Hiking (Down) Daedunsan Mountain, South Korea

Not a huge mountain compared to others in the world, but it isn’t an easy hike. Daedunsan Mountain, standing at 878 meters (2,880 feet), is known in Korea for the suspension bridge that hangs 80 meters (432 feet) above the rugged terrain below, the impressive views at the top, and picturesque scenery on the way up and down.

I came to Daedunsan Mountain in the middle of a road trip through Korea. Heading from Jeongju, I got to the mountain pretty early and explored the area before catching the cable car up the mountain. I saw a group of Koreans lined up for the cable car all decked out in their fancy hiking attire: name brand hiking boots, poles, hats, water bottles and towels. Ropes with carabiners hanging all around.

It made me feel totally under-dressed and unprepared. It reminded me of the time I went with a bunch of Ukrainians to hike Mount Hoverla, the tallest mountain in Ukraine, in some tennis shoes, leggings and a sweatshirt while the Ukrainians were dressed to the t’s too. And I wish I had been better prepared on that cold day in March. But I survived… let’s see if my Nike’s and Target leggings will get me through this one too.

Take the Cable Car Up

The cable car takes about 5 minutes. It doesn’t take you all the way up the mountain, but most of the way up. It says it saves you an hour hike, but nah, it would have saved me 3 hours of hiking! It’s 2.1 km up and fucking steep! And it isn’t a nice, paved path up a mountain, it’s a legit hike. Rocky, traversing over streams and though trees. It’s beautiful, but I think I’ll do better hiking down instead of up.

Traverse the Hanging Suspension Bridge

I hop off the cable car and start climbing up some steep flights of steps until I reach Geumgang Gureumdari, the hanging suspension bridge.

The bridge is 900 feet (275 meters) above sea level and 432 feet (80 meters) above the ground below. I’m not afraid of heights, so I didn’t hesitate to walk across it. I was one of the first ones on the mountain, so I had prime photography opportunities.

After taking some shots, I began to get that sinking feeling in my stomach, like damn, I’m far up in the sky. I felt it swaying as the gusts of wind came up and wrapped around the peaks all around me. Regaining my courage, I made my way to the other side of the bridge to see what was next.

Then it's to Cloud Bridge

After the suspension bridge, you get to the cloud bridge, which is really just a ladder up to another peak. I decided not to go all the way up there, and instead explore this area and hike down. After enjoying some of the incredible views, I made my way back over the suspension bridge and started trekking down the mountain.

Hiking Down the Mountain

As I make my way down, I started to appreciate those Koreans I saw earlier who were decked out in quality hiking gear. Getting down the rocky terrain would have been much easier with a hiking pole. My legs were burning, and I was hoping I wasn’t got to sprain my ankle for the hundredth time in my life. But give me muscle endurance going down over cardio endurance going up any day.

I stopped on the way down about 45 minutes into the descent at a mountain-side café. How they get the ingredients here is a feat. But the food was delicious and nourished me for the rest of the way down.

As I was munching, I saw a whole lot of Koreans coming up the mountain, out of breath, hoping they were close to the top. I’m glad I didn’t speak their language to tell them they aren’t even close yet to the top. Little did I know, that they were more than half way there, I was the one with the long journey ahead.

But it was worth every minute. I wasn’t in any rush and going down the mountain was filled with lush greenery, moss covered rock, babbling streams and excellent nature vibes. It took about 2 hours to get down.

How to Get to Daesunsan

Get yourself to Seobu and grab the green city bus #34 from the stop in front or back of the Daejeon Seobu Intercity Bus Terminal. It leaves every 45 minutes, starting at 6:00 AM.

It’s about an hour’s ride to Daedunsan, the last stop on the route. Get off the bus and walk down the hill toward the mountain. It is about a 20-minute walk from this bus stop to the cable car station.

Or get there from Jeonju Intercity Bus Terminal on the city bus to Daedunsan. When I was there, it left at 06:40, 09:00, 09:40, 14:20, and 15:50.