Mureung Valley
| Rating: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| | Raps:2-4, max ↨36ft
Red Tape:Closed to entry Shuttle:None | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Condition Reports: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best season: | Spring
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Regions: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
37.4528, 128.9946
Search nearby locations
Weather forecast
Waterflow
Introduction[edit]
Approach[edit]
From the Mureung Valley Parking Area:-
There are plenty of Maps on the trails. You’re looking to take the blue trail (which is number 3). Don’t be misled by signs to Yongchu Falls. Aim for marker 3-3 on this trail. After climbing a steep metal stairway you will come to a fork in the path. A sign points left to ‘Love Rock’ or forwards and down towards Cheongoksan. Head towards Cheongoksan. When the trail meets the stream – your descent begins.
Descent[edit]
From the trail, the descent is quite straight forward at first; just a succession of wet scrambles. There are no conservation issues or environmental concerns. You will occasionally find initials carved into the rocks or small abandoned items like broken sunglasses – suggesting that people frequently use this place to dodge the crowds on the main trail. After 200m you will come to the main feature of the canyon; a short slot section that consists of 3 drops in quick succession. There are no ‘accessible’ bolts to use (at the top of the second drop there is an old piton placed in a crack above what could possibly be reached by hand). The first jump is a straight forward 7-8m drop into a deep, black plunge pool. If you want to set up a line, you can scramble up the ledge to the left of the drop, and use the largest tree there. It sets up a perfect line for the abseil and for retrieval. This ledge also allows for the option of making a bigger jump. You needn’t have any concerns about the depth of the plunge pool – it is definitely over 5m deep. The second jump is a little bit more intimidating. The launch is a little wet and slippery. You also have quite a narrow target to aim for. We did this descent in low water levels (there was less than one inch depth to the water going over the fall), but you could see from the top where the deepest part of the pool was – where all the leaves had settled in the still pool. The jump is about 11m. There are no options for natural anchors on this drop (bear that it mind). The third drop is Yongchu Falls; a popular picnic spot for hikers and families. This pool is also relatively shallow – and more subject to change as the river bed is made up of boulders here. There is an option for a tree anchor on river left here (but you’ll need a rope longer than the 9-10m of Yongchu Falls. After this, the descent is much less technical. It consists of wet scrambles down to Ssang Falls. Then there is a shallow swim through a nice little gorge, and then you’ll want to egress river right. There would be little value left in sticking to the stream from this point onwards.
Exit[edit]
Take the main trail back to the car park. It is all well signposted. Just keep heading down.
Red tape[edit]
Parking Fee : ₩ 6,000 / Admission Fees: ₩ 2,000 per Adult
Access is prohibited. And this is enforced. Strictly. Hikers in the area will alert the rangers, who do patrol regularly. There is some potential for severe fines if you wilfully and blatantly disregard the National Park rules. As soon as you’re at the second jump you will be in view of anyone who is on the trail.
Beta sites[edit]
- https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?hl=en&authuser=0&mid=1V-S2aDtsrLaYjmVQleNdVAvotKQ
- https://www.facebook.com/koreancanyoning/
Trip reports and media[edit]
Background[edit]
Unbolted