| Phu Kradueng National Park | |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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View from Lom Sak Cliff on Phu Kradueng Mountain |
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| Location | Loei Province, Thailand |
| Area | 348 km² |
| Established | 1959 |
| Visitors | 69,613 (in 2009) |
| Governing body | Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation |
Phu Kradueng National Park (Thai: อุทยานแห่งชาติภูกระดึง), located in the Phu Kradueng mountain area, Amphoe Phu Kradueng of Loei Province, is one of the most famous national parks of Thailand, with a high point of 1316 m (4318 ft) above sea level. Every year tens of thousands of people come to make the climb up this famous mountain. It received the title of a nationally protected forest in the year 1943, and was proclaimed a national park on the 7th of October 1959, the second national park of Thailand after Khao Yai National Park.
The park is closed to visitors during the rainy season (01 June - 30 September).
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Phu Kradueng mountain, made up of Jurassic and Cretaceous sandstone formations, takes the form of a mesa towering some 1000 meters above the surrounding valleys. The summit plateau is roughly square-shaped and 60 km² in size, with an average elevation of about 1250 meters. Sloping slightly to the north, its western, southern and eastern edges are fairly straight and formed by abrupt sandstone cliffs, while the northern part is dissected into a more irregular shape, containing a number of streams and (seasonal) waterfalls. The summit itself, located in the southwestern part of the plateau, is inconspicuous.
The mountain's steep sides are home to a succession of tropical forest tiers, namely (in ascending order): Deciduous Dipterocarp, Mixed Deciduous, Dry Evergreen, and Hill Evergreen Forests, interspersed with bamboo. In contrast to that, the plateau at the mountain top consists of a sandy pine savanna landscape.
Phu (ภู) comes from the Thai word Phukao (ภูเขา), meaning mountain. The name Kradueng (กระดึง), or Krading (กระดิ่ง) in the local dialect of Loei Province, can be translated as Rakhang Yai (ระฆังใหญ่), meaning a large bell. This name comes from a legend relating to a Buddhist holiday. During the holiday many of the towns people heard the sound of a large bell. They believed it to be the bell of Indra.
The beauty of the mountain is reflected in local folk tales. One person named Phran, who fled from another village, believed that Phu Kradueng had never been climbed before. He led his bull to the top of the mountain. He found it full of beautiful deer, and pine forests. There were many different types of plants, trees and wild animals. After this he stayed, and lived his life surrounded by the beauty of the mountain.
Nowadays, Phu Kradueng is extremely popular with young Thais, particularly university students. Accommodation on the mountain itself is limited to a "tent city" with hundreds of canvas tents available for rent. The sense of isolation and scenic beauty is further spoilt by annoying and unnecessary loudspeakers intermittently announcing food availability, sleeping hours, and other concerns in Thai.
The easiest route to Phu Kradueng is to take a bus from Khon Kaen to Pha Nok Kao. Get off in front of Ran Je Gim (ร้านเจ๊กิม). From there a minibus is available to take you to the central office of the park. The minibus takes approximately half an hour. The park office closes at 15:00, as climbers will not have enough time to climb the mountain before dark.
This is a very old and historic trail about 5.5 km in length, climbing the southeastern flank of the mountain. It starts from the main park office in Amphoe Phu Kradueng, at an elevation of about 300 m. There are many places to rest on the way up. These rest plateaus are called Sam (ซำ). At each there are several vendors selling food and drinks, and some provide toilet facilities and/or medical services as well. There are eight of these on the way up. In order of ascent, they are:
The last 1300 metres from Sam Khrae to the top is the hardest and steepest part of the hike. There are ladders and ramps at parts where it would otherwise be impossible to walk. Once reaching the highest point of the trail (1288 m elevation) at the edge of the summit plateau, it is still a 3.6 kilometre walk over flat terrain to the Wang Kwang visitor center and campsite, where tents and lodging buildings are available.
Many climbers hire porters to carry their belongings to the top of the mountain for them. As a result, the main trail is often crowded with long lines of porters and following climbers.
Travelers can climb the mountain from Amphoe Nam Nao. This is a new trail, to open in 2005. There aren't as yet any places to stop and purchase food and drinks on the way up on this trail.
There are many hiking trails to the many cliffs and waterfalls on top of Phu Kradueng. There are two categories of trails on the summit plateau. The first one is the normal trails open to the public, while the second one is the trails in the closed off forest. In the first category, there's a waterfalls trail and a cliffs trail. The closed forest has two areas, named area one and area two.
Starting from the visitor center on the mountain, travelers can explore the cliffs trail. There are many cliffs that are known worldwide for their beauty.
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