Sunrise Park
Sunrise Park (해맞이공원; map; aerial view) was once a dense, pine forest on a hillside overlooking the East Sea in Changpo Village (창포리; map), Yeongdeok County. In 1997, a massive forest fire tore through the area and devastated the natural environment.
From 1998 to 2003, the national park service transformed the area into Sunrise Park. Designers created the park with an eco-friendly theme. They:
- Planted 900 native tree species and 23,000 wildflowers, including daffodils, marigolds, and Korean starworts.
- Used fire-damaged pine trees to build the park’s 1,500 wooden steps, resting pergolas, and observation decks overlooking the East Sea.
- Installed 18 fish sculptures to reflect the local sea life.
Visitors walk Sunrise Park’s 2.1 kilometers of trails that lead up the hillside and down to the East Sea, peruse the park’s sculptures and crab gates, or view Korea’s first sunrise on New Year’s Day.
Changpomal Lighthouse
Changpomal Lighthouse (창포말등대; map) hangs halfway up the hillside along Sunrise Park’s main promenade.
Standing 24 meters tall, the lighthouse featured a simple cylindrical tower when workers completed construction in 1984. In 2006, to promote snow crabs in Yeongdeok County, engineers affixed a giant crab claw sculpture to the lighthouse’s tower.
The lighthouse is unmanned, but functional. At night its lantern room, painted red to symbolize the rising sun, sends a burst of light every six seconds over the East Sea. The light reaches 42 kilometers out to sea, warning boats that the coastline is near.
Yeongdeok Wind Power Complex
Yeongdeok Wind Power Complex (영덕풍력발전단지; map) sits in the hills above Sunrise Park. Opened in 2005, the complex holds 24 wind turbines that stand 80-meters tall, with 41 meter wide blades. The turbines produce 100,000 MWh per year, enough juice to power 20,000 households. (Yeongdeok County only has 19,895.)
But the area isn’t just for energy production. Surrounding the wind turbines you can find:
- Forest Eco & Cultural Park (산림생태문화공원; map).
- Renewable Energy Exhibition Hall (신재생에너지전시관과; map).
- Campsite and pensions overlooking the East Sea.
- Junk & Trick Art Exhibition Hall (정크&트릭아트전시관; map).
- One of two National Youth Maritime Center buildings (국립청소년해양센터; map).
Other Features
Sunrise Park includes a few more notable highlights.
- Sunrise Park Certification Center (해맞이공원 인증센터; map) to stamp your Bike Passport.
- Promise Rock Observatory (약속바위 전망대; map) lies at the bottom of Sunrise Park on the rocky coast. The viewing deck let’s visitors observe a rock shaped like two fingers locked in a pinky swear.
- Ocean Light (대양의 빛; map) is a large, reflective sculpture of a person lifting a giant snow crab in the air. It sits south of Sunrise Park on the coast near the other National Youth Maritime Center building.
- Gangchuk Road (강축도로; map) is the scenic, 64-kilometer-long road that travels along Yeongdeok County’s coast. Starting at Ganggu Port, it passes through Sunrise Park before landing at Chuksan Port.
