[One Day Walk] Walking Along the Imjingang River... Gyeonggi Dullegil Yeoncheon Course 10

18.2km from Sungui Jeonji to Gunnam Flood Control Reservoir

Course 10 of the Gyeonggi Dullegil Trail is an 18.2 km path that starts at Sungui-jeonji and continues to Gunnam Flood Control Reservoir. It takes 6 hours and 5 minutes to complete. Walking along the Imjin River, you can enjoy spectacular views such as columnar joints.

You can access this trail by taking a bus from the bus stop in front of Jeongok Traditional Market and getting off at the Sungui-jeon stop. The starting point, Sungui-jeonji, is a shrine built in the first year of Joseon’s founding to honor the rites of Goryeo’s King Taejo. Although it was destroyed during the Korean War, the foundation stones and base remain. You can compare the newly restored building with the base that has stood for 600 years.

Continuing along this path, you will reach the entrance to Dangposeong Fortress. Dangposeong is a fortress built to block the eastern entrance of a triangular cliff about 13 meters high, formed between the Danggae branch stream flowing into Dangpo Ferry and the main stream of the Imjin River. Majon-hyeon, located behind Dangposeong, was a key point on the route to Kaesong. It was an essential fortress for defending against enemies advancing northward via the Yangju Basin area by the shortest route. Also, since securing a bridgehead on the north bank of the river was necessary during northward advances, it appears to have been continuously used even during Silla’s occupation period. Dangposeong is an earthen fortress that creates a harmonious landscape with the surrounding trees. It is a great spot for photography.

Continuing along the Imjin River, you will encounter the columnar joints. These beautiful vertical columnar joints, resembling a folding screen, extend over several kilometers. Lava erupted from Ori Mountain in Pyeonggang County, North Korea, and the 680-meter-high peak filled the lowlands of the old Hantan River, forming a wide lava plateau across the Cheorwon-Pocheon-Yeoncheon area. This lava plateau met the Imjin River and flowed upstream, creating basalt layers. After volcanic activity ceased, erosion by the river formed geometric basalt columnar joints along the river.

One of the joys of walking this trail in early spring is tasting the delicacy of the Imjin River, the yellow pufferfish. The yellow pufferfish lives in the West Sea and swims upstream into the river during its spawning season in early spring. The final destination, Gunnam Flood Control Reservoir, is located in a border area 6 km from the Demilitarized Zone. Since 97% of the dam’s watershed is in North Korea, it plays a role in regulating irregular water flow caused by the North Korean Hwanggang Dam.

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