Sobaeksan was designated as the 18th national park in Korea on December 14,1987. It has a total area of 322.383㎢ and is the third largest mountainous national park in Korea following jirisan and Seoraksan.
Sobaeksan has many divine peaks beginning with Birobong which stands at 1,439.5m to Gungmangbong(1,420.8m), Yeonhwabong(1,383m), and Dosolbong(1,314.2m). The park area stretches across the boundaries of Gyeongsangbuk-do Yeongju, Chungcheongbuk-do danyang, and Gangwon-do Yeongwol. The huibang and Jukgye valleys in Yeongju flow into Nakdonggang(River) and the other valleys such as Cheondong, Edui, Jungyeong and Namcheon in Danyang flow into Namhangang(River).
“Sobaeksanrok,” an essay written by Toegye Yi Hwang(Prominent Confucian scholar) describes the beauty of the royal azaleas in Sobaeksan, “ It feels like walking through a colorful silk curtain as if I’ve arrived at an extravagant party.” Sobaeksan is also deemed the mountain with the best winter scenery when the snowflakes are in full bloom creating a magnificent winter view atop Baekdudaegan(Backbone of Korea)
Sobaeksan National Park has a long ridge line developed high above sea level, and along this ridge are plains, rocky areas, and long valleys which accommodate 1,067 plant species and 2,639 animal species. In May 2007, The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recognized this ecological value and designated Sobaeksan as IUNC-Category II (National Park).