After Suncheon I went to Jirisan the final national park on my list of national parks to visit in Korea. The talNlest peak is located in Jirisan, but I was unable to visit because I didn’t have enough time.
First I went to Suncheon bus terminal to go to Gurye bus terminal. At the bus terminal I would have to take another bus to Nogodan. The bus ticket is more expensive than a regular city bus, but the ticket price to the Jirisan is included in the price.
The hike from Nogodan is pretty easy and if you are fit, it’ll take about 1 hour to the top.
More than halfway there is an office where you can get hot water for any ramen you packed and there is a place to get tickets. Apparently there is reservation system to go to the top, but it was broken that day, so I was able to go up without it.
Even though I didn’t get to the highest peak, the views from this peak were amazing. I was able to see the tallest peaks from afar.
The views reminded me of the blue ridge mountains from Virginia.
After taking in the spectacular views, I made my way down to the entrance to hopefully catch the next bus down the mountain.
I found out the next bus be about 2-3 hours later. I was famished so I got some overpriced food and coffee at the local restaurant. I now had a choice to make. Should I wait for the bus or try to hitchhike down. I ended up hitchhiking. A nice couple gave me a ride down to the bottom and then I would have to walk to the bus terminal.
From the bus terminal I took another bus to the train station. I would catch the train to Nonsan and then quickly go to Nonsan bus terminal to catch the bus to Gongju.
This day I accomplished what most people don’t. After this day I can now say that I have visited every national park in Korea. I saved the first national park of Korea for last.
