Posts about hidden-gem hiking destinations blow up on Korean hiking communities (등산 갤러리) when someone shares a genuinely underrated trail with stunning visuals — Saryang Island keeps resurfacing as a "secret" recommendation that surprises even veteran hikers. The combination of dramatic scenery, overnight camping, and the poster's unfiltered storytelling style made this one spread fast.
Okay so I did the full ridge traverse of Saryang Island in Tongyeong and bro. BRO. This place is actually insane and I need everyone to know about it.
The full route isn't that long and the elevation isn't crazy high, but the constant up-down-up-down grind plus sections where you're genuinely like "wait… is THIS the trail?? 💀" means the whole thing took me around 5–6 hours. Worth every single minute though — fr fr this might be the most fun hike I've ever done, and I've hit every national park mountain in Korea plus like 20 trails off the Black Yak 100 Famous Mountains list. This one clears them ALL.
The famous suspension bridge on the route? Iconic. Beyond it is a peak called Oknyeobong with stairs so terrifyingly steep I literally could not bring myself to photograph them — my hands were too busy gripping for dear life. Apparently they used to make you climb that section on ROPES before they installed the stairs. Ropes. I would have turned around and gone home.
The scenery just keeps delivering the whole way. Ridgeline after ridgeline, each one more unhinged than the last — we're talking steeper than Manisan's ridge (which is already feral), and at one point there's a gap in the path that someone just… filled in with tree branches. Tree branches!! The audacity!! lmaooo
Random bonus: there are black goats everywhere on this mountain. Turns out there's a goat farm at the base. Didn't expect that at all.
The sunset views? Absolutely top tier. Chef's kiss. No notes.
Near the summit — which is called Jirisan (not THE Jirisan, just a local peak with the same name) — there's a campsite that is genuinely one of the most beautiful spots I've ever seen. Some legend was already set up there camping. I wanted to join but I knew my legs were cooked so I found a different spot to pitch my tent.
And then the moon rose and it was MASSIVE. Like actually unreal big. I just sat there staring at it like a feral goblin.
For the overnight: I camped at a different spot away from the main trail so I wouldn't bother other hikers, set up after sunset, packed up right after sunrise. Left no trace. Did the responsible thing.
Food situation: five energy bars. That's it. That was dinner AND breakfast. No regrets.
Also — and I'm telling you this because I respect you — I brought one of those emergency pee bottles from Daiso and used it on the mountain. Carried it back down. We do not leave waste on sacred ground.
Watched the sunrise, packed up, descended. The rest of the trail on the way down was just as gorgeous. I'm still thinking about it.
If you're a hiker looking for your next adventure: block out 5–6 hours, start early in the morning, and get yourself to Saryang Island. You will not regret it. This place lives in my head rent free now.