Korea Travels - Day 7, Seorak Park Trail 1 Stairs to Geumganggul Cave

The triangular stone peak standing tall in front of Biseondae is called Janggunbong Peak. Below Janggunbong Peak is a cave called Geumganggul. Given the extreme difficulty of carving into the rock of sucha a steep mountainside, this cave must have been created by natural forces. The interior covers about 250 square feet. The cave enshrines a statue of the Merciful Godduss, and it is a place for prayer for devout Buddhists. This is where we are headed next.


We didn't realize it at the time, but the cave is quite a hike. Look at the picture below. The rock appears to peak, then dip where there is a lot of trees. The trees continue up the side of the second peak. There is a dark spot on the second peak right above where the trees stop. That is the cave. Had we realized this, we might not have been so gung ho about going to the cave.

After Bisondae, we decided to head onward to Geumganggul Cave. The guidebook stated that there were 645 stairs to the cave. We can handle 645 stairs. Instead of stairs, though, we found boulders. This should have been our first clue that we were in way over our heads.