Is it really possible to do a day trip to Seoraksan National Park?  I guess that depends on which areas of the park you want to explore.  As for me, I just wanted to experience Seoraksan and explore a bit.

We started out early and got to Seoraksan National Park before 11:30 AM.  It took almost 4 hours to get to the park (for a more detailed account of the bus trip, please refer to this: The Road to Seoraksan).

The last stop of bus 7 or 7-1 from Sokcho is the park entrance.  Cross the street from the bus stop then walk past the parking lot for the Seoraksan Admission Ticket Office.  Ticket costs KRW3,500 per person.  They have senior discounts but for Koreans only.

Admission Ticket Office

Entrance to the park

Information Center

Past the Information Center is the statue of a bear that welcomes you to the park.  Follow the path and to the left would be the Cable Car Station.

Seoraksan Cable Car Station

The ticket office is on the ground floor of the cable car station.  You can opt to specify a particular time, or get in line after buying the ticket.  We took the 2nd option.  So, after buying tickets (return tickets cost KRW9,000 per adult), we went to the 2nd floor for boarding.  There's still a line even on a Monday, so I could just imagine how long the line goes on a weekend.

Seorak Cable Car Ticket Office

Food stalls available on the ground floor
and coin lockers on the second floor

Cable car boarding area

Cable car

View from the cable car

View from the cable car

Coffee/Snack shop on the upper cable car station

Upon getting out of the upper cable car station, there's a plight of stairs leading up towards the Gwongeumseong Fortress.  Some of the path have stairs (maybe those steep and slippery parts) and some are plain trails.

Gwongeumseong

When it started to drizzle, I made my way back to the cable car station where my Mom was waiting, then we went in line for the next available cable car going down.  There is no specific time for the return trip.  You can just fall in line as soon as you're ready to go down.  When we got to the lower cable car station, we continued deeper into the park.  I planned to try the path to Biseondae.  Below are more images of the park.

Seorak Cable Car

Food/Souvenir shops along the path

Seoraksan Tourist Hotel
The only hotel inside the park

Restroom in the middle of the trail

Food / Souvenir stalls along the trail

It was on this part of the trail that I turned back.
I didn't see any signs in the trail so I'm not
sure how far I am from Biseondae Rocks.

I should have seen this before I went into the trail.
I got only as far as #15.

It's time for us to head back to Seoul now.  We still have an early flight to catch tomorrow.

So, is it really possible to do a day trip?  It is possible.  You could already try 2-3 of the easier trails during that time.  Just make sure to go on a weekday and go really early.  But, if you want to do the longer trails or do it in a more leisurely way, then I think an overnight might be better.


Additional Information: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264211

The Road to Seoraksan National Park from Seoul

Planned on just a day trip to Seoraksan National Park so we started out early, not too early though.  From our hostel in Jongno 3-ga, we took subway line 3 to Express Bus Terminal Station, about 10 stops.  We took Exit 1 (Gyeongbu / Yeongdong line) passing through subway line 9 and go inside the trapezoid-shaped building.
 

Express Bus Station

There's not a lot of people in the terminal.  Probably because it's a Monday and still too early.  Go to the ticket counter and buy a ticket to Sokcho, costs KRW18,100 per person, they do accept credit cards.  We were able to get a ticket for the 7:30AM bus.  The person at the counter directed us where the gate is.  We need to go to Gate 17 for the bus to Sokcho.

Ticket Counter

Ticket showing origin and destination, ticket cost, date and time of departure, seat number and bus platform

Lockers available at the station

Way to the platform

There are convenience stores available at the passenger's waiting area

Platform 17

Bus showing route (Seoul <--> Sokcho) and time of departure (07:30)

Reclining bus seat... makes the trip comfortable

The bus left the station at exactly 7:30AM.  The estimated arrival time is flashed on the tv screen, which in our case is 10:10AM.  On the way, we passed by a number of tunnels passing through mountains.  The scenery is great, with autumn in full (or almost in full) bloom.

One of the tunnels

After an hour and a half bus ride, the bus stopped for 15 minutes.  Passengers can take a restroom break, buy food and drinks, or do some stretching.

Rest Stop

We got to Sokcho Bus Terminal around 10:20, which was the adjusted time flashed on the screen after the bus stop.  There's a coffee shop and Lotteria in the station.  A tourist information center can be seen outside the station.  Take note of some landmarks, like Hotel Good Morning and the blue post in the middle of the street that says Sokcho Beach, for taking the bus back to Seoul.

Sokcho Bus Terminal

Sokcho Bus Terminal
[Left] Dongbu Express, [Middle] Tourist Information, [Middle back] Hotel Good Morning, [Right] Blue Sokcho Beach sign in the middle of the street

The bus stop for bus 7 or 7-1 which goes to Seoraksan (Mountain) is on the opposite side of the street.  Once outside the bus station, walk to the right of the street and cross it on the first pedestrian lane.  The bus stop is a few meters to the left of the pedestrian lane.  Be prepared to have exact fare (KRW1,100) as the drivers do not give out change.  Get off at the last stop, which is in the parking lot of Seoraksan National Park.  It's about 20-30 minutes bus ride.

Inside the bus to Seoraksan National Park

Account of the day trip to the park can be read here.

Going back to Seoul from Seoraksan is basically the reverse of how you got there.  When you get out of the park, walk towards the parking lot, and back to where you got off. 

Sign outside the park

Seoraksan Bus stop

The bus stop for the terminal comes a few meters after the terminal building itself.  So when you see the landmarks for the bus terminal, press the stop button so that you could get off the bus.  Walk back to the station and buy your tickets (KRW18,100 per person).

Sokcho Bus Terminal

Ticket to Seoul

Bus to Seoul

The trip back to Seoul (Express Bus Terminal) took about 2 hours 40 minutes.


Here are some tips to consider when going to the park:

1. Weekends may get too crowded specially on peak seasons.
2. Check the bus schedule and availability of seats from KoBus.  Select Seoul [010] for origin and Sokcho [230] for destination.  You might also want to check the Sokcho - Seoul route for seat availability on the way back.
3. Check the weather from KMA site or Mountain Forecast.