Gaeori Oreum: Wandering Into Three Overlapping Peaks and a Dense Natural Forest

Search around for Jeju oreum and you'll often run into stories about ones that are 'gentle' or 'easy even for beginners.' Today's Gaeori Oreum takes a slightly different angle. Located east of the pony ranch in Bonggae-dong, Jeju City, Gaeori Oreum is known not as a single peak but as a compound volcanic formation made up of three peaks of varying sizes. Unlike oreum that rise as a single, perfectly cone-shaped peak, Gaeori Oreum has its peaks leaning against one another almost shoulder to shoulder, so the first fun part is simply figuring out where one oreum ends and the next begins. What we usually call 'Gaeori Oreum' actually refers to just the main peak among those three — the one where a broadcast relay tower stands. Add to that the dense natural forest covering its entire slope, and Gaeori Oreum turns out to be a place where several layers of story sit stacked on top of one another. Today let's slowly work through the terrain and the forest that this oreum holds.

Three Peaks Forming One Compound Volcano

Most oreum on Jeju are said to take shape around a single peak and a single crater, but Gaeori Oreum is often introduced as one that departs slightly from that mold. Three peaks of different sizes are said to line up side by side to form a single volcanic body, and this kind of formation is called a 'compound volcano.' Just the fact that there's more than one peak seems to change how you look at this oreum. Scanning the ridgeline from a distance, you can reportedly make out each peak carrying a slightly different height and curve — so with one oreum, you end up meeting several different expressions.

So which peak, exactly, does the name we commonly use — 'Gaeori Oreum' — refer to? As it's known, among these three peaks, the one fitted with a broadcast relay tower, the main peak, is the one called Gaeori Oreum. In other words, the name belongs not to the whole volcanic body but to the single peak at its center. The other two peaks are said to stand as if supporting that main peak from either side, and taking in the sight of all three peaks together could itself be one reason to visit Gaeori Oreum. Since it sits east of the pony ranch in Jeju City, using the ranch as a landmark to get your bearings could be one way to find your way there.

A Dense Natural Forest That Changes Face With the Seasons

Another feature you can't leave out when talking about Gaeori Oreum is the forest that fills its slopes. As it's told, Gaeori Oreum's entire slope is covered in dense natural forest, a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees. Having deciduous and evergreen trees grow together also means the oreum's expression shifts that much more as the seasons change. With trees that shed their leaves standing alongside trees that stay green year-round, it seems unlikely you'd meet the exact same scenery no matter which season you visit.

Cedar and pine are also said to grow in parts of the forest. With cedar's characteristically straight trunks and pine's deep green mixed in among the natural forest, you'd likely feel the texture of the woods shift little by little as you walk. While many other oreum are known for silver grass or open grassland, Gaeori Oreum could be introduced as one whose charm lies in the dense, wooded trail itself. If you've visited several oreum already, Gaeori Oreum offers a mood quite different from the open, grassy ones. The way sunlight filtering through the trees alternates with patches of shade is also said to be counted among this forest trail's charms.

Exploring Bonggae-dong Along With the Pony Ranch

Bonggae-dong, Jeju City, where Gaeori Oreum sits, is known for having a pony ranch nearby. Since Gaeori Oreum itself is located east of that ranch, you could picture a route that stops by the ranch first before heading toward the oreum. Watching the ponies wander across the grassland and then walking straight into an oreum covered in dense forest means you can take in two quite different landscapes in one area, all within a single day.

That said, specific visiting details like the difficulty of the climb or how long it takes haven't been widely confirmed yet, so I'll leave those out carefully rather than guess. If you're planning a visit, it's worth checking with a Jeju City tourist information center or the Bonggae-dong community center for the latest trail information beforehand. Since this is an oreum covered in natural forest, checking the weather and trail conditions before you go should make for a more comfortable visit. Since detailed signage or trail maps haven't been widely compiled yet, if it's your first visit, choosing a relaxed daytime hour to go is probably the more comfortable option.