[One Day Walk] Feeling the Breath of Ancient People and the Forest Air Together on Bucheon Dullegil Course 1

The path introduced today is the Bucheon Dullegil. It is a themed trail connecting the mountains, parks, fields, and streams on the outskirts of Bucheon City. Among them, Course 1, the Local Heritage Forest Trail, is designed to explore the ecology of the forest and local heritage sites such as the Gogang Prehistoric Site, where you can see prehistoric relics, and the Bucheon Botanical Garden, where you can encounter various plant ecologies.

The starting point is Gogang Prehistoric Site Park. The area where the park is located is the Gogang Prehistoric Site, a village site believed to have been formed from the Bronze Age to the early Iron Age. It became known to the world after stone artifacts such as half-moon-shaped stone knives and stone spears were discovered in nearby mountains following a flood in the summer of 1995. It is a site where you can glimpse the culture of the early state stage in the Han River basin, with 21 pit houses from the Bronze Age excavated. In particular, a site where village rituals were performed during the Bronze Age was excavated in the center of the village, providing clues to understanding the religious development of ancient society. The relic park also features a Rhododendron Hill, where vibrant rhododendrons bloom profusely every spring, offering a variety of sights.

After enjoying the relic park, you cross the Goriul Cloud Bridge over the Gyeongin Expressway and enter the Beombawi Mountain hiking trail. On the trail heading toward Neunggogae, you can briefly enjoy the view and also encounter the site where the Bronze Age ritual site 'Jeokseokhwanggu Yugu' was excavated. You can also come across unique historical traces such as the tomb of Gyeongsuk Ongju, the fifth daughter of King Seongjong, the 9th king of the Joseon Dynasty, and 'Jeolgol,' where there was originally a temple but monks abandoned it due to a severe bedbug infestation.

After passing through the Kkachiwool Tunnel and reaching 'Suryungogae,' named for its very muddy ground, it is recommended to briefly descend the mountain and visit the Water Museum. This facility is located at the Kkachiwool Water Purification Plant, the spring of Bucheon citizens, which produces 235,000 tons of tap water daily and supplies the Wonmi and Ojeong areas of Bucheon City. Prior reservation is required to visit the Water Museum. There are various experiential spaces where you can learn about the birth of water, the Earth's water cycle, and how water was obtained and used in the past. Inside the purification plant, there is also a baseball field for citizens to enjoy leisure activities.

Bucheon Botanical Garden
Photo by Bucheon Botanical Garden

Opposite the Kkachiwool Water Purification Plant are the Bucheon Botanical Garden and Bucheon Natural Ecology Park. The botanical garden is built as a glass greenhouse shaped like the peach blossom, a symbol of Bucheon City. It consists of five themed plant halls?Interesting Plant Hall, Subtropical Plant Hall, Native Plant Hall, Aquatic Plant Hall?and two plant experience halls, exhibiting a total of over 300 species of plants. Within the ecology park, there are also diverse attractions such as the Natural Ecology Museum (Agricultural Relics Exhibition Hall) and Bucheon Mureungdowon Arboretum.

From here, heading southwest along the Dullegil, you will come across the Sanwoollim Youth Training Center. Located on the eastern foothills of Wonmi Mountain, this training center is a youth activity facility built by Bucheon City and operated by the Bucheon Cultural Foundation. It provides related information through books and materials on natural ecology. Then, passing by Wonmijeong Pavilion, located at the summit of Wonmi Mountain at an elevation of 167 meters, and arriving at Sosa Station on Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 1 and the Seohae Line, today's journey comes to an end.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.