Saryeoni Forest Path: Korea's Most Beautiful Forest in Jeju

2017-06-30 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

The reason I wrote "Korea's most beautiful forest path" in the title isn't just my personal feeling—it's actually designated by the government. To visit this nationally recognized trail, we woke up early again today to get ready. Maybe because we used our muscles for the first time in a while yesterday, everyone woke up groaning. Still, my family is amazing for cheering up, saying yesterday's hike up Mt. Hallasan was pretty great and today will be even better. The weather, however, isn't cooperating. Flurries are starting to blow over the sea in Seogwipo.

Two cups of coffee and plates with bread and scones on a table. — Binge-eating bread, sandwiches, and coffee at Take Urban located below our hotel. They say you should eat breakfast like an emperor, but it's a secret that we eat dinner like this too.

After driving for a few minutes, the navigation system told us we had arrived. The parking lot for Saryeoni Forest Path is actually quite far away, so they have a system where you park your car and take a shuttle bus back and forth. I have no idea why they made it so inconvenient, but anyway, we had to wait for the shuttle. It kept snowing on and off. It would be really nice if it didn't snow while we were walking the trail.

A large information board showing the boarding location and schedule for the Saryeoni Forest Path shuttle bus. — Saryeoni Forest Path shuttle bus schedule

A wooden signpost for Saryeoni Forest Path standing at the entrance of the snow-covered forest.

A comprehensive guide map showing the Saryeoni Forest Path trails and surrounding terrain.

An information sign with descriptions of Saryeoni Forest Path written in Korean and English. — A healing forest, Saryeoni Forest Path

A sign detailing the meaning of Saryeoni, visitor precautions, and public transportation information.

The forest path was much better than I expected. The trail was flat and easy to walk on, and there were so few tourists that it felt like we had rented the whole place to ourselves. The trail is also incredibly long, so we decided to turn back before even reaching the halfway point. They call it a forest path, but walking a 5km round trip is a challenge, not healing. Maybe because a lot of Chinese tourists visit, but while traveling around Jeju Island, you sometimes see surprisingly massive, large-scale things.

Bare trees with fallen leaves line both sides of a snow-covered forest path.

Back view of people walking along a snow-covered winter forest path.

A wide forest path covered in white snow with tall trees lining both sides.

Two people walking in the distance on a snow-covered forest path.

Green vines wrap around a thick, moss-covered tree trunk.

A cloudy sky and bright sun seen through bare tree branches.

A landscape of bare trees standing on both sides of a snow-covered walking trail.

Small stone towers made of stacked black basalt with holes, sitting on the snow-covered ground.

Dried flowers hanging on branches against a snowy background.

Thick, winding trees growing on both sides of a snow-covered forest path.

Snow piled at the bottom of deeply vertically cracked tree bark.

A forest path landscape with thick, straight trees standing densely on snow-covered ground.

An arched wooden bridge placed over a dry valley full of snow-covered rocks.

Back view of two people walking side by side along a wide, snow-covered forest path.

A landscape with stone sculptures placed in a snow-covered clearing next to a large bare tree.

A white tow truck pulling a dark-colored car on a narrow, snow-covered forest road. — I'm not sure if cars are allowed in, but I definitely saw that you shouldn't bring them in during winter. It generally doesn't make sense to drive a car onto a forest trail anyway.

After exploring the forest path for a bit, we returned to the Saryeoni Forest Path shuttle bus stop. But what do you know, the bus wasn't running! We were told it needed maintenance due to the snow, and since a bus had just left, we'd have to wait quite a long time. Since the bus ride took less than 10 minutes, we decided to just walk instead of waiting. We really should have known how the weather changes in Jeju's inland areas before making that choice.

A dense forest with leafy evergreen trees soaring high toward the sky.

A person walking with arms spread wide along the shoulder of an asphalt road lined with tall trees. — Up until this point, the snow was falling nicely, so I even walked with my arms wide open.

Two people walking on a road lined with tall cedar trees along a lightly snow-covered shoulder.

A narrow forest path through snow-covered bamboo grass and dense trees.

Two people walking along a curved road densely lined with dark green cedar trees.

A paved road with snow on the shoulder, lined with dense cedar trees on both sides.

A pinecone fallen on the white snow-covered ground.

About halfway through, the snow started getting seriously heavy. Even when it snows a lot in Seoul, the wind usually doesn't blow this fiercely, so I always thought it was pretty, but Jeju is different. It was coming down so hard I thought, "Is this hail?" My face turned red like I had frostbite, and every possible liquid—runny nose, tears—started pouring out. I truly felt how terrifying it can be when snow meets mountain winds. If Jeju is this bad, I can't even imagine what the Gaema Plateau (in North Korea) must be like.

Straight trees and bamboo grass on the ground amidst falling snow.

A dense cedar forest during a snowstorm. — Suddenly, terrifying amounts of snow started falling.

A person wearing a blue padded jacket walking along the road shoulder in cloudy, snowy weather.

Back view of two people walking on a snow-covered road during a snowstorm.

A snow-covered road and forest with poor visibility due to thick fog and a snowstorm. — At this point, I started worrying about how I'd even drive once I got in the car. Now I understand why they said the bus couldn't run.

A blue bus and a person walking on the road, faintly visible through a snowstorm.

A blue bus stopped on a snow-covered road and the surrounding landscape. — Yet, a bus was still running in the midst of all this. The intervals might get stretched out sometimes, but they keep running steadily even in rough weather. If possible, don't walk—just take the bus.