Juwangsan: 7 Official Trails, the Shortest Takes 4 h 20 min

A practical guide to Juwangsan National Park in Gyeongbuk: seven official trails with times and difficulty, car parks near the entrance, the nearest hospitals and pharmacies, and where to stay.

Juwangsan National Park is in Gyeongbuk Province. The summit is listed at 722.1 m. That sounds modest, but all seven official trails take more than four hours. The park service rates one as easy, four as moderate and two as hard. Treat Juwangsan as a half-day hike at the very least, not a quick stroll.

Trails: the shortest takes 4 hours 20 minutes

Here are all seven trails in order of time. The times are those published for each trail. Allow extra for rest stops, weather and your own pace.

Trail (Korean name)	Difficulty	Time
Juwang Valley (주왕계곡코스)	Easy	4 h 20 min
Woeoe (월외코스)	Moderate	4 h 35 min
Jubong Peak (주봉코스)	Moderate	4 h 40 min
Janggunbong to Geumeun-gwangi (장군봉~금은광이코스)	Moderate	5 h 25 min
Gatbawi Rock (갓바위코스)	Hard	6 h 45 min
Gamebong Peak (가메봉코스)	Hard	7 h
Jeolgol (절골코스)	Moderate	7 h 5 min

For a first visit, the Juwang Valley trail is the sensible pick because it is the only one rated easy. Even so, it takes 4 hours 20 minutes, so start early in the shorter days of the year. The Gamebong and Gatbawi trails are rated hard. The park data lists no mountain shelters, so bring your own water, food and a spare layer.

Parking: closest is 80 m away, the free one is 620 m

These car parks come from Korea's national parking registry, listed by distance from the Sangui visitor centre (상의탐방지원센터). All five are recorded as open from 00:00 to 23:59.

Car park (Korean name)	From the centre	Spaces	Fee (as registered)
Juwangsan National Park car park (주왕산국립공원주차장)	80 m	454	4,000 won per 30 min
Minbakchon car park (민박촌노외주차장)	150 m	26	5,000 won per 30 min
Juwangsan private car park (주왕산 민영주차장)	170 m	30	1,000 won per 30 min
Sangui-ri private car park (주왕산면 상의리 민영주차장)	190 m	36	1,000 won per 30 min
Juwangsan public car park (주왕산공영주차장)	620 m	700	Free

The nearest car park is 80 m away but is registered at 4,000 won per 30 minutes. If you do not mind a longer walk, the public car park at 620 m is free and the largest, with 700 spaces. These are registry entries, so real fees may differ. Check the signs at the entrance. Around the park, 27 toilets are registered.

If you need a doctor

The nearest emergency rooms are Cheongsong Public Health and Medical Center (청송군보건의료원), a regional emergency facility 9.1 km away, and Yeongdeok Asan Hospital (영덕아산병원), 26.2 km away. Neither is close, so careful hiking matters. Pharmacies are Bunam Pharmacy (부남약국) at 8.5 km, Juwangsan Pharmacy (주왕산약국) at 8.9 km and Medipharm Sarang Pharmacy (메디팜사랑약국) at 9.0 km. Only Medipharm Sarang is listed as open on Sundays. In an emergency, call 119.

Where to stay

There are 8 licensed lodgings within 3 km of the visitor centre: 5 motels and inns and 3 residence-type stays. Pensions and farm-stay minbak are registered under a different system, so they are not in this count. For camping, Sangui Auto Campground (상의자동차야영장) is the closest at 1.9 km. After that come Byeolsamkin Byeol Campground (별삼킨별캠핑장) at 14.1 km, Haok Garam Campground (하옥 가람캠핑장) at 14.2 km and Wellbeing Culture Theme Village (웰빙문화테마마을) at 19.8 km. With trails this long, sleeping nearby the night before and starting early makes sense.

Distances are straight-line. Opening hours and fees can change, so check again before you travel. Emergency 119 · Coast Guard 122