Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.
The walk
From the Cheonhwang car park, walk up past the visitor support centre into the forest. The path climbs past Cheonhwangsa temple and up the valley to Baram Falls, a thin fall on a granite face, then steeply on rock and long steel stairways between towering granite pinnacles to Gwangamteo. Above, the trail squeezes through Tongcheonmun, a natural rock arch, and climbs the last rocks to Cheonhwangbong (천황봉), the summit of Wolchulsan, with views over the rice plains of Yeongam to the sea. Return the same way.
It is 5.1 km there and back with 673 m of ascent; allow about 4 hours. The grade is Moderate, but the climb is steep and rocky, much of it on steel stairs.
This route avoids the cloud bridge and Sajabong ridge, which have rope sections and close in winter; KNPS describes the Baram Falls path as open all year. Walkers may set off until 15:00 from April to October and 14:00 in winter. There is little water on the way. Wolchulsan's spring fire closures ran from 15 February to 30 April in 2026: check before you go.
Buses from Yeongam town run towards the Cheonhwang area; the KNPS car park charges a fee.
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- Cheonhwangbong, 809 m, is the summit of Wolchulsan, a granite massif rising straight out of the plains of Yeongam
- Wolchulsan, the 'moon-rise mountain', is South Korea's smallest mountain national park, designated in 1988
- On the summit are the remains of an altar where state rites were held from the Silla era
- Tongcheonmun, the 'gate to heaven', is a rock arch just below the summit
Summits on the way
- Cheonhwangbong 809 m
Getting there
Start: Cheonhwang car park, Wolchulsan National Park. 34.77705, 126.72123
Directions to the start
Google Maps Apple Maps KakaoMap Naver Map
KakaoMap and Naver Map, the maps Korea uses, give public transport from where you are.
Places to stay nearby
Rooms in and around Cheonhwang car park: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →
Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.
Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.