Dong River Road

By Matt Witherspoon


Date: 6/16/13

Terrain: Cement and paved road

Difficulty: 2

Trail/Path Conditions: Rough cement road

How to get there: Drive or bus to Jeongseon

Accomodations: Yogwans in Jeongseon, minbaks along the river

Things to see: Cliffs, whitewater, deer, rafters

Places to eat: Cheap restaurants in Jeongseon, expensive “gardens” along river

My story:

One of my Korean bucket list items before I leave in August was to ride this really nice 20 km stretch of the Dong River, between Jeongseon and Yemi, in Gangwodo. It’s highway 424/Donggang-ro, on my map. I’ve been on the road several times over the years on motorcycles and in cars, and even down the river in a raft, but never have cycled it. I have a car, so I parked at the ranger station at the south end of the road, where Donggang-ro and Yeonpo-gil intersect. If you don’t have a car, then you’ll probably have to take a bus to Jeongseon and back track 5 km west on highway 42 to the river road.

The way I went there’s a small climb before you drop down along the river and then it’s smooth sailing. It’s mostly a cement road, with some potholes and broken up bits, and a few km of new asphalt. I was on a hardtail mountain bike with 2.0” semi-slicks and was glad for the big tires most of the time.

 There are rafting groups floating by every so often to wave at, and a zip line overhead to watch at one point. A bonus on my ride was scaring a deer into the river and watching it swim across. If you have the legs, there’s a new “sky bridge” on top of one cliff, but I can only guess as to how hard that climb is.

When I got to the north end of the road, where it intersects highway 42, I crossed to the west side of the river to see if there was a connection to Jeongseon. Unfortunately, it eventually dead ended at the river after about 3 km. That was as far as I could go north.

So, with that bonus section I put in 54 km in just over 2 hours, not trying to set any records. I saw two other groups of riders, one on cheap folding bikes, and one going the other way on mountain bikes, all with smiles. I encountered three or four tour buses and about 10 cars in my two hours of riding, and that was on a Sunday. I’d expect less during the week. There’s quite of bit going on in Jeongseon, with the rail bike, zip line, and rafting, so you could easily make a full weekend out of a trip there.

Bukhangang: Yangsu Station-Chuncheon Station

Date:  May 17, 2013 (Buddha's Birthday)

Terrain: Flat with rolling hills. Mostly following the Bukhan River and other small tributaries.

Difficulty: 1.7, pretty easy, but there are several points where the cycle path coincides with the car road. One of us witnessed an accident (and almost got injured himself) because of a car that was forced to share the bike lane.

Trail/Path Conditions: New path. Very well paved on all bike paths. Several paths were obviously car roads that were converted to 'bike paths', however cars have permission to enter when necessary. However, there were almost no cars here, except the one that almost hit our friend.

How to get there: Start from Ungilsan Station (운길산역) or Yangsu Station (양수역) on the Jungang line (Yongmun direction). Or, start at the opposite end at Chuncheon Station on the Gyeongchun line and go in reverse to Yangpyong, Yangsu, Ungilsan, or Paldang Stations on the Jungang line.

Things to See: Semiwon in Yangsu-ri

Places to Eat: Dalkgalbi in Chuncheon


My Story:

Our first major bike ride of the spring was the Bukhangang Bike Path, which starts between Ungilsan Station and Yangsu Station on the Jungang Line, east of Seoul and ends in Chuncheon. The path is listed in the 4 Rivers Cross-Country Cycling Passport, which I will also write about soon and is approximately 70km. 

This path for the most part is pretty easy. There are almost no large hills, just small rolling hills and flat riverside biking (see above). When the bike paths do meet roads (see below), cars and bikes are usually separated.

If you do have the passport, you can get your stamps in the red houses along the way which look like this. Kind of like a red telephone booth from England. Collecting stamps sounds a little cheesy until you start, but now my friends and I are total stamp collecting addicts. It's really addicting to show off your accomplishments in a nice little book.

We opted for the 'short cut' into Chuncheon. I kind of regret it now because the bike path ended early and we were stuck on streets and sidewalks clearly not meant for bikes. But, we did get to ride along side a tunnel that looked like this!

Our reward at the end of it all was Chuncheon Dalkgalbi! Chuncheon's most famous food!

We only hung about long enough to eat our dalkgalbi before we made our way home. This was a photo of how the last subway car (only the first and last subway cars are technically for bike riders) looked when we got on. By the time we got off, the number of bikes had doubled or trippled along the way picking up more cyclists at each station. It's great to see so many people enjoying the fresh air and great outdoors in Korea! Just beware of riding the subway with so many bikes, it can be hazardous!

Difficulty Ratings

Difficulty:
1 (Easy) : Suitable for all levels and all bikes. Relatively flat, clearly marked bike paths which rarely or never enter car roads. Paths are paved and generally well maintained. 
2 (Moderate) : Suitable for most people who have basic biking skills. Some small hills may be present. Bike paths are marked, but sometimes enter car roads. A good bicycle would be preferred, but is not necessary.
3 (Challenging) : Recommended for experienced bike riders only. Steep hills are prevalent and riding with car traffic may be necessary for long periods of time. Trails may not be paved and some off-road biking may be necessary. Proper bicycle equipment is required.
4 (Experts Only) : Experts only. Steep hills and riding with car traffic is prevalent. Rough or unmarked trails. Well-maintained bicycles with proper equipment required. Repair kit recommended in case of emergency.