Crag Description
Nice quality roadside crag with something for everyone in 22 routes. Face climbing with some corners, edges, even some cracks .Bouldery starts and a little run-out on some (easier) routes. Then there are some overhanging routes, and finally, some massively overhanging roofs, several with big juggy holds. Grades to 12a. Everything is accessable via a short scramble to the top, so no worries about leaving draws if you want to jump on something hard:) The longest route is 16 meters, but that figures in severe roof/overhangs. The shortest routes are 9 meters.
Climbing Grades: 8 - 12
Type: Rock Climb Style: Trad+Sport
Safety Concerns
Typical steel cable anchors with giant fish hooks. Bolts look good. Bouldery starts but a nice, flat landing. No real safety concerns.
Recommended Equipment
While mostly a sport area, there are some cracks and the book notes that "excaliber" 3-5 supplement the bolts on the 5.8 crack. . . a 3.5 is handy on one of the 11b roof/overhangs and a 4.5 for one of the 12as. The rest of the routes have 3-5 bolts, so a 50 meter rope and 8 draws will suffice.
Additional Comments
There is a shop/restaurant almost adjacent to the cliff where you can get basic amenities. Swimming and splashing in the river is a definite option. I was there on a rainy overcast day; I imagine due to the park-and-belay nature of the crag, it could be busy in the summer months.
Directions
The rock is right at the small entrance to Hwayang Valley, near the 자연학습원 Nature Study Center (which has it's own campground, just across from the rock). Road 32 goes around the valley and leads right to the rock. It's just outside the ticket booth. The red arrow on the map (see navigational images) points almost directly to Ul Bawi. It's closer to Sonyudong than to the Hwayang-dong entrance. I am not sure if busses go to this side of the valley (to Sonyudong) but I believe they do, from Cheongju Inner-city terminal, where you can at least catch a bus for the hour long trip to Hwayang-dong. The walk in from this interest involves a pleasant 3k trip through the valley on flat paved/brick roads. Climbing/bouldering/ splashing around possibilities abound in this really lovely valley, though I am guessing it is crowded in the summer. With minbak reservations, one can drive as far as 채운사 (temple), otherwise there is a parking lot just past the ticket booth.
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