Korea Cross-Country Cycling Trip 00 (3) - Stations, Planning, & Tips
- Jinwook Chang
- 4 days ago
- 7 min read
This is the final preparation trip guide. Good luck on your journey! You got this! Just some final heads up before you embark on another adventure!
Explore the detailed stations to visit to get your cycling passports stamped to officially complete the journey. Here, I will also let you know which stations are fine to skip if you are only aiming to receive the 633 km cross-country cycling certificate.
You may read the distances between each station below:
Ara West Sea Lock (정서진) - 21 km
Ara Hangang Lock (아라한강갑문) - 13.3 km
Yeouido (여의도) - ~20 km
First tough hill (IU Hill)
Gwangnaru Bicycle Park (광나루 자전거공원) - 23 km
Neungnae Station (능내역) - 23.8 km
Yangpyeong Bicycle Path Rest Area (양평 자전거쉼터) - 14.7 km
Ipobo (이포보) - 13.1 km
Yeojubo (여주보) - 10.4 km
Gangcheonbo (강천보) - 30.7 km
Binaesum (비내섬) - 25.2 km
Chungju Tangeumdae (충주 탄금대) - 28.2 km
Pretty boring ride. Nothing special. Road after road after road.
Suanbo Oncheon (수안보 온천) - 17.9 km
Some more hills
Ihwaryeong Rest Area (이화령 쉼터) - 22.5 km
The highlight of the entire course. The Ihwaryeong hill is known as the toughest hill in the entire trip. I personally thought the Bakjin hill, which comes later, is harder since I could still go up the hill via biking for the Ihwaryeong hill.
Mungyeong Buljeong Station (문경 불정역) - 30.9 km
Sangju Sangpunggyo (상주 상풍교) - 11 km
Sangjubo (상주보) - 17 km
Nakdanbo (낙단보) - 19 km
Gumibo (구미보) - 35 km
Chilgokbo (칠곡보) - 36 km
Gangjeonggoryeongbo (강정보) - 23 km
Dalseongbo (달성보) - 38 km
Hapcheonchangnyeongbo (합천창녕보) - 55 km
Yangsan Water Culture Center (양산물문화관) - 55 km
Nakdonggang Estuary Bank (낙동강 하굿둑) - 35 km – Final checkpoint in Busan
You are able to skip Ttukseom Observatory & Culture Complex, Chungju Dam, Andongdam certification centers.
I am attaching the list of in-person certification centers & hours again in case you need help during your trips. Moreover, make sure to arrive at the Nakdonggang Estuary Bank before 5:30 pm, or 5:00 pm to be safe, to receive your certifications. Also, make sure that the center is closed on Monday, so if you are expected to arrive on a Monday, then expect to stay another day in Busan.
I have attached the model schedule for all 4-day, 5-day, and 6-day trips below. Please see the distances you are expected to cycle each day to see which one may be the right decision for you. I personally suggest if you have some cycling experience but are not confident, go with the 5-day trip; if you have some cycling experience but are confident, challenge yourself with the 4-day trip.
By the way, what I mean by "some cycling experience" is being able to cycle 40 km casually (low effort, no muscle pain, etc.), while having experience of 100 km+ distance before. If you don't have cycling experience, just stick with the 6-day trip. As a cycling enthusiast myself, I've been on multiple 100 km+ trips, and I thought the 5-day trip was not difficult at all.
1) 3 Nights and 4 Days:
The total distance of the Korea Cross-Country Cycling route is 633 km. That means you’ll need to ride about 158.25 km per day on average. Let’s round that up to 160 km per day.
Cycling speed varies by person, but for a road bike, the average speed is around 20–30 km/h. Assuming an average of 25 km/h, you’ll need to ride for about 6 hours and 25 minutes per day on a road bike.
For a mini-velo (small-wheel bike), which usually travels at 10–20 km/h, assuming an average of 15 km/h, you’ll be riding for about 10 hours and 40 minutes per day.
Of course, you won’t be riding exactly 160 km every day. The actual daily distance will vary depending on your chosen route, locations of certification centers, terrain, accommodations, and factors like wind or weather.
🚴♂️ Day 1 (~140 km)
Cheongna Int’l City → Ara West Sea Lock (3 km, 15 min)
Ara West Sea Lock → Hangang Ara Lock (20 km, 50 min)
Hangang Ara Lock → Yeouido (16 km, 40 min)
Yeouido → Gwangnaru Cert. Center (20 km, 50 min)▸ Convenience store & restaurants slightly off path
Gwangnaru → Neungnae Station (22 km, 55 min)▸ Beautiful foliage around station
Neungnae → Yangpyeong Art Museum (23 km, 55 min)▸ Slight uphill section
Yangpyeong Art Museum → Ipo Weir (15 km, 40 min)▸ Birch grove nearby
Ipo Weir → Yeoju Weir (14 km, 35 min)▸ Great photo spot
Yeoju Weir → Yeoju City Hall (3 km, 15 min)▸ Overnight stay
🚴♂️ Day 2 (~140 km)
Yeoju City Hall → Gangcheonbo Weir (6 km, 15 min)
Gangcheonbo → Binaeseom (28 km, 1 hr 10 min)▸ Scenic riverside area, some rest areas
Binaeseom → Chungju Tangeumdae (36 km, 1 hr 25 min)▸ Park nearby for lunch
Tangeumdae → Suanbo Hot Springs (28 km, 1 hr 10 min)▸ Certification center may be closed
Suanbo → Ihwaryeong (19 km, 1 hr 20 min)▸ Steep climb, careful descent
Ihwaryeong → Mungyeong Buljeong Station (22 km, 50 min)▸ Nice photos!
Buljeong Station → Sangju Sangpunggyo (31 km, 1 hr 15 min)▸ Lodging nearby (guesthouse)
🚴♂️ Day 3 (~170 km)
Guesthouse → Sangjubobo Weir (10 km, 40 min)▸ Slight incline, great views
Sangjubobo → Nakdanbo Weir (17 km, 50 min)▸ Many restaurants around
Nakdanbo → Gumi Weir (20 km, 50 min)
Gumi Weir → Chilgok Weir (35 km, 2 hr)▸ Lunch stop, food & convenience stores nearby
Chilgok → Gangjeong-Goryeong Weir (36 km, 1 hr 20 min)▸ Rest stop
Gangjeong → Dalseong Weir (22 km, 50 min)▸ Scenic bridge nearby
Dalseong → Hapcheon-Changnyeongbo (38 km, 2 hr 5 min)▸ Slight uphill; beautiful countryside
Changnyeongbo → Jeokpo Village (12 km, 30 min)▸ Overnight stay
🚴♂️ Day 4 (~133 km)
Jeokpo Village → Changnyeong-Haman Weir (28 km, 2 hr 30 min)▸ Amazing scenery and photo ops
Changnyeong-Haman → Susan Market (20 km, 50 min)▸ Lunch & rest
Susan Market → Yangsan Water Culture Center (30 km, 1 hr 20 min)▸ Last food stop before final sprint
Yangsan → Nakdong Estuary Certification Center (Busan) (35 km, 2 hr 20 min)▸ 🎉 You made it to Busan!
2) 4 Nights and 5 Days:
Let’s assume you’re planning to complete the trip in 4 nights and 5 days.
The total distance of the Korea Cross-Country Cycling route is 633 km. That means you’ll need to ride about 126.6 km per day on average. Let’s round that up to 130 km per day.
Cycling speed varies by person, but for a road bike, the average speed is around 20–30 km/h. Assuming an average of 25 km/h, you’ll need to ride for about 5 hours and 10 minutes per day on a road bike.
For a mini-velo (small wheel bike), the average speed is about 10–20 km/h. Assuming an average of 15 km/h, you’ll need to ride for about 8 hours and 50 minutes per day on a mini-velo.
Of course, you won’t be riding exactly 130 km every single day. The actual daily distance will vary depending on the route, certification center locations, accommodation, weather, and other variables.
Recommended Trip Schedule:
Day 1
Route: Ara West Sea Lock (Incheon) → Yangpyeong Art Museum Certification Center
Total Distance: 106.3 km
Route Details: Ara West Sea Lock → Ara Hangang Lock → Yeouido → Ttukseom Observatory Complex → Gwangnaru Bike Park → Neungnae Station → Yangpyeong Art Museum
Accommodation: Motel near the destination
Day 2
Route: Yangpyeong Art Museum → Ihwaryeong Rest Area Certification Center
Total Distance: 136.8 km
Route Details: Yangpyeong Art Museum → Ipobo → Yeojubo → Gangcheonbo → Binaesum → Chungju Tangeumdae → Suanbo Oncheon → Ihwaryeong Rest Area
Accommodation: Motel in Mungyeong Oncheon area
Day 3
Route: Ihwaryeong Rest Area → Chilgokbo Certification Center
Total Distance: 132.4 km
Route Details: Mungyeong Buljeong Station → Sangju Sangpunggyo → Sangjubo → Nakdanbo → Gumibo → Chilgokbo
Accommodation: Motel near Waegwan Market
Day 4
Route: Chilgokbo → Changnyeong Hamanbo Certification Center
Total Distance: 132.4 km
Route Details: Chilgokbo → Gangjeong Goryeongbo → Dalseongbo → Hapcheon Changnyeongbo → Changnyeong Hamanbo
Accommodation: Motel in Haman, Miryang
Day 5
Route: Changnyeong Hamanbo → Nakdonggang Estuary Bank Certification Center
Total Distance: 82.7 km
Route Details: Changnyeong Hamanbo → Yangsan Water Culture Center → Nakdonggang Estuary Bank
2) 5 Nights and 6 Days
Let’s consider the plan based on 5 nights and 6 days.
Over 6 days, you would need to ride 105.6 km per day. Rounding, that’s about 106 km daily.
For a road bike (average speed 25 km/h), that’s around 4 hours and 10 minutes of riding per day.
For a mini velo (average speed 15 km/h), it would be about 7 hours of riding per day.
Of course, this can vary depending on conditions—the distance you ride each day may increase or decrease based on the route, weather, and other variables.
Day 1
Start: Ara West Sea Lock, Incheon
Finish: Yangpyeong County Art Museum
Distance: 106.3 km
Route: Ara West Sea Lock → Ara Hangang Lock → Yeouido → Ttukseom Hangang Park Complex → Gwangnaru Bicycle Park → Neungnae Station → Yangpyeong County Art Museum
Day 2
Start: Yangpyeong County Art Museum
Finish: Suanbo Hot Springs
Distance: 119.3 km
Route: Yangpyeong County Art Museum → Ipo Weir → Yeoju Weir → Gangcheon Weir → Binaeseom Island → Chungju Tangeumdae → Suanbo Hot Springs
Day 3
Start: Suanbo Hot Springs
Finish: Nakdan Weir
Distance: 98.8 km
Route: Suanbo Hot Springs → Ihwaryeong Rest Area → Mungyeong Buljeong Station → Sangju Sangpunggyo → Sangju Weir → Nakdan Weir
Day 4
Start: Nakdan Weir
Finish: Gangjeong Goryeong Weir
Distance: 77.8 km
Route: Nakdan Weir → Gumi Weir → Chilgok Weir → Gangjeong Goryeong Weir
Day 5
Start: Gangjeong Goryeong Weir
Finish: Changnyeong Haman Weir
Distance: 110 km
Route: Gangjeong Goryeong Weir → Dalseong Weir → Hapcheon Changnyeong Weir → Changnyeong Haman Weir
Day 6
Start: Changnyeong Haman Weir
Finish: Nakdong River Estuary Barrage (Final Certification Point)
Distance: 82.7 km
Route: Changnyeong Haman Weir → Yangsan Water Culture Center → Nakdong River Estuary Barrage (하굿둑)
Now, good luck on your new journey! You got this!
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