A Sokcho City Day Without Seoraksan: Lakes and Sea

Short answer: two lakes and the sea instead of the mountain

Sokcho is a port city where you can enjoy both Seoraksan National Park and the East Sea, but even without climbing the mountain there is a full day's worth of places close to the city centre. This day starts at Yeongnangho Lake in the north, then takes in the seaside pavilion of Yeonggeumjeong, Abai Village across the water by gaetbae ferry and Cheongchoho Lake at the heart of the city, and ends at Daepo Port in the south.

Yeonggeumjeong, Abai Village, Cheongchoho and Yeongnangho are free. The gaetbae costs KRW 500 one way for adults and KRW 300 for children (primary school). The 2-day route that splits Seoraksan and the coast has its own article; this one leaves Seoraksan out and spends a whole day in the city, built around the two lakes.

• Morning: Yeongnangho Lake (7.8 km around, Beombawi and the wetland eco park)
• Late morning: Yeonggeumjeong → about 10 minutes on foot to the Lighthouse Observatory
• Lunch: gaetbae to Abai Village (abai sundae, squid sundae, grilled fish)
• Afternoon: Cheongchoho Lake Park → Sokcho Beach
• Evening: raw fish and fried snacks at Daepo Port, Daepo Port Observatory

• Sokcho travel guide →
• Sokcho and Seoraksan in 2 days →

Morning: Yeongnangho, a natural lake 7.8 km around

Start the day at Yeongnangho Lake in the north. It is a natural lake 7.8 km around, and legend says the Silla hwarang Yeongnang lingered here, taken by the view. Beombawi (Tiger Rock) and a wetland eco park sit by the lake. It is always open and free.

The 2-day article lists Yeongnangho as an extra if you have time; here it is the first stop. Whether you walk the whole loop or only as far as Beombawi or the wetland eco park depends on the rest of your day. Check official info before you go for buses from Yeongnangho to the next stop.

• Yeongnangho Lake: natural lake, 7.8 km around, always open, free
• Highlights: Beombawi (Tiger Rock), wetland eco park
• Story: the Silla hwarang Yeongnang is said to have lingered here, taken by the view

Late morning: Yeonggeumjeong and the Lighthouse Observatory

Yeonggeumjeong is where a ridge of Seoraksan meets the sea. Its name comes from the sound of waves hitting the rocks, said to be like a geomungo (Korean zither), and a pavilion stands at the end of a footbridge over the rocks. It is always open.

Yeonggeumjeong is a popular spot for sunrise and sunset. This route visits it in the late morning, but if you want the sunrise you can come early, as the 2-day article does. The Lighthouse Observatory is about a 10-minute walk away, so see them together. Dongmyeong Port is also nearby.

• Yeonggeumjeong: always open, sunrise and sunset spot
• Lighthouse Observatory: about 10 minutes on foot from Yeonggeumjeong
• Nearby: Dongmyeong Port

Lunch and afternoon: the gaetbae to Abai Village, then Cheongchoho

Abai Village was built in 1950, during the Korean War, by refugees from Hamgyeong Province who settled together on a sandbar. 'Abai' is Hamgyeong dialect for an older man. The gaetbae that crosses the channel from the city is moved by hooking onto a steel cable and pulling it by hand. It runs 05:00–23:00 from May to October and 05:30–22:30 from November to April (may change with the weather), and the village is open 24 hours.

Have lunch in Abai Village. Abai sundae is a Hamgyeong-style sundae of pork large intestine filled with blood, sticky rice, dried cabbage leaves and bean sprouts, then steamed; squid sundae is a whole squid stuffed with sticky rice, radish greens, carrot, onion and perilla leaves, then steamed. Grilled fish restaurants also cluster around Abai Village and the gaetbae.

Cheongchoho Lake Park and Sokcho Beach are near Abai Village, so they are easy to combine on foot. Cheongchoho is a lagoon 5 km around at the heart of the city, with a lakeside park that hosted the 1999 Gangwon International Tourism Expo. It is always open and free. The sand at Sokcho Beach stretches 940 m.

• Gaetbae: KRW 500 one way for adults, KRW 300 for children (primary school)
• Gaetbae hours: 05:00–23:00 May–October, 05:30–22:30 November–April (may change with the weather)
• Abai Village: open 24 hours, free
• To eat: abai sundae, squid sundae, grilled fish
• Cheongchoho Lake: lagoon 5 km around, always open, free

Evening: Daepo Port, a harbour for small boats

Unlike Sokcho Port, used by large fishing boats, Daepo is a port mainly for small boats. Live fish stalls and raw fish restaurants line about 500 m of the approach road (10:00–23:00), and a fried food alley sells fried shrimp, fried squid and squid sundae.

From the Daepo Port Observatory on the hill behind, you can see the sea and Ulsanbawi together, so even on a day off the mountain you get the peaks beyond the coast. The observatory is also a sunrise spot. If you are leaving by bus, the Express Bus Terminal is a 5-minute walk from Sokcho Beach.

• Live fish stalls and raw fish restaurants: about 500 m of the approach road, 10:00–23:00
• Fried food alley: fried shrimp and squid, squid sundae
• Daepo Port Observatory: the sea and Ulsanbawi, sunrise spot
• Express Bus Terminal: 5 minutes on foot from Sokcho Beach

When to walk: Sokcho climate normals

By Korea Meteorological Administration normals (Sokcho station, 1991–2020), average highs are about 17°C in April, 21°C in May, 20°C in October and 13°C in November. For a full day on foot, these months are comfortable.

July and August have average highs of about 27°C and 28°C and are rainy months; August (about 298 mm) is the month with the most rain of the year. January, with an average low of about -4°C, is the coldest month of the year, so bring warm clothes. Normals are averages over many years, so check the forecast just before you go.

• April: high about 17°C / low about 7°C / about 73 mm
• May: high about 21°C / low about 12°C / about 89 mm
• October: high about 20°C / low about 11°C / about 88 mm
• November: high about 13°C / low about 5°C / about 92 mm
• August: high about 28°C / low about 21°C / about 298 mm
• January: high about 4°C / low about -4°C / about 44 mm

Checklist before you go

Short stretches such as Yeonggeumjeong to the Lighthouse Observatory (about 10 minutes on foot) and Abai Village to Cheongchoho Lake Park and Sokcho Beach can be walked. For buses between the other stops, check official info before you go: there is the transport page of the city tourism site and a free public transport helpline (080-850-9486, weekdays 09:30–17:30).

Tourist information centres (Haemaji, Intercity Bus Terminal, Express Bus Terminal, Tourist & Fishery Market) are open 09:00–18:00 with a break 12:00–13:00. The tourist helpline is 1330. Fees and opening hours can change, so check official information before you go.

• Gaetbae: 05:30–22:30 November–April, may change with the weather
• Daepo Port live fish stalls and raw fish restaurants: 10:00–23:00
• Tourist information centres: 09:00–18:00 (break 12:00–13:00), tourist helpline 1330
• Swimming: only during each beach's official season (Sokcho Beach was open 3 July–23 August in 2026; check official info for next year's dates)
• Check the forecast just before you go
• Adding Seoraksan: see the articles below

• Full Sokcho travel guide →
• Seoraksan in a day: which trail, or the cable car? →
• Sokcho: summer sea or autumn on Seoraksan? →
• Gangneung and Sokcho: winter sea or summer sea? →

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