Baekdamsa Temple

Baekdamsa sits about seven kilometres up a valley on the western side of Seoraksan, and the approach is most of the experience: a narrow road follows the stream through the gorge, and the shuttle buses that run it in season are the practical way in, since walking takes around two hours each way. Along the last stretch the riverbed is covered in cairns - thousands of small stacked stone towers built by visitors over the years, filling the gravel flats on both sides. The temple is old in foundation, traditionally seventh-century, though it burned and was rebuilt repeatedly; the poet and independence-era monk Han Yong-un lived and wrote here, and a small hall commemorates him. Beyond the temple the trail continues into inner Seorak toward Suryeomdong and Bongjeongam, some of the least accessible country in the park. Shuttles stop running in winter and the road can close.

What you actually see

• The stone cairns - thousands of stacks across the riverbed.
• The gorge road - the shuttle run up the valley.
• The temple compound - the rebuilt halls and Han Yong-un's hall.
• The inner Seorak trails - routes continuing beyond the temple.

When to go

May to June and October; autumn colour in the gorge is the peak and the shuttle queues badly then. Shuttles do not run in deep winter.

Honest expectations

Without the shuttle it is a two-hour walk each way. Queues for the bus in autumn can be long. The temple itself is modest - the valley is the reason to come.

Nearby

Osaek and the Hangyeryeong pass are south; Sokcho and outer Seorak are east.