Geumhogang River Island, Daegu

By: Asif Quadri

Terrain: Flat, riverside.

Difficulty: 1- Easy

Trail/Path Conditions: The paths are not exclusive for bikes and are mixed in with people walking.

Things to see: Seasonal - flowers in bloom late in the year, horse and cart rides

Getting there: Across from the Paldal bridge linking Daegu to Chilgok just west of Sincheon River downtown along Geumhogang River. There is only one bridge at the eastern end of the island that connects it to the Geumhogang bike trail.

Places to eat: Convenience stores along the river.

My Story:

Geumhogang River Island - Daegu, Korea Rep. Travel Blog

blog.travelpod.com

Daegu City continues its river revitalization project converting neglected riverside space into city parkland. The riverbanks previously used as vegetable plots along the highway have been converted into a citywide biking trail along the Geumhogang. The next phase involves taking over large open spaces by the river and converting them to recreational space.

View of the island

A newly opened island park by the Paldal Bridge provides a refreshing new open space in the heart of the city. It has instantly become a popular destination for locals with a breathtaking meadow of flowers.

 

Island Walking Trail

As you pass over the Paldal bridge and head south from Chilgok into Daegu City the large river island is visible. However access is only possible from the next bridge over heading to Nogok-dong.

In the past this was used for agriculture but I lately started noticing lots of people in the evenings from the bus as it would cross the Paldal Bridge. I thought they were just harvesting something but when I was biking along the Geumhogang on the weekend I discovered the bridge with access to the island and noticed lots of families heading over.

 

Walking trails with bikes

This article on the Daegu Blogsite explains the recent conversion of the island from vegetable greenhouses to parkland.
http://globaldaegu.blogspot.kr/2012/10/geumho-river-hajungdo-cosmos-land.html

The island is now ringed by a walking and bike trail which is also used by people fishing. It had a bit of a fairground feel as I reached the island as it was bustling with many families with infants and children on bikes.

 

Horse and Cart Rides

Also amazingly there were several horse and buggy rides. The carts were colourfully decorated with many flowers and their bells could be heard ringing across the island as the horses galloped along.


The rest of the island has been turned into a giant flower field. There is a meadow of pink flowers in full bloom making for many wonderful photographs stretching across the horizon. Many Daegu residents from the very young to old were out making the most of this experience.

 

Father and child

 

Couple walking on the trail

Vehicle access onto the island can be a bit tricky. Traffic was backed up getting on and off the island due to volume and limited capacity of the island parking lot. It may be best to park off the island or come by bike or foot.

 

South side of Geumhogang bike trail

The only bridge to the island is from the east end at the Nogok-dong bridge, not from the Paldal Bridge. It would be nice if another pedestrian bridge closer to the Paldal Bridge were built to link  it to the biking trail on the south side of Geumhogang River which has also become quite popular.

 

Boy on bike

As colder weather approaches it would be best to make the most of the meadow of flowers before they die out.

This article was published on the Daegu Blogsite
http://globaldaegu.blogspot.kr/2012/11/geumhogang-cosmos-land-hajungdo.html

Duryu Park Bike Rentals, Daegu

By: Asif Quadri

Terrain: City park with gentle hills.

Difficulty: 1 - Easy

Trail/Path Conditions: Paved paths, but lots of couples and children.

Things to see: Cherry blossoms, trees, a pagoda set in the lake.

Places to eat: Food stands in the park.

Getting there: Duryu Park is accessible by Duryu Station on green line 2 or Seongdangmot on red line 1. Either way you will still need to take a bus/cab or walk 15 mins to the actual park.

My Story:

Originally posted and adapted from: http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/londone7/1/1350169228/tpod.html

Many cities have a large urban park for its city residents to stroll and relax in. London has Hyde Park, Regents Park, and Hampstead Heath, Toronto has High Park, and New York has Central Park. Daegu has Duryu Park which takes up a large chunk of the south west part of the city.

I recently visited Duryu Park for the National Sports Festival as the Aquatic Events were being held there (see earlier entry http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/londone7/1/1350333441/tpod.html)

Duryu Bike Rentals

Close to the aquatics facilities was a bike rental place with over a hundred bikes to choose from. The manager spoke some english and was able to explain the pricing.

A regular bike costs 3000w/hr, a tandem two person bike costs 6000w/hr, while a skateboard style one costs 4000w/hr.

There are many styles in each category to choose from. Sizes range from small children's tricycles to adults sports bikes and tandem bikes.

 

Rental Rates

Duryu Park is quite large and has many facilities such as a Judo Centre, Aquatics Centre, Tennis Courts, Culture and Arts Centre, Sculpture Garden, Baseball Ground, Tourist Information Centre, a lake, and several temples. Nearby is also the Kolon Outdoor Music Hall and E-World Amusement Park.

The bike rental facility is on the southeast corner. From Duryu Station on the Green Line you would go south, or from Seongdangmot on the Red Line go north-east.

You can plan a fun afternoon with your friends, meeting up, having a leisurely bike ride, and even a picnic while the weather is still nice. Many families also like to come together or grandparents spending time with their grandchildren.

This article was published on the Daegu Blogsite
http://globaldaegu.blogspot.kr/2012/11/duryu-park-bike-rentals.html

 

Tandem Bikes

 

Geumhogang, Daegu

By: Asif Quadri

Date:  September, 2012

Terrain: 1- Mostly flat river trail.

Difficulty: Easy used by children and families.

Trail/Path Conditions: Well maintained bike paths with sign posts and occasional maps.

Things to see: Biking groups and enthusiasts, a very easy quiet escape in the heart of the city into tranquil settings.

Places to eat: A couple of food stands otherwise you have to exit and go a block or two back into the city to look for a mart.

Getting there : The Geumhogang river runs east to west along the northern side of Daegu. The Sincheon dissects it in half north to south. Very easy to access either of the trails from any part of Daegu.

My Story:
Originally posted and adopted from: http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/londone7/1/1347207943/tpod.html#_

Back home in Toronto I used to do lots of biking along the Lakeshore trail which ran for about 30kms. It also branched northwards along the Don and Humber Rivers providing an extensive river biking network. I've missed having these biking trails and was envious of other korean cities such as Seoul which has a long biking trail along the Han River.

Daegu does have a downtown biking trail along the Sincheon River but I lived nowhere close enough to be able to access it. The new neighbourhood I've moved to brings me closer to the Geumhogang River. This river crosses the entire city of Daegu along the north and seperates it from the northern suburb of Chilgok. It also connects to the downtown Sincheon River.

Starting at the Paldal Bridge

One of the joys of moving to this new neighbourhood is I now have easy access to the river biking trail which runs to many parts of the city. I live close to the Paldal Bridge crossing so have the choice of going east to downtown, or west further out into the suburbs. Normally I would go in one direction but for the purpose of this entry I did a big loop going both ways.

The path is mostly paved except for a small area west of the Paldal Bridge. However, the paving seems to be going up quite fast since my last visit and should be complete in the next couple of weeks.

Under construction

Considering this is a major Korean city the path is quite tranquil and removed from the urban setting. You would think you were out in the wilderness somewhere. However there's no need to panic as other bikers will regularly pass you by, so no feeling of isolation here.

Westbound Trail 

An interesting section is a baseball field west of the Jungang Expressway crossing where the KTX line also crosses the river. As you wait KTX and Muganghwa trains will pass at regular intervals in both directions although it takes lots of waiting to photograph

KTX passes by a baseball field

The path will continue west thru Seojae-ri towards Dasa and the end of the Green Subway Line. However, I turned around to head back downtown

Looking at Seojae-ri

Again it's very peaceful and isolated like being in the countryside, far removed from being in the city. I passed back by the KTX crossing where trains were passing at regular intervals. There are also many types of river crossings with various types of architecture

Riverside Highway

 

River Span Crossing

Passing back under the Paldal Bridge and new Line 3 crossing I headed towards downtown where the trail had more bikers.

 

Heading Eastbound to Sincheon

I passed by the Daegu Solar city and you can see the Exco further in the distance.

 

Daegu Solar CityTower

Shortly after you will come to the Sincheon River crossing. Here you have the choice of going south through downtown, or crossing the river and continuing to head east. I headed east as the downtown path is more crowded with bikers, joggers, pets, people strollling, and children.  

 

Downtown Sincheon River Path

East of the Sincheon you come to an older part of the trail painted like a track and a popular fishing spot. There is also a rare sign marker indicating 4kms back to the Paldal Bridge.

 

Signpost Marker

Just east of the Sincheon is a strange vegetable field. It starts with many carved head totems similar to the ones in Andong.

Entrance to strange vegetable field

I now returned back as my tires were having problems so I need to get them changed as I bought this bike used. It was another 4kms back to the Paldal Bridge as the sign indicated and the sun was now beginning to set.

I've heard the trail runs from Andong to Busan (maybe 200kms)  though I'm not adventurous enough to actually test if thats true. However I will continue to explore east and westbound on weekends and while the weather is good

This article was published on the Daegu Blogsite
http://globaldaegu.blogspot.kr/2012/09/biking-geumhogang-river.html

A map of the river trail has recently started to go up in some spots

Map of the Geumhogang River Path

Mt. Palgong - Songnimsa Temple

By: Asif Quadri


Date: July, 2012

Terrain: All uphill the further into Mt Palgong but relatively easy downhill on return.

Difficulty: 2.5 - difficult going / easy return

Trail/Path Conditions: Heading north from Chilgok, Daegu you are mixed in with heavy traffic on an industrial highway. Once you turn into Mt Palgong the traffic gets lighter and there are bike paths.

Things to see: An abundance of temples, natural scenery

Places to eat: Restaurants close to motel district

Getting there : Mt Palgong runs the entire northern length of the city of Daegu. It can be accessed from either Chilgok/Dongmyeong at the western end (buses 427, 527, 730, rapid 3). The eastern end has more famous temples Gatbawi and Donghwasa (buses 401, 101, rapid 1)

My Story: 
Originally posted and adapted from: http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/londone7/1/1342987463/tpod.html

As I'm moving out of my neighbourhood in a couple of weeks I decided to bike north into Gyeonguk Province and Dongmyeong which I haven't visited the entire time I've lived here. I heard there was a nice temple along the Mount Palgong trail I wanted to check out.

 

I live on the northern end of Chilgok and biking north a few minutes I reached the city limits and the sign markers for the start of Gyeongbuk province.  

 

Entering Gyeongsangbuk-do

Heading north for another few kilometers the road becomes a country highway. Its not the best place to go biking as the traffic was quite fast and there were many entranceways to industrial yards. However, the main turning to the temple was only about a kilometer away so I was able to avoid the traffic from there on

 

Signpost to the temple

 

Scenic mountain road

The turn off road had a signpost describing it as one of koreas most beautiful routes. The Mount Palgong trail runs east-west across the city for about 30 kms and it does have many scenic spots. I had wanted to come to see the cherry blossoms but came too early before they were in bloom.

 

Start of mountain road

 

 

Temple in the distance

Heading to the temple there is a large reservoir and a ship restaurant along the roadside. You then come off the main road to a side road and follow it a short way to the temple.

Scenic Resevoir

The temple was quite near to the turning off the main road. I keep hearing from friends that they don't want to see "just another temple" but this proved to be yet another interesting find, different from all the other Mount Palgong Temples.

The complex had a large brick stupa in the centre lawn, buildings on either side of the rectangular lawn, and some outer buildings. The main building was undergoing some exterior restoration work.

Inside the main large building there were three large seated gold buddhas. At one end of the hall one wall was a large unpainted wood carving with many faces and lots of detailed etchings

Large Wood Carving

There was another colourful building facing the centre lawn which had some surprises. This building housed life-size painted wood figures. I've seen them before about 2ft high but this was the first time seeing them life-size. There was also bell tower painted in great detail. It had a large bell, drum, and a hanging dragon which is hollowed out and used for tapping from the inside.

 Bell Tower

I then discovered another building which I named the 1000 Buddha hall. Behind the three large gold Buddhas were rows of identical smaller Buddhas set on an incline ascending up to the roof. It was quite an impressive sight and how the temples in Taiwan and Vietnam were to give a distorted perspective of infinity.

1000 Buddha Chamber

Heading back was much faster as I sped down the incline I had to bike up to get here. The ship restaurant takes you back to the main road and reservoir

 Country lane back

I've driven past this reservoir a few times when we came in this area for school dinners so this was the first time to see it slowly up close.

House on the lake

Back on the main highway heading south I passed by an interesting country house and roadside tombs. I then made it back inside Daegu City Limits and headed home.

This article was printed on the Daegu Blogsite

http://globaldaegu.blogspot.kr/2012/09/biking-mt-palgong-songnimsa-temple.html

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