Odaesan National Park: Pyeongchang's Sacred Buddhist Mountain

Odaesan National Park (오대산국립공원) covers 298 square kilometres of the Taebaek Mountain range in Pyeongchang and Hongcheon Counties, Gangwon Province. The park's name — "Five Plateau Mountain" — refers to five distinct summits, each associated in Buddhist cosmology with the five directions and the five bodhisattvas. The highest peak, Birobong (1,563 m), is accessible by a half-day hiking trail from the main valley. The park's streams are classified among Korea's cleanest and the primary valley is lined with fir trees of unusual density, creating a cathedral-like approach to the temples.

Odaesan has been a centre of Korean Buddhism since the seventh century, when the monk Jajang returned from Tang Dynasty China with sacred relics of the historical Buddha and established a hermitage on the mountain. His disciple Uisang later founded Woljeongsa Temple in 643 CE. The mountain is considered one of Korea's five sacred Buddhist mountains and has been a pilgrimage destination for over 1,300 years. Sangwonsa Temple at the upper valley holds a National Treasure bronze bell cast in 725 CE — the oldest surviving large bell in Korea.

The most popular visit combines the fir-tree approach road to Woljeongsa Temple (a 1-kilometre walk through towering Korean fir) with a further 9-kilometre hike up the valley to Sangwonsa Temple. Woljeongsa's nine-tier stone pagoda is one of the finest Goryeo-era structures in the country. Sangwonsa offers templestay programmes allowing visitors to experience monastic life, meditation, and a 4 AM morning bell ceremony.

The park is 40 kilometres from the Alpensia Resort area and can be combined with a Pyeongchang ski trip in winter. The fir forest path is walkable in winter with micro-spikes but can be icy — exercise caution. Spring and autumn are the most popular seasons; summer offers lush greenery and the valley stream creates natural cooling. Templestay bookings must be made through the Korea Templestay programme website.