Ara Bicycle Path
The Ara Waterway Path begins (or ends) with the Cross-Country Bike Route. It’s the shortest and flattest of all bike paths in Korea.
The bike path starts at the edge of the Yellow Sea (황해) in the west, travels east through the northern regions of Incheon (인천), and spills onto the Han River in Seoul (서울).
Incheon
(인천)
1 hour
Seoul
Incheon
(인천)
Seoul
- Time – 1 hour (1/2 day)
- Length – 21 km (13 miles)
- Elevation – 39 m / 1 m (128 ft / 3 ft)
- Difficulty – 🚲
- Certifications – Cross-Country, Grand Slam
City-to-City Path Breakdown
Ride the shortest and flattest path down the Ara Waterway on the Cross-Country Path in Incheon.
Ara Bicycle Path
The Ara Bicycle Path follows the Ara Waterway, a man-made canal upstream to the Han River on the edge of Seoul.
Begin near the Ara West Sea Lock, the point where the waterway spills into the Yellow Sea. Both the north and south side of the canal hold bridges, parks, and recreational areas.
The main bike path sails along the southern side of the canal. But interesting landmarks inhabit the north side, as well.
There are fourteen bridges that cross the canal. Bicycle rental stations, restrooms, art installations, and more park facilities rest under many of the bridges.
The bike route touches three cities. The longest stretch, eastward from the Yellow Sea, crawls along the northern edge of Incheon (인천). Near the end, the path touches the bottom bit of Gimpo (김포) before unfurling into the westernmost edge of Seoul (서울).
Highlights & Eight Scenic Views
The city of Incheon designated eight scenic views (수향8경) along the Ara Waterway. Beginning from the Cross-Country Bike Route, they are:
- 1st View — Yellow Sea (황해)
- 2nd View — Gyeongin Ara Passenger Terminal (경인아라뱃길여객터미널)
- 3rd View — Sicheon Riverside (시천가람터)
- 4th View — Ara Falls (아라폭포)
- 5th View — Suhyangwon (수향원)
- 6th View — Duri Ecological Park (두리생태공원)
- 7th View — Ara Gimpo Passenger Terminal (아라 김포여객터미널)
- 8th View — Ara Han River Waterside
You will spot these sights as you ride the Ara Bicycle Path. We’ll explore each in depth below.
For a detailed Korean language map of the Ara Waterway, click here.
Path Types & Difficulty
The Ara Bicycle Path is the easiest in all of Korea. You can conquer the twenty kilometer (20 km) in two hours.
Only a few kilometers near the beginning and end of the route detours onto protected sidewalks in industrial areas. The majority of the course follows bicycle-only paths.
Both sides of the Ara Waterway canal hold bike paths. The south bike path climbs a ten meter embankment to hop onto a bridge: your only hill.
Getting There
If you’re already in Seoul or Incheon, subways provide the quickest accessed to the Ara Bicycle Path.
The Airport Express (AREX) is a commuter train that travels from Incheon Airport to Seoul Station. The train runs right along two thirds of the Ara Waterway. Like most subways in Korea, the AREX allows passengers to board with any type of bike on weekends and holidays.
Three AREX stations will drop you off on or near the bicycle path.
Though sitting 3 kilometers off the bike path, Cheongna International City Station (청라국제도시) provides the closest drop-off to the Ara West Sea lock, which is the Cross-Country bike route start point.
Geomam Station (검암) station sits a couple hundred meters from the bike path, but eight kilometers from the Ara West Sea Lock. If you want to complete the full course, you must ride a third of the bike path twice. (It’s a pleasant view both ways.)
Geomam station connects with Incheon Subway Line 2. However, Incheon Subway Line 2 does not accept bikes any day of the week.
Like Geomam, Gyeyang (계양) station perches just on the bicycle path. However, if you exit the station, you’ll find yourself eight kilometers from the Ara Hangang Lock, the end of the Ara Bicycle Path in Seoul.
However, Gyeyang Station connects the AREX and Incheon Subway Line 1. Line 1 allows cyclists to bring their machines on board on weekends and holidays.
If you arrive in Incheon via intercity bus on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, hop on Line 1 from the Incheon Bus Terminal Station (인천터미널). Transfer to the AREX at Gyeyang Station (계양). Head towards Incheon International Airport and get off at Cheongna International City Station (청라국제도시).
The Gyeongin Ara Waterway
The Ara Bicycle Path borrows its name from the Gyeongin Ara Waterway (경인 아라뱃길) or Ara Waterway.
The name “Gyeong” (경) is an old name for Seoul. “In” refers to the city of Incheon. The name borrows “Ara” from Arirang, an ancient Korean folk song.
The Ara Waterway is Korea’s first man-made canal. 18 kilometers long. 80 meters wide. 6 meters deep. The canal flows from the Han River in Seoul towards the Yellow Sea.
King Gojong of Goryeo first explored its construction in the 13th century. However, limited technology scrapped the project. The canal’s construction didn’t break ground until 2009, with its completion coming in 2012.
Purpose of the Ara Waterway
The Ara Waterway serves three purposes. It prevents flooding, provides recreational parks, and allows passage for some cargo and cruise chips.
Flood Prevention
Engineers built the canal to stop frequent flooding from the Han River (한강) and the Gulpo Stream (굴포천).
Large portions of Incheon, Gimpo, and Bucheon sit in a Gulpo basin, where the Gulpo Stream flows. The basin rests four meters above sea level.
That’s good, right? Well, the Gulpo Stream rests about six meters above sea level. And the Han River flows ten meters above. That meant, when rain poured down, river waters breached their embankments and flooded the Gulpo basin and all its inhabitants.
The Ara Waterway drains excess water from the local rivers and dumps it into the Yellow Sea.
Recreation
When constructing the canal, civil engineers installed waterside parks. While riding the Ara Waterway, you’ll see art installations, conveniently spaced bathrooms, and observation decks for park goers to enjoy.
Towards the end of the path, you’ll find the Ara Marina (아라마리나), where recreational sailors can dock their leisure boats.
Cargo and Cruise Ships
The Ara Waterway provides passage for cargo and cruise ships. The Ara West and Hangang Sea Locks raise and lower boats to the heights of the Ara canal, Yellow Sea, and Han River.
However, the economy of cargo ships hasn’t fully set sail. Much of the maritime traffic comes from small cruising vessels and leisure boats.
Several points of entry along the waterway allow passengers to board vessels and cruise the canal.
City of Incheon
Behind Seoul and Busan, the city of Incheon (인천) is the third most populous city in Korea, holding over three million residents. The city sits on the northwestern corner of South Korea, with the Yellow Sea to its west and Seoul to its east.
Incheon is a part of the Seoul Capital Area (수도권), which includes Gyeonggi Province (경기도). Many of Incheon’s residents commute to Seoul via the Airport Express (AREX) or Subway Line 1, which extended across both cities.
Transportation and international business churn the Incheon’s economy.
Incheon International Airport (인천국제공항) is the primary hub for those leaving and coming to Korea. In 2016, worldwide, the airport ranked fifth busiest for cargo and nineteenth for passengers.
Behind Busan, Incheon operates the second largest port in Korea. Its docks feed goods to and from Korea’s largest metropolitan region.
Additionally, Incheon designated fifty thousand acres as a Free Economic Zone. Foreign businesses that set up shop here receive tax incentives and more.
Some of Incheon’s highlights include:
- Songdo International Business District (송도) — a smart city built on reclaimed title flats.
- Chinatown (인천차이나타운) — Korea’s largest Chinatown with historic sites and authentic Chinese food.
- Wolmido (월미도) — A tourist island with a park, garden, and theme park on the Yellow Sea coast. Also the site of the Korean War’s Battle of Inchon.
