Alpine Rhythms and Sizzling Hanwoo: Exploring Pyeongchang Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm (평창 대관령 양떼목장 & 한우)
Following our peaceful stroll beneath the whispering emerald canopies and fragrant bamboo groves of Damyang, today’s travel guide ascends high into the alpine highlands of Gangwon Province, arriving at South Korea’s "Alps of the East": Pyeongchang (평창).
Perched over 850 meters above sea level along the crest of the Taebaek Mountain Range, Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm (대관령 양떼목장) spans 205,000 square meters of rolling alpine hills and grazing pastures. Known for cool mountain breezes in summer and dramatic snowscapes in winter, it offers a tranquil retreat where visitors stroll along wooden fences and historic rustic barns while sheep graze freely. Down in the valley, travelers can warm up with the region’s premier culinary pride: melt-in-your-mouth Pyeongchang Hanwoo Beef (평창 한우) and golden dried pollack banquets.
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Highlights of Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm & Alpine Ridges
- The 1.2-Kilometer Wooden Fence Walking Trail: Circling the outer perimeter of the pasture bowl, this gentle earthen pathway winds past rolling green ridges beneath endless blue skies. The sweeping 40-minute walk offers panoramic viewpoints of the entire flock grazing peacefully below, framed by distant wind turbines slowly turning along the mountain spine.
- The Iconic Wooden Shack (Mokjang Oumak): Perched halfway up the hillside trail stands a solitary, weathered wooden shelter. Made famous as a filming backdrop for classic Korean cinema, it stands as an emblematic symbol of Daegwallyeong, especially when coated in thick, pristine white powder during Gangwon’s heavy winter snowfalls.
- Interactive Sheep Feeding Experience: After completing the summit loop, visitors descend to the covered sheep pen. Every entry ticket includes an exchange coupon for a small basket of dried hay, allowing travelers of all ages to feed the gentle sheep by hand.
- Daegwallyeong Skyranch & Samyang Roundhill Extensions: For travelers seeking higher panoramic viewpoints, nearby Skyranch (하늘목장) offers tractor-drawn carriage rides to the windswept crest of Mount Seonjaryeong, while Samyang Roundhill (삼양라운드힐) features expansive grasslands where giant wind turbines stand against the horizon.
- Woljeongsa Temple & Fir Tree Forest Trail (오대산 월정사 전나무숲길): Located roughly 25 minutes west within Odaesan National Park, this sacred millennium-old Buddhist temple is reached via an ethereal 1-kilometer forest path shaded by over 1,700 ancient fir trees (Abies holophylla).
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What to Eat & Drink: Marbled Charcoal Grills & Sun-Dried Broths
1. Pyeongchang Korean Native Beef (Pyeongchang Hanwoo / 평창 한우): Prime local beef raised in clean alpine pastures, celebrated for dense, fine marbling and natural tenderness. Selected directly from butcher cases and seared over hardwood oak charcoal (Daegwallyeong Hanwoo Town).
2. Dried Pollack Hangover Soup (Hwangtae Haejangguk / 황태해장국): Pollock repeatedly frozen by mountain blizzards and thawed by daytime sun for months in local drying yards (deokjang). Simmered into a rich, milky, golden broth with tofu, scallions, and beaten egg (Specialty Hwangtae dining houses in Hoenggye-ri).
3. Buckwheat Noodles & Buckwheat Crepes (Memil Makguksu & Memil Jeonbyeong): Cold, chewy noodles made from mountain buckwheat tossed in chilled dongchimi radish broth, paired with thin buckwheat crepes rolled around spicy kimchi and glass noodles.
4. Mountain Herb Bibimbap (Sanchae Bibimbap / 산채비빔밥): Steaming rice topped with wild mountain herbs, bracken, angelica root, and deodeok foraged from the slopes of Odaesan, tossed with wild perilla oil and house-made fermented paste.
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Essential Visitor Tips
- Pasture Grazing vs. Barn Shelter Season: The sheep graze freely in the open outdoor pastures from mid-May through late October or early November (weather permitting). During the snowy winter months (December to April), the sheep stay cozy inside the sheltered feeding barn, transforming the hills into an open winter hiking and photography trail.
- Pack an Extra Layer: Situated at 850+ meters altitude, Daegwallyeong is noticeably windier and 5 to 8 degrees Celsius cooler than Seoul or the coastal plains. Even in spring and autumn, carry a windbreaker or warm jacket.
- Hanwoo Butcher-Restaurant Model: At local Hanwoo centers (such as Daegwallyeong Hanwoo Town near Hoenggye Bus Terminal), choose your preferred packaged cuts (ribeye, striploin, or chuck flap tail) directly from the butcher display counter, pay for the meat, and take it to the dining hall where charcoal, banchan, and grill tables are set up for a nominal table fee (sangcharim).
- Getting There from Seoul: Board the high-speed KTX-Eum train from Seoul Station or Cheongnyangni Station to Jinbu (Odaesan) Station (approx. 1 hour 20 minutes). From Jinbu Station, take a 15-minute taxi to Hoenggye Intercity Bus Terminal, or take a direct 20-minute rural bus/taxi straight to the Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm entrance.
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Visitor Information
- Address: 483-32 Daegwallyeongmaru-gil, Daegwallyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do (강원특별자치도 평창군 대관령면 대관령마루길 483-32)
- Nearest Transit: Jinbu (Odaesan) KTX Station (approx. 20 minutes by taxi) or Hoenggye Intercity Bus Terminal (10 minutes by taxi or local shuttle bus).
- Operating Hours:
* March & October: Daily 09:00 – 17:30 (Ticket booth closes 16:30)
* April & September: Daily 09:00 – 18:00 (Ticket booth closes 17:00)
* May – August: Daily 09:00 – 18:30 (Ticket booth closes 17:30)
* November – February (Winter): Daily 09:00 – 17:00 (Ticket booth closes 16:00)
- Admission:
* Adults: 9,000 KRW
* Youths & Children (Ages 4 to High School): 7,000 KRW
* Seniors (Ages 65+): 5,000 KRW
* (Includes interactive hay feeding experience basket coupon)
Following our peaceful stroll beneath the whispering emerald canopies and fragrant bamboo groves of Damyang, today’s travel guide ascends high into the alpine highlands of Gangwon Province, arriving at South Korea’s "Alps of the East": Pyeongchang (평창).
Perched over 850 meters above sea level along the crest of the Taebaek Mountain Range, Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm (대관령 양떼목장) spans 205,000 square meters of rolling alpine hills and grazing pastures. Known for cool mountain breezes in summer and dramatic snowscapes in winter, it offers a tranquil retreat where visitors stroll along wooden fences and historic rustic barns while sheep graze freely. Down in the valley, travelers can warm up with the region’s premier culinary pride: melt-in-your-mouth Pyeongchang Hanwoo Beef (평창 한우) and golden dried pollack banquets.
---
Highlights of Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm & Alpine Ridges
- The 1.2-Kilometer Wooden Fence Walking Trail: Circling the outer perimeter of the pasture bowl, this gentle earthen pathway winds past rolling green ridges beneath endless blue skies. The sweeping 40-minute walk offers panoramic viewpoints of the entire flock grazing peacefully below, framed by distant wind turbines slowly turning along the mountain spine.
- The Iconic Wooden Shack (Mokjang Oumak): Perched halfway up the hillside trail stands a solitary, weathered wooden shelter. Made famous as a filming backdrop for classic Korean cinema, it stands as an emblematic symbol of Daegwallyeong, especially when coated in thick, pristine white powder during Gangwon’s heavy winter snowfalls.
- Interactive Sheep Feeding Experience: After completing the summit loop, visitors descend to the covered sheep pen. Every entry ticket includes an exchange coupon for a small basket of dried hay, allowing travelers of all ages to feed the gentle sheep by hand.
- Daegwallyeong Skyranch & Samyang Roundhill Extensions: For travelers seeking higher panoramic viewpoints, nearby Skyranch (하늘목장) offers tractor-drawn carriage rides to the windswept crest of Mount Seonjaryeong, while Samyang Roundhill (삼양라운드힐) features expansive grasslands where giant wind turbines stand against the horizon.
- Woljeongsa Temple & Fir Tree Forest Trail (오대산 월정사 전나무숲길): Located roughly 25 minutes west within Odaesan National Park, this sacred millennium-old Buddhist temple is reached via an ethereal 1-kilometer forest path shaded by over 1,700 ancient fir trees (Abies holophylla).
---
What to Eat & Drink: Marbled Charcoal Grills & Sun-Dried Broths
1. Pyeongchang Korean Native Beef (Pyeongchang Hanwoo / 평창 한우): Prime local beef raised in clean alpine pastures, celebrated for dense, fine marbling and natural tenderness. Selected directly from butcher cases and seared over hardwood oak charcoal (Daegwallyeong Hanwoo Town).
2. Dried Pollack Hangover Soup (Hwangtae Haejangguk / 황태해장국): Pollock repeatedly frozen by mountain blizzards and thawed by daytime sun for months in local drying yards (deokjang). Simmered into a rich, milky, golden broth with tofu, scallions, and beaten egg (Specialty Hwangtae dining houses in Hoenggye-ri).
3. Buckwheat Noodles & Buckwheat Crepes (Memil Makguksu & Memil Jeonbyeong): Cold, chewy noodles made from mountain buckwheat tossed in chilled dongchimi radish broth, paired with thin buckwheat crepes rolled around spicy kimchi and glass noodles.
4. Mountain Herb Bibimbap (Sanchae Bibimbap / 산채비빔밥): Steaming rice topped with wild mountain herbs, bracken, angelica root, and deodeok foraged from the slopes of Odaesan, tossed with wild perilla oil and house-made fermented paste.
---
Essential Visitor Tips
- Pasture Grazing vs. Barn Shelter Season: The sheep graze freely in the open outdoor pastures from mid-May through late October or early November (weather permitting). During the snowy winter months (December to April), the sheep stay cozy inside the sheltered feeding barn, transforming the hills into an open winter hiking and photography trail.
- Pack an Extra Layer: Situated at 850+ meters altitude, Daegwallyeong is noticeably windier and 5 to 8 degrees Celsius cooler than Seoul or the coastal plains. Even in spring and autumn, carry a windbreaker or warm jacket.
- Hanwoo Butcher-Restaurant Model: At local Hanwoo centers (such as Daegwallyeong Hanwoo Town near Hoenggye Bus Terminal), choose your preferred packaged cuts (ribeye, striploin, or chuck flap tail) directly from the butcher display counter, pay for the meat, and take it to the dining hall where charcoal, banchan, and grill tables are set up for a nominal table fee (sangcharim).
- Getting There from Seoul: Board the high-speed KTX-Eum train from Seoul Station or Cheongnyangni Station to Jinbu (Odaesan) Station (approx. 1 hour 20 minutes). From Jinbu Station, take a 15-minute taxi to Hoenggye Intercity Bus Terminal, or take a direct 20-minute rural bus/taxi straight to the Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm entrance.
---
Visitor Information
- Address: 483-32 Daegwallyeongmaru-gil, Daegwallyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do (강원특별자치도 평창군 대관령면 대관령마루길 483-32)
- Nearest Transit: Jinbu (Odaesan) KTX Station (approx. 20 minutes by taxi) or Hoenggye Intercity Bus Terminal (10 minutes by taxi or local shuttle bus).
- Operating Hours:
* March & October: Daily 09:00 – 17:30 (Ticket booth closes 16:30)
* April & September: Daily 09:00 – 18:00 (Ticket booth closes 17:00)
* May – August: Daily 09:00 – 18:30 (Ticket booth closes 17:30)
* November – February (Winter): Daily 09:00 – 17:00 (Ticket booth closes 16:00)
- Admission:
* Adults: 9,000 KRW
* Youths & Children (Ages 4 to High School): 7,000 KRW
* Seniors (Ages 65+): 5,000 KRW
* (Includes interactive hay feeding experience basket coupon)
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