Paraeso Falls Hike near Ulsan

Paraeso Falls is about 45 minutes to an hour drive outside Ulsan city, South Korea. If you’re looking for a short hike with great views throughout, this is a perfect Ulsan day trip.

Why this Hike is Awesome

In just 90 minutes, we were able to see three separate waterfalls and enjoy beautiful views of the surrounding valley. The hike is not long, but the terrain is varied. You can continue past Paraeso Waterfall into the mountains to some wild camping sites, or make this a longer hiking day by adding on the Sinbulsan peak ascent. The waterfall will look different in each season; we definitely want to come back in winter when it’s frozen.

Distance

We arrived before 9am, and the gate to the upper parking area wasn’t yet open. We parked near some pensions, and it was 4km in and out from the car. You could save time and distance if you come after 9am and park in the upper lot, but it was already steamy and humid by 9am in July, so I’m glad we went early. We left the car at 8:30am and were back by 10am, with a fair amount of dawdling, a snack break, and two bathroom stops.

Elevation

There is moderate elevation gain. Your legs will be burning. One set of hiking steps which wasn’t too bad led up to the views of the falls. According to AllTrails, the elevation gain to the falls is 470m at a grade of 15%.

Terrain

The path starts as a paved road and would be accessible with a stroller, if you’re willing to push that baby uphill. You could make it in about 10 to 15 minutes before the trail turns into gravel and rocky steps. That would still be a nice, short scenic walk, although probably not worth the drive out to this area, unless you combine the trip with something else nearby like Amethyst Caverns. My kids did pretty well on the terrain, although the rocky steps were a bit steep for the 7-year old. Hikers, sneakers, or sports sandals are essential here.

Safety

The trails are clearly marked with location signposts, as most trails in Korea. Most of the steep areas have rope banisters, however a determined toddler would have lots of places to get off the path. The falls viewing platform has high railings.

Age Recommendation

For kids hiking on their own power, I’d recommend ages 5 and up. The rocky steps are a bit steep, and they do need to cover significant elevation gain in a short time. I wouldn’t want to end up carrying a kid down a rocky path, so I’m very attentive to what they can do on their own. You could certainly hike with a baby backpack if you feel comfortable on uneven, rocky ground and with the steps. I would find it very stressful to take a toddler or a 3 to 4 year old on this path, unless they were very well aware of the dangers of steep drops and could stay away from the edges of the trail. Personally I never liked hiking with my kids when they were younger and feeling like they were pulling my arm off attempting to leap off a cliff or play with the fishes in the river the whole way.

Our Route

We parked at the small pension at the trailhead and used Naver maps to make sure we were following the correct trail to Paraeso Falls. From 9am, there is a ticket booth, and there are toilets right inside the gate. You mostly hike along the river and there are only a few forks until that point. You can hike onward, but my kids took one look at the stairs leading up and decided they were ready to visit the nearby Amethyst Caverns instead.

Restaurants & Shops

This trail doesn’t have a plethora of restaurants nearby, just a few sleepy pensions. You’ll need drive back out toward the main roads and explore if you’re hungry. We went onward, about 25 minutes in the car, to Amethyst Cavern Park, which has a decent cafeteria and several restaurants on the road in between.

Korea Road Trip

This hike was part of our Korea road trip summer 2021, along the southeast coast & islands. We have also spent 32 days on the road in summer 2020 and done numerous weekend and week-long trips since we moved to Korea in July 2019. Have questions about traveling in Korea with kids or want to request a guide to a place we’ve been or a hike we’ve done? Reach out at heathercarreiro[@]gmail.com