While on these adventures, I would find out the best part of fall, the secret Texans don’t all know, the spectacular color show of the leaves changing! The tree's leaves were like a paint pallet, there were brushes of color everywhere. Where I am from in Texas, almost all the leaves on trees were burnt to a crisp by fall if not by drought, by fires. Here on the peninsula, leaves were dancing in the wind and fluttering all around, fall flowers were blooming, and in the morning, there were breathtaking views as the cool fog blanketed the mountains in the distance, and of course, fireside get-togethers at night were also in store!

Fall was the gift I didn’t know I needed. The reds, oranges, yellows, and even pink colors of fall would open my eyes to the beauty that happens each year. I want to share with you some of the must-go spots in South Korea this fall and I hope you enjoy them as much as we have over the years. 

Gyeonggi Province 

Seoul

USAG Yongsan

• Our family loves the Dragon Hill Lodge. During fall, the views of the mountains and Seoul Tower are spectacular. The coziness of the hotel, the apple fritters, and walks together in Itaewon with cocoa are memorable fall moments for our family. 

Gyeongbokgung Palace

• Dress up in a rented hanbok while it is cool and head to the palaces! See the changing of the guard, tour the meticulously curated gardens and grounds, look at the architecture, and check out the museums too. 

Bukhansan National Park

• This national park is right outside Seoul, but from its peaks, you can see the entire city! Dobongsan Mangwolsa Temple in the mountains will give you the best fall pictures, silence to meditate, and a day full of art and architecture to inspire you. 

Gyeonggi Province 

Seoul

USAG Yongsan

• Our family loves the Dragon Hill Lodge. During fall, the views of the mountains and Seoul Tower are spectacular. The coziness of the hotel, the apple fritters, and walks together in Itaewon with cocoa are memorable fall moments for our family. 

Gyeongbokgung Palace

• Dress up in a rented hanbok while it is cool and head to the palaces! See the changing of the guard, tour the meticulously curated gardens and grounds, look at the architecture, and check out the museums too. 

Bukhansan National Park

• This national park is right outside Seoul, but from its peaks, you can see the entire city! Dobongsan Mangwolsa Temple in the mountains will give you the best fall pictures, silence to meditate, and a day full of art and architecture to inspire you. 

Yongin

Everland

• Everland is a fun Korean theme park with rides, food, and beautiful gardens. The park is situated in the hills making this an ideal park for adults to walk, view the gardens and mountains, and have some fun on the attractions too! It huge, so make sure you can spend the entire day there exploring! 

Pyeongtaek

Nae-Ri Cultural Park

• Around the corner from Humphrey’s Yoon Gate, you will find the Nae-Ri complex, a community favorite with its fantastic jungle gym, zip line for kids, summer splash pads, and paths for cycling and walking. During September and October, you will find walking trails with pops of colors from hundreds of Cosmo flowers and the famous pink muhly grass. People come out in droves to take family portraits and get Instagram-worthy shots in the pink grass! Take a bike ride or walk along the river and spot one of the many coffee shops to enjoy the fall day at the park! 

Simboksa Buddhist Temple

• On a hill overlooking the countryside sits Simboksa. There are very peaceful lily ponds, a couple of gardens, and various shrines around the grounds. If you head up the mountain towards the back of the property, the stairs will take you to an area overlooking the valley beneath that stretches for miles. Simboksa is a close place of respite for those living in Pyeongtaek. 

South Chungcheong Province

Nonsan

Baekje Military Museum

• At Baekje Military Museum you can see the spirit of loyalty and tradition in the monuments, structures, and museum artifacts dedicated to General Gyebaek. General Gyebaek is remembered for his heroic battle where he and 5,000 of his men on horseback fought against 50,000 Silla troops. The Baekje Military Museum is more than a building with paintings and artifacts. It’s a huge complex with parks and outdoor lending book libraries, relics, and items of cultural significance spread throughout. You could easily spend an entire day here at the museum in Nonsan and love every minute of it! Sit in the gardens and enjoy! 

Gwanchoksa Buddhist Temple, Nonsan 

• Like many temples, Gwanchoksa Temple is located at the foot of Banyasan Mountain. Mountainside locations mean trees in abundance that will make a stunning backdrop for many of the cultural properties on the temple grounds. Most notable is the Buddha statue, widely known as “Maitreya Buddha of Eunjin”. Built around 968 by monk sculptor Hyemyeong, it is the largest stone Buddha in Korea (18.12 meters in height, 9.9 meters in girth, 1.8 meters in the length of ears, 2.43 meters at the height of crown). Make sure to stop here while in Nonsan!  

Myeongjae Historic House

• Myeongjae Historic House in Nonsan is part of the National Folklore Cultural Heritage in Korea. This house was built by Yun Jeung (1629~1714), a scholar during the reign of King Sukjong of the Joseon Dynasty. Myeongjae's residence has a man-made pond and sprawling gardens which add color and style, especially in fall. Unfortunately, I was just a week too late for leaves, but the warm tones were still present! At the corner of the large yard, there are lots of Jangdokdae that make the area even more beautiful. Jangdokdae or Jangttokttae is an outside space, most often a garden, where a series of large pottery jars are kept together. Inside the jars are food being fermented. Nonsan Myeongjae’s House is also renowned for fermented soybean paste. The unique paste known as ‘Gyodong Doenjang’ is sold to restaurants all around the peninsula. The jars are made for stunning photos! 

Daejeon

Mt. Jangtaesan Natural Recreation Forest, Daejeon 

• The fall colors of Mt. Jangtaesan Natural Recreation Forest in Daejeon can’t be beat. The sequoia and redwoods are majestic here and tower above everyone. The sequoia trees were established in 1973, creating a dense forest. Many come to this recreational forest to walk on the trails that are up in the trees on bridges and platforms. It’s like a forest skywalk! These elevated walkways and suspension bridges make you feel like you are in the sky, like a bird flying in the trees. Come midday and stay until sunset, it was beautiful. Keep in mind that fall and winter hours mean many national forests close early. This park closes early as well, so make sure all the paths will be open when you arrive. 

Taean

Anmyeondo Island Recreational Forest

• Korea is jam-packed with recreational forests but each is unique. On Anmyeondo Island in Taean, this forest is filled with pine trees and maples that seem to be hundreds of feet tall. While they may not be a hundred feet tall, they are over a hundred years old! There are pavilions to take a rest, tables to have lunch with friends on, multiple gardens, gurgling streams, and ponds with giant koi. It’s the perfect place for walks, meditation, and exploration. These forests take all your cares away with their beauty. 

Cheonan

Gakwonsa Buddhist Temple

• At Gawonsa, a seated Amitabha Buddha sits atop the mountainsides of Cheonan. This temple offers a different perspective each season. Spring brings gorgeous cherry blossoms, summer is lush and green, and winter offers a snowscape, but fall brings pops of color for miles! This honored place is my favorite location in all of Korea. I come here quite often to meditate and to ground myself. Every duty station I aim to find a place where I can go and just be still. This is my place, and I hope it can be for you, what it has been for me. 

Cheonhoji Reservoir

• As you leave Gakwonsa, check out Cheonhoji Reservoir. Around the waterfront is a trail often used as a marathon training course and a small cable suspension bridge. Go at sunset for full views of the mountain’s fall leaves in the background and the beginning of the Cheonan nightlife! 

Asan

Asan Gokgyocheon Stream Ginkgo Trail

• While in the South Chungcheong Province, don’t miss the scenic trail along the Gokgyocheon Stream! Here hundreds of ginkgo trees that are over 50 years old line the streams and pathways. Their green leaves turn to gold and it makes for the perfect fall backdrop. Many people enjoy family photos as the fall leaves seem to fall in abundance like rain.

North Gyeongsang Province

Andong

Andong Hahoe Village 

• Step back in time at Andong Hahoe Village! This cultural park isn’t just a folk village made for tourists, it’s an ancestral homeland. The village’s families still live, farm, and care for the land as Koreans did centuries ago. It is a must-see. This working village is so important to Korea, that it is now a cultural property. If you want to see beautiful fall colors around the Nakdonggang River and Mountain Hwa, persimmon trees with growing fruit, and buildings from the Joseon Dynasty, visit Andong! 

• Andong Hahoe Village is also home to a 600-year-old great zelkova tree. This tree stands highest in the village and is named Samsindang. Samsin, the goddess of birth and fertility is said to live inside the great Zelkova tree. Many men and women pray to Samsin for their children or in hopes of having a child. Others come to pray here for a bountiful harvest and well-being. The white linen pieces with prayers adorn the area around this famous tree whose leaves change all different colors in the fall. 

Gyeongju

Gyeongju City and Hanok Village

• Gyeongju in October and November is another favorite for many. This city is over a thousand years old and was the capital of Silla from 57 BC to 935 A.D. We spent a few days in Gyeongju exploring the many cultural sites, several of which will give you the best “fall in South Korea” experience. 

• The Cheomseongdae Observatory and Daereungwon Tomb Complex are located in Gyeongju, another must-do while in this province! Cheomseongdae is an observatory for looking at the stars and is said to be the oldest surviving astronomical observatory in Asia. The Daereungwon Tomb Complex holds 5 ancient tombs that have been excavated, some of which allow people to go in and see the items found in the museums underground. Both of these cultural properties are located in the same park complex along with trees and fall scenes around Gyeongju’s famous Hanok villages. 

Gyeongju National Park

• This national park has jaw-dropping views over the hills. Gyeongju’s Bulguksa Temple within the park should be at the top of everyone's itinerary for this area! The rivers and streams throughout the temple grounds create subtle tones of relaxation and calmness while the changing leaves seem to paint a natural mural along the clear blue sky. The temple is on a mountain and offers many lookout areas that stretch for miles. The temple also has many gardens and ponds to allow you time to center yourself, breathe in the clean air, and soak in the colors all around! There also is a National Museum on the property that is worth checking out! Not only is there a beautiful temple and fantastic museum, but you will also find the Seokguram Grotto, a Buddhist hermitage with stunning art carved into the granite grotto walls and ceilings. Expect to spend a few hours here at a minimum to get the full fall experience. 

Gangwon Province 

Pyeongchang

Woljeongsa Buddhist Temple

• Woljeongsa (Korean: 월정사) is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, located on the eastern slopes of Odaesan in Pyeongchang County, Gangwon Province, South Korea. The 1-kilometer path leading to the temple passes through a forest of tall fir trees, some over 500 years old. Woljeongsa Temple is in charge of over 60 temples and 8 monasteries in the area. Woljeongsa Museum is also located within the temple grounds, displaying artifacts and treasures from the Buddhist culture of the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392), including an octagonal nine-story stone pagoda and a stone seated bodhisattva.

Sokcho 

Seoraksan Mountain Natural Reserve

• To say Seoraksan is massive is an understatement. You could spend a week there and still discover new areas. Seoraksan Mountain Natural Reserve spans over 173.7 km², across the Inje, Yangyang, and Sokcho areas in Gangwon Province. About 1,013 species of plants and trees call Seoraksan home, making it a spectacle during fall! There are hiking paths for all ability levels, but the best way to see the fall colors is by cable car!  The Cable Car travel distance is 1,132 meters and it takes 5 minutes to reach the top. Atop the mountain, you can see the Buddha and all the trees! South Korea LOVES cable cars and we have enjoyed seeing so many mountains and oceans from the in the air!

Naksansa Temple

• Naksansa Temple was founded in 671 by the great Buddhist Master Ven. Naksan is an abbreviation of Botanakgasan in Korean to refer to "Potalaka Mountain", where the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is believed to live, so Naksan is also known as Korea's Potalaka Mountain. It was designated as Historic Site No. 495 in 2009 and as “Place of Scenic Beauty No. 27” in 2007 for its uninhabited coastal scenery. From Naksansa, you can see the Seoraksan Mountains in the distance one way, and the East Sea on the other. The priceless views make this hike very pleasant and memorable!

Chuncheon

Legoland

• Be a kid again at Legoland, fall is also for fun after all! If you want a true Halloween fall experience like in the States, go to Legoland in September and October! We used a teacher work/student holiday to make the best of a weekday with low crowds. The colors of fall are very vibrant in the northern part of South Korea and the drive will leave you wanting to stop for pictures all along the way! Once at Legoland, you will feel the kid in you come alive again with all the Jack-o-lanterns and Halloween-themed experiences. There are holiday legos to collect and trade with staff and so many fall photo opportunities! The kids had a blast and weren’t exhausted from the heat, so I'd say it was a win all around! We plan to go back this year for more Lego-themed escapades! 

Fall is fabulous, from historical and cultural places to festivals and amusement parks! Remember, memories last a lifetime, so get out there and start making them! Check out travel groups for South Korea and do something that sparks your adventurous spirit! 

About the Author

Jetta Allen is the Editor in Chief of United on the RoK. Over the past few years, she has worn many hats; writer, poet, photographer, and editor. She loves nature, travel, and culture, but most of all, making memories with her family. She encourages readers to get out of their comfort zone and go explore!