Gangwon
Bicycle Path
Seaside cafés? Beaches? No time to relax. Gotta conquer those bike roads.
The Gangwon Bicycle Path (동해안자전거길 (강원)) follows Gangwon Province (강원도) shoreline on Korea’s East Coast.
The second longest certification bike path passes resort cities, blows past barbed wire and lookout bunkers, and explores beaches before finishing near the demilitarized North Korean border.
Uljin County
(울진군)
16.5 hours
Goseong County
(고성군)
- Time 16.5 hours (2 to 4 days)
- Length 242 km (150 miles)
- Elevation 104 m | 0 m (341 ft | 0 ft)
- Difficulty 🚲🚲🚲
- Certifications Gangwon Path, Grand Slam
City-to-City Path Breakdown
Sail past a fishing village towards twin resort and port cities.
Discover a mountaintop ship hotel and crowded beaches.
Hop from one tourist town to another and find ports, beaches, and cuisine between.
Ride the final stretch of the east coast and end near the DMZ.
Overview
The Course
Municipalities
The Gangwon (East Coast) Bike Path crosses six cities and counties in Gangwon Province. Read these short profiles of each.
- Gangwon Province (강원도), Korea’s second largest and one of two bordering North Korea, hosts the nation’s recreational retreats. With forests and powder blanketed mountains in the west, and an expansive coastline in the east, the province boasts two famous seaside cities. Oh, and it hosted the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
- Samcheok City (삼척시), one of Korea’s least populated cities, lives on the East Sea near Donghae City. The city grew a reputation for its cement mining and spelunking because it sits on limestone bedrock. Its coast hosts a rail bike and cable car.
- Donghae City (동해시) gets its name from its eastern neighbor: the East Sea (/dōng/, 동, “east”; /hāe/, 해, “sea”). One of Gangwon Province’s larger cities, it operates two important east coast ports, which export iron and coal, keep key naval assets, and launch cruise ships to distant Ulleung Island.
- Gangneung City (강릉시) is the largest settlement along Gangwon Province’s coast. It holds beaches famed for the New Year’s Sunrise, a seaside lake, and resort hotels. Because it is the nearest city to Pyeongchang, Gangneung hosted several 2018 Winter Olympic events.
- Yangyang County (양양군) wedges between Gangneung and Sokcho. Because of its small population, it borrows education and firefighting services from them. However, the county holds a multitude of religious and vacation spots, including a private surfing beach.
- Sokcho City (속초시) is a famed east coast tourist town often mobbed by Seoulites. Tourist destinations include Seorak Mountain, the third tallest in South Korea, a pair of sea lakes with marinas, and golf and horseback riding facilities.
- Goseong County (고성군) is South Korea’s most northeastern district, split in half by the Korean War and DMZ. Tourists visit seaside resorts and the Unification Observatory, which gazes into North Korea and Geumgang Mountain.
Elevation
Bike Path Types
Certification
The Gangwon (East Coast) Bicycle Path holds twelve (12) certification centers throughout its run.
Collect all stamps and receive the Gangwon (East Coast) Bike Path certification. The route counts towards the Grand Slam certification. There isn’t an East Coast certification.
Certification Centers
Here is a complete list of certification centers along the Gangwon (East Coast) Bike Path.
- Imwon — (임원 인증센터)
- Hanjae Park — (한재공원 인증센터)
- Chuam Chotdaebawi — (추암촛대바위 인증센터)
- Mangsang Beach — (망상해변 인증센터)
- Jeongdongjin — (정동진 인증센터)
- Gyeongpo Beach — (경포해변 인증센터)
- Jigyeong Park — (지경공원 인증센터)
- Dongho Beach — (동호해변 인증센터)
- Yeonggeumjeong — (영금정 인증센터)
- Bongpo Beach — (봉포해변 인증센터)
- Bukcheon Railroad Bridge — (북천철교 인증센터)
- Unification Observatory — (통일전망대 인증센터)
Gangwon Province
Highlights
The Saejae Bicycle Path is one of the shortest (100 km) certification paths. However, it offers plenty of scenic mountain vistas and historic treasures.
Imwon
More to come.
More to come.
Hanjae Park
More to come.
More to come.
Chuam Candlestick Rock
More to come.
More to come.
Mangsang Beach
More to come.
More to come.
More to come.
More to come.
Gangneung Coffee Street
More to come.
More to come.
Gyeongpo Beach
More to come.
More to come.
Jigyeong Park
More to come.
More to come.
Dongho Beach
More to come.
More to come.
Yeonggeum Pavilion
More to come.
More to come.
Bongpo Beach
More to come.
More to come.
Bukcheon Railroad Bridge
More to come.
More to come.
Unification Observatory
More to come.
More to come.
How To Get There
The Gangwon (East Coast) Bike Path slithers through resort cities and port towns on Gangwon Province’s shores. While their train stations don’t accept bikes, their wide reaching intercity bus terminals do.
Intercity Bus
There’s just one way to get to the Gangwon Bike Path with your bike: Intercity buses. (Unless you undertake an epic cycle or own your own car.)
The largest cities on Gangwon Province’s coast lie midway up. Not near the start or finish lines. Therefore, you may need to make connections to get to your final destination.
The Start
The start of Gangwon Bike Path? It’s complicated.
Technically, the Gyeongbuk and Gangwon Bike Paths don’t meet. Route engineers are still piecing together the route between the Uljin Sweet Fish Bridge Certification Center, Gyeongbuk Bike Path’s finish line, and Imwon Certification Center, Gangwon Bike Path’s start line.
What can you do about the bike route gap? Two options.
Skip the Gap
Want to begin the Gangwon Bike Path on the Gangwon Bike Path? The closest bus station is:
The Imwon Terminal lies less than two kilometers from the Imwon Certification Center (directions), the start line. However, the terminal is fun-sized. Just connecting stop for short-hop, regional buses.
Arriving from off the coast? Connect with the Imwon Terminal at one of these terminals:
- Gangneung Intercity Bus Terminal (강릉시외버스터미널) — 2 buses per day; 9 AM and 7 PM (timetable)
- Donghae Bus Terminal (동해시종합버스터미널) — 2 buses per day; 10 AM and 7 PM (timetable)
Skip the Gap to Gangwon Bike Path
Cycling north on the East Coast Route? Did you collect the last Gyeongbuk Bike Path stamp in Uljin? Want to skip the gap and ride the Gangwon Bike Path?
Head to the Uljin Bus Terminal (울진종합버스터미널). It doesn’t run buses to the Imwon Bus Terminal. But between 8 AM and 11 PM, it sends six buses to Hosan Bus Stop (호산버스정류장), 6.7 kilometers south of the Imwon Certification Center (directions).
Cycle the Gap
Maybe the bus timetables don’t line up with your schedule. Or, you’d like to conquer every inch of the East Coast. Then cycle the gap between the Gyeongbuk to Gangwon Bike Paths.
Arriving from out of town? Start at the Uljin Bus Terminal. It lies 36.3 kilometers south of the Imwon Certification Center, Gangwon Bike Path’s start line (directions).
Just finished the Gyeongbuk Bike Path? From Uljin Sweet Fish Bridge Certification Center, Gyeongbuk’s finish line, cycle 37.2 kilometers to the Imwon Stamp Booth (directions).
The gap is officially a break in the cycling route. But it looks like any other east coast biking section: coastal roads. A handful of hills. Beaches. Port towns.
Plus, it’ll spritz that sweet completionist musk around your neck.
The End
Tiny Hyeonnae Town (현내면) in Goseong County nestles against on the DMZ. It operates the tiny Daejin Bus Terminal (대진시외버스터미널).
The end of the Gangwon Bike Path, the Unification Observatory Certification Center (통일전망대 인증센터), hangs 3.7 kilometers from the bus terminal (directions).
Each day, between 7 AM and 10 PM, 13 buses head to the same destination: Dong Seoul Bus Terminal (동서울종합터미널).
Five of the 13 buses offer nonstop service to Seoul. The others also head to the capital, but make a handful of stops along the way, picking up passengers as they carve inland (timetable).
Total travel time? 3 to 3.5 hours.
Not heading to Seoul? Dong Seoul Terminal is a terrific pivot point, sending buses to the farthest reaches of Korea at all hours.
(Want to start the Gangwon Bike Path at the DMZ? Dong Seoul Bus Terminal sends nine buses a day to Daejin Bus Terminal between 7 AM and 7 PM; timetable.)
Gangwon Bus Terminals
Find a complete list of intercity bus terminals on the Gangwon Bicycle Path below.
- Uljin Bus Terminal — (울진종합버스터미널) — Start
- Bugu Bus Terminal — (부구터미널) — Start
- Hosan Bus Stop — (호산버스정류장) — Start
- Imwon Bus Terminal — (임원시외버스터미널) — Start
- Samcheok Intercity Bus Terminal — (삼척종합버스터미널)
- Samcheok Express Bus Terminal — (삼척고속버스터미널)
- Donghae Bus Terminal — (동해시종합버스터미널)
- Gangneung Intercity Bus Terminal — (강릉시외버스터미널)
- Gangneung Express Bus Terminal — (강릉고속버스터미널)
- Jumunjin Bus Terminal — (주문진버스종합터미널)
- Yangyang Bus Terminal — (양양시외종합터미널)
- Sokcho Express Bus Terminal — (속초고속버스터미널)
- Sokcho Intercity Bus Terminal — (속초시외버스터미널)
- Ganseong Bus Terminal — (간성시외버스터미널)
- Geojin Bus Terminal — (거진종합버스터미널)
- Daejin Bus Terminal — (대진시외버스터미널) — End
The Middle
Gangneung, Donghae, Sokcho, and Samcheok Cities, the largest along Gangwon’s coast, offer entry, exit, or connection hubs. Let’s glance at their intercity bus terminals.
Gangneung
Gangneung is Gangwon Province’s largest coastal city. Sitting midway up the bike path, its terminals provide the most routes and connecting buses to shoreside settlements.
The express and intercity terminal aren’t in the same building. But they share a courtyard.
Gangneung Intercity Bus Terminal’s buses visit every metro city and province, other than Jeju. Local buses frequent coastal destinations, like Imwon Bus Terminal, Gangwon Bike Path’s start (timetable).
Gangneung Express Bus Terminal provides non-stop service to Seoul, Daejeon, and Gyeonggi and Gangwon Provinces (timetable).
Donghae & Samcheok Cities
The downtowns of Donghae and Samcheok Cities press near the bottom of the Gangwon Bike Path. Only 14 kilometers separate their intercity bus terminals (directions).
Perhaps because of their proximity, Donghae’s single jonghap (종합; combined) terminal supplies far more routes than Samcheok’s express and intercity terminals put together.
Intercity buses from Donghae visit Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, and surrounding provinces (timetable). Useful bike path connections include Imwon (Gangwon Bike Path’s start), Yeongdeok (Gyeongbuk Bike Path’s start), Uljin (Gyeongbuk’s end).
Express buses run to the same cities as the intercity terminal. A handful of buses filter to Gyeonggi, Gangwon, and North Gyeongsan Provinces (timetable).
Samcheok’s intercity and express terminals live in separate buildings. But only a sidewalk separates them.
Intercity buses drop by nearby coastal towns, Seoul and a few other major metro terminals (timetable). Express buses go directly to Seoul and Gyeonggi cities (timetable).
- Samcheok Intercity Bus Terminal — <small>(삼척종합버스터미널)</small>
- Samcheok Express Bus Terminal — <small>(삼척고속버스터미널)</small>
The Gangwon Bike Path’s first terminal is in Samcheok. However, it lies 37.7 kilometers from the first certification center (directions).
Sokcho City
Northern Sokcho is the last big city before the DMZ. A popular resort town along the coast, it holds two separate express and intercity terminals.
The terminals don’t live on the same block. They’re separated by 3.4 kilometers or a 15 minute bike ride (directions).
The intercity terminal rolls to Seoul, Busan, and more. It also flows to a handful of east coast cities, including Gangseong, Gangneung, Donghae, Samcheok, Uljin, and Pohang (timetable).
Sokcho’s express terminal sends non stop buses to Seoul and Incheon (timetable).
Woryeong Bridge (월영교) or Woryeonggyo spans the Nakdong River a kilometer downstream from Andong Dam. Measuring 387 meters long and 3.6 meters wide, Woryeong is Korea’s longest wooden bridge.
Two dams comprise the Nakdong Estuary Bank (낙동강하굿둑) near the Nakdong River’s end. They block the two streams flowing around Eulsukdo Island. The east dam crosses from mainland Busan to Eulsukdo and over to the Gimhae Delta.