From 28 January to 31 January 2026, I planned our first family winter cabin camping 🏕️ trip at Jirisan Recreational Forest Resort.🌲 Winter is usually a long school break for my child, and we rarely stay in South Korea during this period. I normally return to my home country, Malaysia. This year, however, I decided to do something different because I missed the snow. 🌨️ ❄️
Usually around this time, I would be in Malaysia visiting my family and enjoying all the local food I miss so much. The weather there is always sweet and warm. But this winter, I chose to stay in Korea because I had promised my child that we would play in the snow together. We live in a city where snow doesn’t fall during winter, so this promise meant a lot to her. 😍
Booking Jirisan Recreational Forest Resort is never easy because the competition is very strong, especially during peak seasons. Luckily, winter is not considered a peak season, so I managed to secure a booking this time. Since it was cabin camping, I didn’t have much to worry about. Everything was provided in the cabin, including cooking utensils, a fridge, water dispenser, kettle, shower room, toilet, TV, table, heating system, and bedding. All of this made packing much more convenient and easier compared to tent camping.
For this 4 days and 3 nights cabin camping trip, I planned several activities for our family. On the first day, we checked in around 5:30 p.m., unpacked, arranged our things, and then enjoyed dinner together. We spent the evening doing simple family activities like hips fights, online games, watching TV, and chatting.
On the second day, we woke up early for breakfast and prepared ourselves to head to the sledding area. I didn’t expect it to snow that morning. The snowfall was light and beautiful. After reaching the sledding area, I paid 20,000 KRW for sledding, but things didn’t go as planned. My child was scared and refused to ride. In the end, she chose to play with the snow instead, and I ended up making snowmen and snow ducks with her. Of course, my husband nagged me for wasting money 💵 and doing nothing there except playing in the snow. Looking back, the cost was definitely not worth it, especially since we were able to enjoy fresh snow during our hiking trip the next day. 🏔️
On the third day, we woke up early again for breakfast and prepared for our family hiking adventure to Jirisan Nogodan (지리산 노고단). Jirisan is the second-largest mountain range in South Korea and has three main peaks. Nogodan is the third main peak and is suitable for hikers of all levels, from beginners to advanced. The peak stands at 1,507 meters. It took us about one hour to drive from the resort to the Seongsamjae resting area (성삼재휴게소), which is the starting point for the designated hiking route.🚩
The entire hike took about three hours, including rest time. Along the way, we enjoyed the frozen scenery, stepping on fresh snow, and chatting until we reached the shelter. At the shelter, a senior hiker advised us not to bring our child to the peak because of the strong freezing wind 🍃. He explained that it might be too tough for her and inconvenient for us as parents. After considering his advice, we decided to let her stay at the shelter, where she enjoyed snacks, games, and YouTube, while my husband and I completed the remaining route. It took us about 40 minutes to reach the peak from there. 🗻
To enter and hike Jirisan Nogodan, advance booking is required because it is managed by the government under Korea National Park Service. Each day, entry is limited to around 1,807 hikers for safety and environmental protection. Unfortunately, the booking system is not very foreigner-friendly. Foreigners who wish to hike this mountain need to call the official hotline for more information and guidance. ☎️
In the end, I felt adventurous and happy. My child enjoyed playing in the snow far more than sledding. Although I wanted to try the sled myself, I felt uneasy about leaving her alone, especially since my husband stayed in the car and didn’t enter the sledding area.
For more details about our hiking experience at Jirisan Nogodan, stay tuned for my next blog post.👉 I’ve shared more visuals from this camping trip on my Instagram.👇
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