Naejangsan National Park Autumn Foliage Guide 2025

One of Korea’s most popular foliage spots by far is Naejangsan National Park. Typically, October and November are the best time to take a fall foliage trip. So if you don’t want to miss out on Korea’s breathtaking autumn foliage, be sure to plan your leaf-peeping getaway early!

About Naejangsan National Park

If this is your first time hearing about Naejangsan National Park, you’re going to want to add it to your fall Korea itinerary immediately.  Home to Naejangsan or Mount Naejang, the park is located near Jeong-up, in the southwest of Korea. It is most famous for its vivid fall foliage, 600-year-old nutmeg trees, and gorgeous waterfalls. It is also home to two famous Buddhist temples, Baekyangsa Temple and Naejangsa Temple. The tree-lined path from the Hiking Information Center to Naejangsa Temple is especially popular with visitors for its breathtaking canopy of colorful autumn leaves!

Though autumn is definitely the park’s peak season, it’s also gorgeous during the spring when azaleas and cherry blossoms bloom, in summer when the mountain turns greener, and in winter when the rock cliffs are blanketed in snow.

How to Get to Naejangsan National Park

| By train: You can reach the park by taking the KTX from Yongsan Station to Jeong-eup Station, then take a local bus to Naejangsan National Park. However, this can be quite confusing for first-time travelers & KTX tickets can be expensive (around $39 USD). Additionally, train tickets may sell out quickly as fall is considered peak season to visit.

| By car: Driving to Naejangsan takes around 3~4 hours from Seoul, but during weekends or peak season, it may take longer with traffic. Plan to arrive early in the morning and explore leisurely to avoid the worst of the traffic jam.

| By tour: If you join Trazy’s fall foliage tour, you won’t have to worry about transportation or finding your way to the park. The tour includes an admission fee, an English-speaking tour staff, a light breakfast, and a bottle of water.

• Naejangsan National Park Fall Foliage 1 Day Tour – from Seoul/Busan (Oct 27~Nov 14)
• Seoraksan/ Naejangsan/ Odaesan/ Daedunsan/ Jangtaesan 1 Day Tour- from Seoul (Oct 14~Nov 26)
• Naejangsan/ Jirisan/ Juwangsan 1 Day Tour – from Busan (Oct 26~Nov 25)
• Naejangsan/ Seoraksan National Park 1 Day Tour from Seoul (Oct 17~Nov 12)

What to Expect on a Fall Tour to Naejangsan

From Seoul to Naejangsan National Park

The tour bus departs from Hongik University Station at 6:00 a.m. Other pick-up locations are Myeongdong Station (6:30 a.m.) and Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station (6:40 a.m.). On the way, you will stop at a rest stop where you can use the bathroom and buy snacks. The bus will arrive at Naejangsan National Park around 10:30 a.m and from there, you will have free time to explore the park on your own!

Click here for the detailed itinerary of the tour

I took one of the easier courses that involved barely any steep inclines or difficulty. From the parking lot, you will take a 5-minute ride to the ticket booth via a free shuttle bus.

The English-speaking tour staff will give you the entrance ticket and you will take another shuttle bus to the entrance of the National Park. All courses start and finish at this entrance where the ticket booths are. The bus fee is part of the tour and you won’t need to wait in the ticket line. The first shuttle was big, but this one was smaller and more cramped but it didn’t matter since the ride was short.

There were lots of hikers and tourists even though it was only 11 am. On the way, you can find this sign in the picture below. On the left is the cable car, which you can ride at an additional cost. 0.5 km. To the right is Naejangsa Temple, which is where I went.

The walk to the temple takes around 5 minutes and is so enthralling and beautiful that you’ll be stopping for photos constantly!

You can find several restaurants and vendors selling vegetables, herbs, teas, kimchi, meat, makgeolli (Korean rice wine) and acorn jelly as well as various trinkets.

Top 3 Attractions at Naejangsan National Park

1. Naejangsa Temple

After a leisurely 5 minute walk from the entrance of the park, you will arrive at Naejangsa Temple. The trees and floor were coated with leaves and there was a pond with statues spurting out water. Korean Buddhist temples also have wells called ‘Yaksuteo.’ These wells pour out water that is fresh and drinkable, which you can do with the plastic cups provided.

The highlight was a singing performance by a monk. He was singing a pop song with a voice that you would expect to hear from someone like Pavarotti or Bocelli. He was amazing.

| Best photo spots at Naejangsa Temple 

1) Iljumun Gate: It is symbolic because it is the entrance to the Buddhist temple and is apparently good for taking group photos.

2) The lanterns: These were located in front of the temple. I LOVE the colors and found that they made the perfect background for a photo as they swayed gently in the wind.

3) Baekyangsa Temple: Baekyangsa Temple was founded during the Baekje Dynasty (632 C.E.) and it is a good place to take a walk while appreciating the autumn foliage of Naejangsan National Park.

4) Resting area: This area was where a lot of people were sitting down to take a rest. There were stairs leading up to the top where many photos were being taken too. The photographer would stand there and point their camera down so that the foliage would be captured with the subject in the middle.

2. Uhwajeong Pavilion

The leisurely downhill walk from the temple back to the parking lot was about an hour and 40 minutes down a long path called the ‘Five Colors Danpoong (Korean for autumn leaves) Path’. As we walked down, we saw Uhwajeong Pavilion. The name is derived from the legend that the pavilion once grew wings and ascended into the heavens. Various flowers, trees, and foliage surrounding the pavilion created a view that looked almost fake. The water was also so clear that I could see fish swimming!

| Best Photo Spots at Uhwajeong Pavilion: 

1) Stone path: I noticed many people taking photos on the stone path leading to the pavilion. They would stand in a line and pop their heads out in alternative directions while flailing their arms, which made for a cute photo.

2) From a distance: I also found that taking a photo from further away made the pavilion look like something out of a postcard. This was thanks to the foliage and trees appearing in the surroundings as well as the rays of sunlight! 

3. Sinsun Waterfall

Located further down from where Uhwajeong Pavilion is Sinsun Waterfall, which is a historical river bank where Japanese and Korean soldiers fought. Since the river is old, natural stones were stacked in effort to reconstruct it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get to see the water flowing out on the day of the tour, but when it does, it just looks amazing!

1) Sinsun Waterfall and Uhwajeong Pavilion

Because Uhwajeong Pavilion is visible behind the waterfall, it makes for the perfect photo as you can see it in its miniature form in the background behind the cascading waterfall!

Insider Tips for Your Trip

| Wear comfortable shoes! I wore a pair of combat boots that were relatively comfortable, but the sneakers would be better. Wear hiking shoes if you plan on trekking along with the more challenging courses.

| Skip the cable car or be prepared to waste a good two or three hours waiting. It’s much better to explore the paths by walking at that time.

| Stick to Bibimbap if you’re not into foods that have strong seasonings or taste. The tour staff told us one of the tourists ordered a bean paste soup, but it turned out to have such a strong taste that was like ‘cheonggukjang’, a fermented soybean paste that has a pungent scent.

| Avoid weekends. If you head to the park on a Friday, there may be an increased amount of traffic when you head back in the evening. This is normal, though.

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