10 minutes, and I took a bunch of pictures of myself – just me, myself, and I – using the wonderful tripod technology, lol. oh and also met a snowman! okay here you go the pictures of me lol.

For me, the hike down is much harder because it’s very slippery, and my boots don’t help at all. They are very heavy and slippery, so I even used my tripods as trekking poles. Therefore, if you plan to go there during winter, be prepared! Wear decent shoes, and trekking poles will definitely help!