July 2021
Peace World Bike Path -
평화누리 자전거길
Summary
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Province: Gyeonggi
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Difficulty: Moderate
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Total distance: 215 km
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Number of courses: 7
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Elevation: High: 182 m || Low: 0 m
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Connecting trails: Ara Waterway, Han River, Seoharang Trail, Gangwon Peace World Bike Path, etc.
Start
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City: Ganghwa Town - 강화읍
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A. Checkpoint: Daemyeong Port - 대명항
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B. Nearest transport: Ganghwa Bus Terminal
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Distance, A-B: *See notes below
Midway
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City: Munsan Town - 문산읍
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A. Checkpoint: Bangu Pavilion - 반구정
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B. Nearest transport: Musan Station - 문산역
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Distance, A-B: 4 km south
Finish
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City: Yeoncheon County - 연천군
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A. Checkpoint: Hanging Icicle - 역고드름
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B. Nearest transport: Shintanri Station - 신탄리역
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Distance, A-B: 3.7 km south
Table of Contents
(Click the link to jump to section.)
Part 1. A bit of history
There’s not much to say about the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that you likely haven’t already read. It runs along the 38th Parallel separating North and South Korea, two countries that have technically been at war with one another since 1950 with major fighting only stopping once an armistice was signed between the U.S. and North Korea in 1953. It stretches 240 kilometers across the peninsula and is two kilometers wide on either side of the border. It remains the most heavily guarded border in the world, yet has become something of a sanctuary for wildlife since no humans have lived there for decades, although pigs and deer often get blown up by mines.
Nonetheless, here are a few interesting history tidbits you might not know.
First, many assume that the DMZ was an arbitrary division of the Korean Peninsula drawn up by the U.S.S.R. and the U.S. after the end of World War II once Japan was defeated and forced to relinquish its colonial holdings in Korea, similar to how they’d divided up Germany. Of course, there was also the Korean War – a big thing obviously – that moved the line up and down violently as the war raged on, but it gradually ended up being in more or less the same spot as originally agreed.
That’s true; however, the idea of dividing Korea up along the 38th Parallel goes back much further in history.
A bit of context: By the mid-1800s, the Joseon Kingdom which ruled Korea at the time was in a bad way. It had prospered for centuries as one of the longest-lived dynasties in history but after decades of growing corruption, poor governance, and abysmal land management, was in a state of steep decline. China, its big brother, was in a similar mess.
At the same time, Japan was growing as an industrial and military might, largely because it had adopted western ideas of production and warfare while Korea and China had vainly tried to stay isolated. Russia, then ruled by Czar Nicholas II, also had an eye on expanding his already giant empire and saw East Asia as a great place to build up its naval presence in the region. Both saw Korea’s and China’s weakness and watered at the mouth. Infighting in Korea had also led to internal alliances with either pro-Japanese or pro-Russian factions across the country [1]. There were assassinations, bombings, spies; it was a real crazy time in Korea.
To sooth these tensions, Japan and Russia signed the Yamagata–Lobanov Agreement in 1896, giving them a divided share of influence over the Korean Peninsula along the 38th Parallel (some sources say the 39th). But this peace agreement between Japan and Russia wouldn’t last long. Neither side trusted the other, and Japan launched a surprise attack on the Russian Navy in 1904 at their ports in Manchuria (sound familiar?). This short one-year war was a massive victory for Japan and would be their coming out party as a major world player. For Russia, though, it was a staggering embarrassment. This, combined with Russia’s failures in WWI, would lead to the Russian Revolution.
A few years later in 1910, Japan would formally annex all of the Korean Peninsula which had been a goal of Japan for centuries.
Fast-forwarding a bit. After Japan was defeated in WWII, the U.S. and U.S.S.R. were negotiating who would serve as temporary protector of Korea, and Stalin was actually the one who brought up the idea of using the old Japanese-Russian agreement. The U.S. was like, “Okay. Why not?”
What’s sad about this is that at all points, South Korea has had no say in their own fortunes. For example, South Korea cannot sign for peace with North Korea on its own. Only the U.S. can. That’s a part of the reason why you saw President Moon Jae-in try so hard to persuade President Trump to make peace with North Korea.
[1] Halbertstam, David. The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War. Hyperion Books. 2007.
Part 2. The bike path
The Peace World Bike Path - 평화 누리 자전거 길 covers the northern border of the Gyeonggi Province which lays just south of the DMZ with the Han and Imjin rivers guiding the way.
It’s made up of seven courses. Like the cross-country bike paths, this one also has checkpoints and booths – blue ones. However, you don’t use a booklet to track your progress. Instead, you use an app which tracks your progress using your phone’s GPS. As you near a checkpoint, it will ping your location and will add a digital stamp to your account. More on the app in a moment.
Note: The larger Peace World Path
It's a bit confusing, but there's the Peace World "Bike" Path AND the general Peace World Path which is for walking. They are pretty much the same thing. They both follow the Gyeonggi Province's northern border near the DMZ. But the walking path goes off on little tangents once in a while and uses ribbons hanging from trees to navigate. There's ALSO the Gangwondo Peace World Path. It continues where the Gyeonggido Peace World Paths (Biking & Walking) end and goes all the way to the East Coast. Plus, as I recently learned, all of these are also a part of the Korea Circumference Trails, as well. I'll elaborate on all of this below. All of these use the same app, All That Stamp.
To avoid confusion, I'll primarily be writing about the Gyeonggi Peace World "Bike" Path in this post... unless otherwise stated.
Path quality. The western half of the bike path is paved and is a mix of dedicated bike lane and quiet farm road which you share with cars and maybe the odd goat. It’s well labeled and a bit crowded on weekends. The eastern half gradually gets more rural but stays near a surprisingly busy highway a good portion of the way, and there are several stretches with gravel and lots of sharp stones, making it more suited for a bike with wider tires.
As far as looking out and seeing North Korea, Ganghwa Island at the “start” of the trail and Odusan Unification Observatory near the 5th checkpoint offer really great views. But other than that, to be totally honest, the main path is a bit of a disappointment in regards to seeing North Korea. Most of the way, any views of the North are blocked by a highway or mountains. It’s still a great bike path, though. It’s not crowded like other paths in the Metropolitan Area, so it’s easy to go fast. It does go along several interesting museums, natural sites, and things like that. And, if nothing else, it’s still a surreal experience riding along kilometers and kilometers of barbed wire fencing lined with mines and military outposts, a reminder of how real the tensions are on the Korean Peninsula.
Packing list. Be sure to take ID. At a few points, you’ll pass through military posts and must show it. Also, since this tour uses a phone app, be sure to bring along an external battery to charge your phone.
Food and stuff. You’ll pass by restaurants every hour or so. But you won’t pass by that many marts, so stock up on water and supplies. At the 4th checkpoint, Banghwa Bridge, you’ll pass by a street lined with bike shops, a great place to get that squeaky jockey wheel fixed.
Best time to go. The eastern part of the trail is best in the winter because the last checkpoint, Hanging Icicle, is a neat-looking cave with – as the name implies – hanging icicles. But, of course, this area gets really, really cold in winter. So… yeah, maybe you just want to imagine icicles and go on a nice sunny spring day.
Part 3. Navigation
These are the trail markers you’ll follow:
The western half in Gimpo is very well labeled. But east of Paju, it gets confusing. At first, I thought the people who hung up the trail markers just got super drunk at the end of the day and were like, “Screw it! Let’s just leave these signs down this dead end or make them go in big a circle.” But then I realized that there are actually five or so different trails that all run parallel to one another here.
Here are the other four:
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*Peace World (Walking) Path – 평화누리 (걷기) 길. I mentioned this earlier. Don’t confuse this with the Peace World Cycling Path. They're almost the same thing but have subtle differences. Remember that “bike” is 자전거 and “walk” is 걷기. It’s got 12 courses, covering about 190 kilometers. For trail markers, it uses signs that simply read 평화 누리길 (see image right), blue and orange ribbons hanging from trees, or the same picture of a dove holding an olive branch as above. Its signs are almost identical to the bike path’s, and while it goes the same direction, it does veer off on little tangents periodically, which makes it SUPER easy to get lost. You’ll see physical stamps for this trail; it used to use a little booklet, but they’re not available anymore, I think. So, bring along a little notebook or something if you do want to collect the stamps. It also uses the same app as the cycling path and also gives you a certificate, but I believe you can't do both trails in the app at the same time.
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The Korea Circumference Trail - 코리아 둘레 길. This is a collection of trails that go around the entire circumference of Korea. And yes, they include the Peace World Trail(s). All of them use the same app, All That Stamp. The other trails include the South Wave, East Wave, and West Coast trails. You might see signage for this as you go.
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*Gyeonggi Circumference Trail - 경기둘레길. This is a walking path that literally goes around the entire circumference of the Gyeonggi Province. Signs for this are blue and orange arrows which look the same as the Peace World (Walking) Path's. To track one’s progress, you use the same app as all the others, All That Stamp.
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545 Trail, aka DMZ Tour Course, aka Peace and Life Zone, aka Peace World Path. Like the World Peace Bike Path, it’s got seven courses just to confuse you. But it stretches 545 kilometers all the way across the DMZ, coast to coast (as the crow flies; the DMZ is just 240 km across). It is meant for hikers but can be cycled, too. I haven’t done this yet, so I’m not exactly sure how it works. It follows the same trail as the bike path in the Gyeonggi Province, but I never saw any trail markers for it. The Korea Tourism website has a long PDF document about it. Click here: DMZ Guide English.
So, yes, navigation is a bit tricky. But to help you not get lost, Kakao Map links to each checkpoint are below. Otherwise, you can type 평화누리 자전거길 in Kakao Map. It will show you a list of the courses; select the one you want, although keep in mind that it might not lead you along the official trail the entire way but will get you to where you need to go… eventually.
You can also navigate using the All That Stamp App if you're in a pinch.
Part 4. The app: All That Stamp
As mentioned, to track your progress, you use an app called 올댓스탬프. That’s literally just "All That Stamp" in English, phonetically spelled out. I’m guessing whoever made the app is also a fan of Chicago, the musical, so while cycling, be sure to snap your fingers in a jazzy way.
To recap, as you near a checkpoint, it will ping your location and will add a digital stamp to your account.
Click here to download the app:
The app works well; however, I have read that the iPhone version has a few bugs. It is all in Korean, but I have made a detailed YouTube video about it:
>> How to use the All That Stamp App.
But here are a few important notes on using it:
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You don’t have to make an account before getting started, but you will need to in order to get your prize.
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It has stamp tours for all sorts of different tourist programs around the country, over a dozen, including the Gyeonggi Circumference, Korea Circumference, Peace World (Walking) Path, etc. That does make it a little extra confusing.
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Important! You need to leave the app on while cycling because in order to get your prize, it first needs to verify you visited the checkpoints, but it also needs to verify that you cycled at least 80% of the trail. They only mention this after you finish which is irritating, but I guess it’s to stop cheating. However, keeping the app open will also drain your battery pretty quick! So be sure to bring along a charger!
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It has a map feature which can be used to navigate in a pinch, but it sometimes doesn’t align with the actual trail or with what’s listed on Kakao Map.
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It makes a really annoying alarm sound when it loses GPS connection... just something you’ve just got to deal with.
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You also use the app to order your prize – all explained in the video.
Part 5. Getting started
So, the Peace World Bike Pat trail unofficially starts on Ganghwa Island at the Ganghwa Unification Observatory – 강화 평화 전망대. I describe that in a separate post. Click here: Cycling Ganghwa Island. As mentioned, it’s got great views of North Korea and will probably be your favorite part. However, the trail technically starts at Daemyeong Port – 대명항 on the western cape of Gimpo, but there’s really no practical way to get there with a bike using public transportation. None of the buses have undercarriages big enough, not even from the airports.
So, here’s a quick recap on how to get to Ganghwa Bus Terminal:
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The first leg of the journey. If you’re coming from the Seoul Metropolitan Area, you’ll want to catch a subway to Geomam Station which is a transfer point for the Airport and Incheon 2 lines. Weekends only. OR if you’re coming from further away or are traveling on a weekday, take a bus to Incheon Express Bus Terminal.
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The second leg of the journey. Outside of both of those hubs are bus stops for the 800 Incheon Bus (click the link to view the full route). But the caveat is you need to get lucky and flag down a bus driver who’ll let you load your bike. To improve your odds, have your bike disassembled before the bus arrives and don’t try boarding during rush hour. These buses run from 0900 to 2200 every 20 minutes or so. Once onboard, you’ll head all the way up to Ganghwa Bus Terminal. It takes over an hour. There’s also a bus from Gimpo Airport, but I’m not 100% sure if it allows bikes.
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The third leg. After that, head up to Ganghwa Peace Observatory, look around a bit, and then head south to Daemyeong Port. This entails about 42 kilometers of cycling.
Okay! The hard part is over!
Part 6. Checkpoints
>> Kakao Map link: http://kko.to/m1iGk6o4o
Daemyeong Port is the start of the official path. It is right next to a really nice park with a navy ship you can take a tour of (price 3,000w), a big fish market, and several restaurants.
Travel tip! If you’re planning on staying the night in this area, don’t! It’s only got expensive drive-in, personless love motels, known as 드라잎인 무인텔. These cost about 60,000w and are hard to figure out. For cheaper options, find a place on Ganghwa Island just across the bridge.
After you get your stamp, you’ll head to North Gimpo. As you do, you’ll cycle in and out of civilian protection zones several times. There are military guards at the entry points. Most of the time, the guards will just wave you through. In some cases, though, you’ll have to show ID and might be given a badge which you’ll need to return to the next outpost once you leave that area; in such cases, you might also have a time limit for leaving that zone, 30 minutes for example. Passport, alien registration, and (likely) military ID are okay.
Important note: They might suddenly close these protection areas in the event of tensions between the North and South. If this happens, the guards will stop you. You might also come across signs that say, “No Bicycle Entry.” That’d be “자전거 출입금지.” Of course, be aware that the DMZ is not a particularly safe place to be. Go at your own risk.
>> Kakao Map link: http://kko.to/KLMkk6B4M
Jeonryu Harbor is at the end of Course 1. It is near a few motels, convenience stores, and a busy highway. Most of this stretch is on a dedicated bike lane, but there are a few hairy intersections.
>> Kakao Map link: http://kko.to/_kkMBQofM
Punggog Village Rest Area is on the western bank of the Han River. It’s at a small park with food trucks and restrooms.
After you get the stamp, head 4.2 kilometers south. You’ll cross Cheon-ho Bridge – 천호대교 which goes over the Ara Waterway. And then you’ll reach the Ara Waterway Han River Sea Lock Checkpoint which is also where the Han River Cycling Path starts. These are a part of the Cross-Country Cycling Course.
Important! This area is a bit confusing. From the Ara checkpoint, follow the signs for the Peace World and southbound Han River trails. You’ll circle around a bend. Immediately after that, you’ll see a turn that will lead you up and over Haengju Bridge – 행주대교. This turn is easy to miss! Then, you’ll cycle over to the northern bank of the Han River and turn south. See the map.
The next checkpoint is under Banghwa Bridge, the next bridge after Haengju, but Banghwa Bridge is not bikeable. If you miss the turn for the Haengju Bridge, you’ll have to cycle 4 kilometers south to the next bridge, cross over, and then cycle back north.
>> Kakao Map link: http://kko.to/NH2fo1BfM
The Banghwa Bridge (northern side) checkpoint sits underneath Banghwa Bridge in a surprisingly quiet park.
But one interesting thing is just before the checkpoint, there is a street dedicated solely to cycling. There are dozens of bike stores, repair shops, and lots of restaurants. It’s a great place to stock up on supplies.
After you get the stamp, head north along the Han River. Your online map might try to lead you inland, but the trail runs parallel to the waterway the entire way.
>> Kakao Map link: http://kko.to/nDEroQB4o
This stretch of the path follows a highway along the waterfront, albeit on a nice bike lane out of view of the highway. Pay attention for signs leading off the trail for restaurants and coffee shops. There are several nice museums and galleries in this area, too. The Paju Publishing City Rest Area Checkpoint sits on the bike trail and is a short distance from the car travel center for which it’s named. But the rest area isn’t visible from the trail.
Travel tip! Odusan Unification Observatory
About 10 kilometers north of Paju Publishing City is Odusan Unification Observatory – 오두산 통일 전멍대. It’s about halfway along Course 4.
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Entry fee: 3,000w
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Hours: 0900 - 1700 ( - 1630 in winter)
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Closed Mondays and public holidays
It offers great views of North Korea and a beautiful landscape showing the junction of the Imjin and Han rivers.
You’ll see the turn to go up the mountain, but you can’t ride up there. There is a free shuttle bus 500 meters north. It’s located in an old drive-in movie theater. The sign is a bit hard to see. Buses leave every 15 minutes or so. Click here for the location (http://kko.to/eN8EBQB4M).
Just north of the shuttle bus stop is a town with several restaurants.
One more travel tip! Visiting the JSA
If you want to visit the Joint Security Area (JSA) at Panmunjeom – the place where North and South Korean soldiers stare at each other all day – it’s recommended that you take a tour with the U.S.O. Not only do you get an English-language guided tour from a military official, you can also avoid the mandatory stop at a jewelry store afterwards that most other tours force you to do. Learn more at http://usodmz.com.
The U.S.O. is located in Seoul near Namyeong Subway Station - 남영역. They’ll take you out there by bus, which takes about an hour, and will show you around. Be sure to bring your passport.
You cannot ride your bike up there.
>> Kakao Map link: http://kko.to/FcvOB1ofM
Bangu Pavilion is the midway checkpoint. As you near it, you’ll pass through Munsan Town. A short distance from the trail is Munsan Station – 문산역 which is on the Gyeongui-Jungang Line. It allows bikes all the time and leads back to Seoul. You’ll want to stop by a store in town and stock up on water and supplies!
After that, you’ll ride north and will pass Imjingang Station – 임진강역. It’s currently not in operation.
Important! As soon as you reach the station, stop! Look for trail markers which cut east.
If you missed that turn, you might end up heading to Imjingak Peace World Park – 임잔각 평화누리 공원. It’s got a giant amusement park, a museum, and a bunch of other attractions. It is a nice spot to look around, nonetheless.
East of Bangu Pavilion, the trail becomes more rural, much less well-labeled, and makes a lot of turns.
>> Kakao Map link: http://kko.to/rkn5o1BfB
Before you near Jangnam Bridge, you’ll come across several amazing views of the Imjin River. Then, you’ll encounter an insanely steep descent down a mountain trail which will let you out right next to a place that does traditional boat tours of the river, known as 황포돛배. It’s also got a nice coffee shop.
The Jangnam Bridge Checkpoint is about 2 kilometers further north, across the bridge on the northern bank of the river.
>> Kakao Map link: http://kko.to/EoNdB1BfB
The Gunnam Flood Control Area Checkpoint is at a pretty spot overlooking a giant weir. After this place, the trail veers south to Yeoncheon Town. On the map, you see that Subway Line 1 runs through the city, but this area’s stations are currently not in operation. However, it does have buses with large undercarriages that run south to the subway. See Getting Home.
From the checkpoint, the bike trail follows the non-operating train line all the way up past the Gyeonggi Province to the last checkpoint. It’s an incredibly beautiful area with giant mountains all around.
>> Kakao Map link: http://kko.to/N99QBQofB
The Hanging Icicle Cave Checkpoint is a short distance north of Shintanri Village – 신탄리 in a secluded area near the main road. Nearby is a cave that has gorgeous ice sickles in the winter, a really interesting natural wonder.
Part 7. Getting home
After you’ve visited the icicle cave, you’ll want to head back to Shintanri Station – 신탄리역, which is 3.7 kilometers south. As mentioned, the station doesn’t currently work. But it does have buses that run south to subway stations in operation.
The bus you want is the Yeoncheon G2001 (Kakao map link: http://kko.to/XjE6-XpfB). It runs south to Dobongsan Station – 도봉산역 every 30 – 60 minutes from 0430 to 2230. That station is on Line 1. Remember, they only allow bikes on weekends and public holidays.
Part 8. Ordering your prize
Once you’ve gotten all of the stamps, you’re eligible to get your prize – a nice pin, a certificate, and maybe some other goodies. I got a nice sports bag and a cup. You use the All That Stamp App to do this. Re-watch the video I made on it. Here's the link again:
>> How to use the All That Stamp App.
I figure if this route becomes super popular, they might have limited supplies of the extra goodies.
Also, the other trails, like the Circumference Trails, do their prizes differently.
And that’s it! Congratulations! I hope you enjoyed this post. And, of course, I hope you enjoy your trip out to the Peace World Bike Path.
Part 9. The Gangwondo Peace World Path
As mentioned, the larger Peace World Path includes a portion that runs across the Gangwon Province all the way to the East Coast. In Korean, it’s known as the 강원도 평화 누리길. The trail passes through through ski country, mountain valleys, and several war memorials and is extremely, extremely isolated until it reaches the East Coast. However, it follows a roadway almost the entire way, so it can be cycled. But full disclosure: I haven't done this yet.
It has the same signage as the Gyeonggi portion of the trail(s). And it uses the same app, All That Stamp, but as far as I can tell, it doesn't offer a prize, just bragging rights.
Getting started. It starts at Icicle Cave - 연고드름 which is where the Gyeonggi trail(s) end. To get to this location, you’ll want to hop on the Seoul Metro and head up to Dobongsan Station – 도봉산역 on Line 1. Just outside the station is the Yeoncheon G2001 Bus which runs north every 30 – 60 minutes from 0430 to 2230 (Kakao map link: http://kko.to/XjE6-XpfB). Get on it. Ride north. And get off at Shintanri Station – 신탄리역, which isn’t a working station. Then, you’ll head 3.7 kilometers north to get to Icicle Cave.
From Icicle Cave, the trail moves east, hits the coast, and goes north until it reaches the Goseong Unification Observatory (Access Area) - 고성 통일 전망대 (출입신고소), where the Gangwondo Peace World Trail and the Gangwondo East Coast Bike Path both end (Kakao Map link: http://kko.to/ZeN_q0Hma).
In case you’ve never been to the access area before, it’s not the actual observatory but a place where people buy tickets and then drive up to the observatory. You can’t walk or ride your bike to the observatory. Cars only. That’s because it goes past a serious military checkpoint.
Going home. To get back home from the access area, you’ll need to head to the Daejin Intercity Bus Terminal - 대진시외버스터미널, which is 4.5km south of the checkpoint (Kakao Map link ;http://kko.to/BrxQMykyR). It’s a super rural place where they hand-write tickets. But it’s just a few minutes from the beach. It’s a small regional bus terminal. From there, you’ll either have to take a bus to the East Seoul Bus Terminal or from another terminal in the Gangwon Province, such as Gangneung.
And that's it! Whoooo! Almost wrote another book!
For more great content, considering ordering one of my cycling books or getting a copy of my giant map, "Korea’s Cycling and Long-Distance Hiking Paths." Click the images to learn more!
