[Joyongjun's Travel Journey] Winter Kingdom with Frost Flowers Blooming... As If Elsa's Song Can Be Heard

Chuncheon Hoban-gil Drive Journey - Water Mist, Frost, and Winter Lake Spectacle

The mist and frost flowers bloom on the Soyang River, creating a spectacular view.

When the sunlight shines, the river glows entirely with a reddish hue.

Morning Scenery of Hoban

Soyanggang

Eagles are flying while hunting for prey.

Sunlight is shining through the frost flowers.

Frozen Riverside

[Asia Economy, Yongjun Cho, Travel Specialist] The mist rising above the water surface gathers and ripples, unveiling a new world. Faint old memories come and go like gentle waves. When the sun shines on the lake, where not even a breeze can be felt despite the harsh winter, the white canvas becomes a painting splattered with yellow and red colors. The silent transformation of the lake’s winter morning continues until the sunlight touches the mountain ridges. At some moment, waterfowl breaking the surface create waves, and aquatic plants and reeds wrapped in ice flowers cry out sharply. The first travel destination of the Year of the Ox (辛丑年) is Chuncheon, the city by the lake. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing continues. The pause goes on. Therefore, contactless (untact) travel is resumed. This is why Chuncheon was chosen as the travel destination. You can enjoy a New Year’s drive along the lakeside and riverside paths without contact with others. Breathing in the crisp morning air while driving, you may encounter mist covering the water surface and frost flowers (sanggodae). Even if you don’t meet the mist, it is enough to enjoy the midwinter atmosphere contactlessly. Driving trips are free travel in the COVID era. Wherever you like, you can stop your car, relax your body and mind, and take a break. You can go for a day trip or stay overnight. Sitting in your car in a quiet place and endlessly gazing at the riverside scenery is also delightful.

The local road from Uiam Dam to Chuncheon Dam is a lakeside road with beautiful scenery and plenty to see, even without the mist. After passing Gangchon, you see the sign for Hwacheon near Uiam Bridge and turn off, passing under the bridge to reach Uiam Dam. From here, a 20 km drive course continues straight along the lakeshore.

The waterway winding around the mountain slopes beside the vast lake, as wide as the sea, makes the drive enjoyable. You continue along the riverside road, gazing at the blue water of Uiam Lake and the distant Chuncheon city beyond the lake.

Early morning at Uiam Lake is a world of white snow. The frost flower, sanggodae, considered the finest snow flower, covers the lake. The lake filled with mist wrapped in frost flowers is a fairyland itself. Worried that the dreamlike scenery might vanish at the sound of footsteps, I carefully approached the lakeshore, soothing my steps enchanted by the frost flowers.

If the mist in spring and autumn is a thick curtain, the winter mist is a gently fluttering silk. Ducks swim in groups through the mist rising here and there. Aquatic plants wear frost flowers delicately, and round ice crystals sparkle like crystals where the water meets the shore.

The mirror-like lake ripples only briefly with the takeoff and landing of birds. It is the only vibration that awakens the calm Uiam Lake. Without even this, the lake might have frozen, trapping the birds’ ankles.

Driving along the lakeside road in the morning from Uiam Dam toward Chuncheon Dam, and in the afternoon in the opposite direction, you can meet the winter lake shining even more dazzlingly under backlight.

Along this road are the Hyeonam Folk Museum, where you can explore traditional Korean life culture from ancient pottery to traditional farming tools; the Animation Museum, where you can see and experience everything about animation culture; and the Chuncheon Puppet Theater.

Continuing straight after Chuncheon Dam, the road follows the Chuncheon lakeside to Hwacheon Dam in Hwacheon, and further beyond, passing Haesan Tunnel, reaches the Peace Dam. Crossing Chuncheon Dam and following the water flow leads into downtown Chuncheon.

Nearby tourist attractions include the Soyanggang Skywalk. Along with Soyang 2 Bridge and the Soyanggang Maiden Statue, it is one of Chuncheon’s top tourist spots. The skywalk is 174 meters long, with 156 meters of transparent glass sections. Walking over the water while feeling the river breeze is thrilling. If timed with sunset, you can fully enjoy the beauty of the Soyang River at dusk.

On the way back, Jade Garden located on Haetgol-gil in Namsan-myeon offers exotic scenery starting from the visitor center with its blue sky and vermilion roof. In the arboretum covering about 160,000 square meters with 24 themed areas, over 3,900 species of life grow.

Chuncheon = Text and photos by Yongjun Cho, Travel Specialist jun21@

◇ Travel Notes

△ Getting there = From Seoul, take National Road No. 46 passing Cheongpyeong, Gapyeong, and Gangchon. Without crossing Uiam Bridge, go straight toward Hwacheon to enter the lakeside road. The best place to see Chuncheon’s frost flowers (sanggodae), visible only from January to early February, is across the lakeside road at the Soyang River. Especially near Soyang 3 Bridge and 5 Bridge, photographers with cameras appear early in the morning.

△ Food = Chuncheon’s specialties, Dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken) and Makguksu (buckwheat noodles), are must-tries. There are many famous Dakgalbi restaurants around Chuncheon Myeongdong, and the taste is similar wherever you go. The countryside Makguksu in Yulmun-ri north of Soyang 5 Bridge uses dongchimi (radish water kimchi) broth instead of meat broth, offering a refreshing taste.

△ Experience = There is a water trail where you can canoe around Uiam Lake. At Songam Leisure Town, you can make canoes and models, and enjoy canoeing.