Bike Yangyang & Sokcho
The third leg of the Gangwon Bike Path travels the coasts of Yangyang County (양양군; map) and Sokcho City (속초시; map) along Gangwon State’s coast on the East Sea.
On your journey, cycle past surfer beaches, ancient seaside outcrops, famed temples, and a bustling city filled with seafood restaurants and tourism.
- Jigyeong Park (132.2 km)
- Namae Port (136.2 km)
- Huyuam Hermitage (139.2 km)
- Jukdo Mountain (140.4 km)
- Hajodae (148.5 km)
- Dongho Beach (155.3 km)
- Naksansa Temple (163.9 km)
- Daepo & Oeongchi Ports (172.1 km)
- Cheongcho Lake (175.2 km)
- Abai Village (175.4 km)
- Sokcho Lighthouse (177.2 km)
- Yeonggeum Pavilion (177.2 km)
- Yeongnang Lake (178.1 km)
Jumunjin Beach to Hajodae
Ride your bicycle along a calm coastline. On your way, pass four Gangwon Bike Path highlights nestled against the seaside, including ports, temples, and rocky perches.
- Jigyeong Park Certification Center
- Namae Port
- Huyuam Hermitage
- Surf Beaches
- Jukdo Mountain
- Hajodae
- Difficulty 🚲🚲
- (31-meter hill)
Jigyeong Park
Begin where you ended the Gangneung section of the Gangwon Bike Path: Jigyeong Park (map). After collecting your stamp at the Jigyeong Park Certification Center (지경공원 인증센터; map), hop on your bicycle and ride north along barbed wire coast deeper into Jigyeong.
The park is known for the white sands along Jigyeong Beach (지경공원; map) and its its pine forests, which holds Jigyeong National Leisure Campground (지경국민여가캠핑장; map).
- Bike Passport Page 34
- Certification Center: ❌
- Passport store: ❌
Wonpo Beach & Hwasang Rock
After turning inland, veer back towards the coast over Hwasang Stream (화상천; map) and land at Wonpo Village Beach (원포리해변; map).
Near where Hwasang Stream (화상천; map) runs through the beach and meets the East Sea, find a rock resembling a monk. Named Hwasang (화성; or “monk” in Korean), the stone holds a legend:
Long ago, three boys fished at the mouth of the stream. Two boys dug a shallow pool inland to hold their catch. The third scooped the trapped fish and flung them back into the ocean.
A passing monk, impressed by the third boy’s empath, clasped his hands and prayed to Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion. A rock appeared in the place where the boy stood resembling a monk. Some say you can see the image of Avalokitesvara in this rock.
Continue your travels north along Wonpo Beach, passing pensions and other accommodations, until the coast curves around and meets Namae Port, the first of four Gangwon Bike Path highlights.
Namae Port (남애항; map) is one of the three most beautiful ports in Gangwon State, along with Chogok Port in Samcheok City and Simgok Port in Gangneung City.
Namae Port’s original name was “Nakmae,” which means “fallen plum.” In spring, bountiful plum blossoms fall from fruiting trees. Settlers renamed the port “Namae,” which translates to “southern sea.”
Designated a port in 1971, Namae Port is the largest in Yangyang County. Its diverse landscape features seaside mountains, nearby beaches, and a lake. Its two large breakwaters are topped with red and white lighthouses shaped like Yangyang County’s famed pine mushrooms (송이버섯).
Near Namae Port’s northern breakwater, a small collection of rocky islands named Yangjido (양지도; map) sit in the East Sea. A famed lone pine tree clings to its bare, wave battered rocks.
Namae Port Skywalk Observatory
At the start of the harbor’s northern breakwater, near Yangjido, find the Namae Port Observatory (남애항전망대; map). Built in 2014, the observatory features a second-story walkway that extends over the East Sea. The walkway has a glass-bottom floor, allowing visitors to gaze at waves crashing on rocks below.
Namae Beach
Exit Namae Port and ride onto Namae Beach (남애해변; map). Like other Yangyang Beaches, Namae Beach has gained a reputation for surfing. Come summer, you’ll find loads of beach goers clad in swimsuits riding low-breaking waves onto the beach’s soft, sandy shore.
At the southern end of the beach, find a glass-bottom, arched truss bridge that crosses to a small breakwater with a yellow lighthouse. Known as Yangyang Namae Sunrise Observatory (양양남애일출; map), visitors can walk the bridge over a clear lagoon and get a panoramic view of the East Sea.
Continue cycling along National Route 7 below pine trees beside the Gaet Village Beach (갯마을해변; map), which fades into Gwangjin Beach (광진해변; map). Celebrated for crystal-clear waters, the beach is the perfect spot for snorkeling with its abundance of underwater scenery.
Pomae Lake
Before heading on from this section of Yangyang County’s coast, glance inland and find Pomae Lake (포매호; map). Designated Natural Monument No. 229 in 1970, the lake is one of a handful of South Korea’s east coast lagoons. Come spring, blossoming plum trees fill the backs and small islands of Pomae Lake in dazzling white petals.
The lake serves as a breeding ground for migratory egrets and herons. In warmer months, their flocks descend on its waters to rest and refuel for their journeys. In 1990, Korea expanded the protected area around Pomae by one kilometer, further securing the birds’ habitat.
Pomae Lake’s name derives from the belief that the nearby mountain, which reaches its rocky fingers towards the lake, is shaped like a plum tree (maehwa; 매화나무). Overtime, maehwa transformed into “Pomae.”
Keep cycling along the four-lane Route 7 highway on a protected bike lane up Gwangjin Village Pass (광진리 고개; map), which rises just 19 meters over half a kilometer.
At the top of the pass, splash into a roadside parking lot (road view) with a small access road that leads to Huyuam Hermitage, your second for four Gangwon Bike Path highlights.
Huyuam Hermitage (휴휴암; map; aerial view) isn’t a thousand-year-old temple like Naksansa 23 kilometers up the road. This Buddhist retreat saw its first dawn in 1997 when Monk Hongbeop set up a small prayer hall on a hilltop overlooking Yangyang County’s East Sea coast.
The founder named the hermitage “Huyuam,” which means “’Rest and Rest Again.” One of the closest Buddhist temples to the sea in Korea, he wanted Huyuam to be a place for people to throw away the stresses of their daily lives and sort out their inner spiritual world.
Huyuam was just a picturesque seaside meditation spot for a few years before it shot to fame in 1999. Visitors noticed that a rock in the waters at the foot of the hermitage. It resembled a reclining Avalokiteśvara (관세음보살), the bodhisattva associated with compassion. Since then, believers have traveled from around the country to the rock to perform rituals and make wishes.
Huyuam Hermitage is a complex that features several buildings, statues, and a group of unique rocks near the East Sea.
Surf Beaches
Descend from Gwangjin Village Pass into Ingu Beach (인구해변; map). Along with Jukdo Beach (죽도해변; map), which lies on the other side of Jukdo Mountain (more on that later), these two sandy patches represent Korea’s surfing mecca.
Surfing didn’t reach Korea’s shores until the 1990s, where it blossomed on Jeju Island’s Jungmun Saekdal Beach (map), then spread to Busan’s Songjeong Beach (map).
In the 2000s, Korea’s newly wave-addicted surfers discovered Yangyang County as a prime surf spot. Its rural seascape, regular waves, and proximity to the Seoul Capital Area made the Yangyang’s beaches famous to the surf-curious.
Today, Ingu and Jukdo, as well as Dongsan Beach just a hop north, are a part of a stretch known as “Yangri-dan-gil” (양리단길; map), an unofficial “road” that combines the names for Yangyang and Garosugil, a hyper-trendy street in Seoul.
Yangri-dan-gil is the hotspot for surfing in Korea. It holds over 30 surfing and watersports shops, as well as trendy cafes, clubs, and restaurants serving the famed Yangyang-style burger.
In summer, Ingu and Jukdo’s beaches swell with professionally trained surfers tutoring crowds of amateurs.
Right in the middle of Ingu and Jukdo Beaches rises Jukdo Mountain. This tree-covered mountain marks the third of four Gangwon Bike Path highlights.
Jukdo Mountain (죽도산; map; Jukdosan) is one of Yangyang’s “eight scenic sights.” This coastal hill’s name translates to “Bamboo” (죽; Juk) “Island” (도; do) “Mountain” (산; san).
Jukdo Mountain rises 53-meters and measures 1 kilometer in circumference. It features hiking trails that navigate a unique mixture of bamboo and pine trees.
It’s said, like Jukbyeon Cape in Uljin County, Joseon Dynasty warriors used the mountain’s thin and dense bamboo stalks to make arrows to defend Korea’s coast from foreign invaders.
Jukdo Mountain Observatory sits at the summit of Jukdo Mountain. Standing 20-meters tall, it is formed by a latticework of metal poles which resemble bamboo, mirroring the mountain’s defining features.
The observatory provides a panoramic view of the surroundings, including the Taebaek Mountain Range, known as Korea’s spine, rock formations below, and the pair of surfing beaches along the coast.
Dongsan Port & Beach
From Jukdo Mountain, travel north along the surf-friendly Jukdo Beach (죽도해변; map) until you reach Dongsan Port (동산항; map).
This small port, known for its clear waters, accommodates free-divers and anglers. Though its large breakwater forbids anglers, you can still find fishers casting lines into the East Sea from the harbor, pulling in black seabream, bigfin reef squid, and flatfish.
Dongsan Beach (동산해수욕장; map) lives on the north side of Dongsan Port. Along with Ingu and Jukdo Beaches, locals have labeled Dongsan as the “number-one surf spot in Korea” because of its moderate depths and tall waves.
With peak season between July and August, the Dongsan Beach accommodates everyone from surfers to families on vacation, with shower and bathroom facilities, and globs of pensions, guest houses, glamping sites (map), cafes, and raw fish restaurants.
38th Parallel Pass
Sail up Dongsan Beach on your bike and then veer under National Route 7 at its north end (road view). Pass through a small coastal village until you meet a steep incline. This is the first of three climbs along the 38th Parallel Pass (38선 고개 구간; map; road view).
This 38th Parallel Pass stretches for five kilometers and includes several climbs, with the steepest arriving after the 38th Parallel Rest Area, rising 20 meters with a 4.19% gradient.
The pass’s route cuts away from the Route 7 highway and travels forested bike paths (road view) before hopping onto a billboarded overpass (road view), then rejoins the road.
38th Parallel Rest Area
Midway through the 38th Parallel Pass, find the 38th Parallel Rest Area (38선휴게소; map). Perched just off National Route 7 on a ridge overlooking the East Sea, this vehicular rest stop got its name due to its proximity to the historic 38th parallel (38-degrees latitude).
Before the Korean War, the 38th parallel divided North and South Korea. After the Korean War, the new border became the DMZ at the top of Goseong County 75 kilometers north.
In addition to its traditional snacks and restaurants and stunning views of Gisamun Beach (기사문해변; map) and Gisamun Port, the 38th Parallel Rest Area features a monument dedicated to peace and the unification of the two Koreas.
Hajodae Beach
Rested? Climb the 38th Parallel Pass’s final hill and splash down onto tiny seaside Hyeonbuk Town (현북면; map) near Hajodae Beach (하조대해수욕장; map).
Hajodae Beach measures 1.5 kilometers long and 100 meters wide. Reaching peak season between July and August, the the beach’s standard amenities include:
- a campsite under the beach’s bordering pine trees,
- drinking water, showers, and equipment rental (parasols, tubes, etc.),
- And, like other Yangyang Beaches, plenty of surfing.
Hajodae Beach’s popularity stems from its breathtaking views, where the Gwangjeong and Sangun Streams flow their warming waters into the sea, and the cliffs of Hajodae jut dramatically along the coastline. This scenic spot represents the fourth and final highlight on this section of the Gangwon Bike Path.
Hajodae (map) is a collection of rocky cliffs that jut out from Yangyang’s coastline. Designated as one of “Yangyang County’s 8 Scenic Views,” South Korea features Hajodae in its National Anthem video with a shot of pine tree and pavilion on top of Hajodae’s wave-battered cliffs.
Legend has it, because of its natural beauty, Hajodae will irrevocably transform all who visit and view its craggy cliffs, rocky islands, and dense pine forest.
Hajodae also holds a few other key attractions, including a glass-bottom observatory, ancient pavilion, and the quaint Gisamun Lighthouse.
The name Hajodae comes from the family names of Ha Ryun (하륜; 1348 ~ 1416) and Jo Jun (조준; 1346 ~ 1405), two celebrated scholars and poets during the Joseon Dynasty (1392 ~ 1897). It’s said that they rested at Hajodae and carved their names on its rocks.
Other stories believe that the “Hajo” name came from a story of two lovers — a man from the Ha family and a woman from the Jo family. Near the end of the Goryeo Dynasty (918 ~ 1392), they eloped and ran away to Hajodae’s cliffs.
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