Winter wandering: Cheorwon County's ice trekking festival celebrates 13th edition

Trekkers participate in the Cheorwon Hantan River Ice Trekking Festival in Cheorwon County, Gangwon, which kicked off on Jan. 11. [YONHAP]

 
Amid the bitter January chill, Cheorwon County in Gangwon is celebrating the winter season with its annual Hantangang River Ice Trekking Festival. 
 
Kicking off on Jan. 11, the nine-day festival runs through Jan. 19 and invites thousands of people to brave the subzero temperatures and trek on a frozen river surrounded by volcanic canyons. 
 

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Cheorwon County, located at the tip of the country bordering North Korea, is one of the nation's coldest counties. Its Hantan River is 136 kilometers (84.5 miles) long and flows through Pyonggang, North Korea and South Korea's Gangwon and Gyeonggi provinces.
 

Trekkers participate in the Cheorwon Hantan River Ice Trekking Festival in Cheorwon County, Gangwon, which kicked off on Jan. 11. [YONHAP]

 
Trekkers to the Cheorwon Hantangang River Ice Trekking Festival walk across an 8.5-kilometer-long floating bridge in the middle of the river. Along the course are narrow basalt gorges and towering basalt columnar joints formed from lava that erupted around 500,000 to 100,000 years ago, according to the county. 
 
Other activities at the festival include zip-lining, sledding and rafting. 
 
On Jan. 18, the county is set to hold a running race, also traditionally part of the Ice Trekking Festival. Contestants run a 6.3-kilometer course at the county's Seungil Park wearing body paint.  
 
It limits participants to the first 1,000 people who register on its website, winterrun.co.kr, through Jan. 15. The entry fee is 30,000 won ($20) per person.
 

Cheorwon County, Gangwon [YONHAP]

 
The festival also features large ice sculptures, a playground, various photo zones and a snack zone serving Korean winter street food staples, according to the county. 
 
Now in its 13th edition, the Cheorwon Hantangang River Ice Trekking Festival is one of Korea's staple winter recreational events. Last year, the event saw a total of some 180,000 visitors throughout its nine days and an estimated economic impact of more than 10 billion won, according to the organizers. It is popular among foreigners as well. 
 
"I hope that visitors to the Cheorwon Hantangang River Ice Trekking Festival become one with nature as they walk across snow and ice and make unforgettable winter memories," said Cheorwon County Magistrate Lee Hyun-jong in the county's press release.
 
The Cheorwon Hantangang River Ice Trekking Festival is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The entry fee is 10,000 won for adults and 4,000 won for children aged 12 or under.
 
Cheorwon County is about 2 hours from Seoul by intercity bus and 1.5 hours by car. The festival operates free shuttle buses within Cheorwon County throughout the entire festival period.  
 
In addition to its historically significant geology, the county's nature remains largely untouched by humans and, thus, offers rare scenic landscapes for tourists. The banks along the Hantan River in Cheorwon and Gyeonggi have been designated as a Global Geopark by Unesco in 2020 for their singular topographic environment.  
 
Cheorwon County outlined nine scenic spots to visit in winter. 
 
Goseokjeong Pavilion is a small hut at the top of the Goseok granite rock about 15 meters (49 feet) high. The Goseok is a granite that is said to have formed about 110 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period, before Cheorwon was consumed with lava. It used to be covered with basalt, or volcanic rock formed when lava cools, but emerged to the surface as the water stream of the Hantan River eroded the basalt. 
 

Sambuyeon Falls in Cheorwon County, Gangwon [CHEORWON COUNTY]

Sambuyeon Falls is a 20-meter-high natural waterfall at Mount Myeongseong that flows through a narrow passage amid some 110 million-year-old granite rocks that have reportedly eroded through time. 
 
Jiktang Waterfall is a shallow yet wide waterfall formed as water falls downward from a single flat basalt ledge along the Hantan River. The Hantan River is the only basalt gorge in Korea, built on a lava plateau resulting from a volcanic eruption in Mount Ori, North Korea, around the Paleolithic Age. 
 

Jiktang Waterfall in Cheorwon County, Gangwon [CHEORWON COUNTY]

Maeweoldae Waterfall is located at the top of Mount Bokgye. The water flows down from a 7-meter rocky slope. The location is more popular during summer, where visitors can cool themselves in the pool of water around the waterfall. 
 
Sundam Stream Valley is a body of water that branches from the Hantan River and is popular among rafters. 
 

View of the plains from the Mount Soi in Cheorwon County, Gangwon [CHEORWON COUNTY]

Mount Soi is a small hill measuring 373 meters in altitude. But from the top, it offers a scenic view of the plains collectively dubbed the Cheorwon Lava Site. 
 
Yongyangneup is a marshland of about 99 hectares (244.6 acres) inhabited by migratory birds. It is also rich in vegetation, including a large cluster of wild willow trees and the endangered pink catchfly species. The marshland was off-limits to people for some 60 years because of its proximity to Korea's demilitarized zone (DMZ) dividing North and South Korea. Public entry began in 2016 with the opening of the DMZ Ecological Peace Park in Cheorwon County. 
 
Songdaeso offers a stunning view of the columnar jointing stretching some 30 to 40 meters, formed by volcanic eruptions. The structure can be viewed up close during the annual Cheorwon Hantangang River Ice Trekking Festival. 
 
Hak Reservoir is an artificial pool created in 1921 during the Japanese colonial period (1910-1945) and used for agricultural purposes after Korea's liberation. Today, the site is famous for its view of the sunset. 
 

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]