Jirisan National Park
Dangerous Roads
Snow Much Fun
Walking up the road, we giggled profusely as we slipped around on the melted snow. We wondered how on earth we were going to manage this walk up! It got a little better, with much thicker snow and by now my excitement was all there! Clapping hands and stomping my feet I couldn’t contain it. Hailing from Durban, South Africa, snow is still a super exciting and novel thing, especially when its real snow and a SURPRISE!!! So commenced the snowball fights (or more like snowballs to the bum from HaYeon) and the kids gloves were soaked before we even got to the trail head!
Winter Wonderland
The actual walk was so beautiful. It wound along a little road that was completely covered in soft, fluffy, fresh white snow! I couldn’t stop ooohing and aaahing and saying how beautiful and magical and wonderful it all was! Despite the snow, we were blessed with fairly “warm” weather and beautiful blue skies. The walk to the shelter just before the peak took us a little longer than expected (due to many picture stops and the kids building snowmen at every opportunity). We were rewarded with great views and some wonderful soft white snowy areas to make some snow angels. We sat down to have our little picnic of peanuts and chocopies. Some very kind men next to us gave us one of their cup noodles to share! We love experiencing this Korean kindness!
We didn’t make it to the actual peak after having our picnic – the children were cold and tired. Mark and I also wanted to get going at a reasonable time. A 3 hour trip back home on a Sunday evening isn’t the best. In saying that, it is still an easy hike with great views and a great trail. We walked a total of 9,5kms (including the extra walk from the bottom car park) and it took us 4 hours (all that photo taking and snow frolicking). The entrance to the park was W3000 per person. We had such an enjoyable day, and we would highly recommend it to anyone! It was really great to see another part of Jirisan and experience it in a completely opposite season too!
What a wonderful winter surprise in such a beautiful national park! We love Jirisan, but now you've got me thinking about a trip in the snow because we've never been. The kids look like they had a lot of fun, especially the big one with a beard!
Oh my! Stunning pictures!! I feel like you about the snow Kayley, so amazing and exciting to experience!
Beautiful…what a lovely place and exciting day …I understand about all the clapping. xx
Looks like a fun day for a winter stroll! I'm in Busan so there's nooo snow here. But I kind of like that (since I've seen my fair share of snow back in Canada).
Oh my! Just looking at your photos made me feel cold. Brrr… To hike 9.5 km in the snow would take me 10 hours as I'll have to do my penguin walk to protect myself from slipping. I would love to visit Jirisan someday too ~ my husband and son were there last summer for two nights.
What wonderful photos! It's too bad you guys weren't able to go in (the story about the four-wheeler car is quite funny). I can see how unhappy your partner is about not being able to go in. 😛 I really like the photos of the little girl playing around. She looks like such a fun character to be around. Cute post! 🙂
9.5 km is a very good hike! I'm surprised you guys managed it with the kids and the snow. I love all the pictures you got, too! I need to check out Jirisan in the spring I think.
I feel like Korean kindness and hikes go hand-in-hand! I can't believe that people still hike during the dead of winter. I'm from Boston where it's cold 10 months of the year and the snow never relents, so I hate being outside in winter as its associated to having to shovel snow and walk around in the cold doing grunt work for hours. But if I had that little girl around to hang out with, I think I might be a happier camper!
Well at least you got a lovely view, with snow and all to boot! It's pretty cool hearing from my foreign friends that have never seen snow what they think of it. The consensus is that it's beautiful and magical and so on. I'm from Chicago so I beg to differ haha. P.S. The kids in the pics are adorable and seems like they had a blast!
She is the cutest! Such a character.
Yeah It was quite a distance but I wouldnt really classify it as a hike… it was a lovely walk-made exciting by the snow! Still, I was surprised we ended up going that far!
Totally! Love the Korean kindness. It surprises me too that people hike in the snow but I do feel like this snow fall was a bit early and a surprise for everyone!
Hahah I can totally understand people getting sick of the snow – and it starts to looks so messy and sludgy when it starts melting! But fun was indeed had by all the kids (us big ones too)
Thank you for documenting your wonderful trip! Everything seemed perfect and I think going with a family was the best idea! There's something about children and snow that go well together! Even though you didn't make it to the top, I think you did a fantastic job hiking that far! I couldn't do it. Game recognise game!
Wow, it really does look like a winter wonderland! I was hiking in Jirisan in early November and it is such a beautiful national park. I did not realise that it gets this snowy, though! Lovely pics!
What a winter Wonderland, as I'm soaking in warm rays of Taiwanese winter. I have only been to Jirisan in the fall and not surprised that you'd need a 4 wheel drive since it is pretty steep. 9.5 km covered with kids? Nice job!
I love the pictures! I want to experience winter wonderland too! It's in my bucket list to make a snow angel. Btw, your matchy outfits looks cute! 🙂
This looks like an epic winter hike! Living in Busan means we get no snow at all (okay, 5 second flurries) so I'm living vicariously through these photos. I actually would of never considered hiking in Jirisan during the winter due to its difficult (so I've been told) so will keep this in mind if the boyfriend is ever in for a winter challenge!