Danyang is my favorite smaller town in South Korea. But maybe I’m biased as a mountain girl. This is a great spot for the lovers of adventure with mountains on every side. This town has been shaped by a larger river which has carved its way through the range. The ride in follows along the river, changing significantly in elevation as the road cuts through the various mountains. You pass through the western section of Woraksan before arriving. It reminds me of a toned down drive through the alps, if everything was less tall and grand.
This is truly a terrific tourist town. If its hiking that drives you – the Black Yak 100 Mountain Challenge’s Sobeaksan (소백산) and Doraksan (도락산) are directly connected by regularly running buses. If you are looking for an easier and beautiful hike Woraksan National Park’s (월악산극립공원) Jebibong (제비옹) is best reached from Danyang.
There are a lot of accommodation options in town! I stayed in the Jungle Guesthouse and booked the single private room. It was cheap and secure in a great location – perfect spot as a solo-traveler option. But there are also a couple nicer places suitable for a family / couple.
Booking.comJump to Hiking Sobaeksan / 소백산
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In the town
Friendly for kids or a date – through a raised platform that has been constructed into the side of the cliff is a unique walk (단양강 잔도) that gives those with a fear of heights a little tingle. It leads you to a cable car which drops you off at an egg shaped structure with a spiral staircase within offering its guests 360 degree views if the area (만천 스카이워크).The ticket booth had a crazy line at about 10-11am so I didn’t end up going to the top, which I regret so I would recommend not going around lunch time. You have to pay for the ticket to get up, but the walk along the river is free but closed at sunset.
If you want to do something more extreme – how about paragliding off the side of a mountain, over the river and town?
If its a getaway weekend with you and your partner – You can grab an ice cream cone from the Danyang Market (단양구경시장) and walk along the river with the bridge and collection of sculptures lite up at night.
A little bit of exploring along the river brings you to the some tourist sites – they are three little islands in the river with a little historic looking platform sitting on the middle, largest island (도담삼봉) and an arch that has been carved by years of erosion.
Danyang’s food speciality is garlic. The market has a dried garlic section as well as a variety of garlic snacks – such as garlic shaped breads.
But my favorite is Garlic Sundae (마늘순대). Sundae is the stuffed sausage dish that looks less appetizing than normal sausage but its very delicious. The garlic version has garlic alongside meat and clear noddles stuffed inside. At a couple different shops within the market and surrounding it you can get Garlic Sundae Soup (마늘순대국밥) which includes other cuts of meat in the white broth or just the Sundae alone. For people who like normal Sundae, I wouldn’t be surprised if they find that the garlic version is a bit tastier, but your breathe will pay for it.
The most famous – based on their tv appearances and the line – is Chungcheongdo Sundae (충청도 순대). But on my two trips to Danyang I’ve had this dish at a number of stops and they roughly taste similar, with the famous spot perhaps a little better. I would also recommend pairing the dish with the local Makgeolli.
The other major garlic combination can also be found in the market, garlic chicken. As the name suggests its just a bunch of takeaway places/restaurants that specialize in fried chicken with garlic cooked along it.
Although there are definitely enough things to see and do within the town. I would highly recommend getting out into the mountains for a bit of hiking. For those who are looking for a short hike I would recommend you check out my article on Jebibong (제비봉), which is a beautiful but easier/shorter hike that can be reached by public transportation with buses running regularly from Danyang. The start of the trail for Jebibong is across the street from a tour boat cruise company that offers rides along the river, looking up at all the cliffs.
For those looking for more of a challenge there are buses to Sobeaksan National Park (소백산국립공원) and Doraksan (도락산). At this time, I have only hiked Sobeaksan. When I head back to Danyang for my third trip it’s my intention to climb Doraksan and then write up my guide.
Hiking Sobeaksan (소백산)
Sobeaksan (1439M) is famous for its windy, field covered long range. The wind is so intense here that its often one of the coldest mountains to be hiking at any given moment.
The course options are varied with multiple starting points, with both disconnected loops as well as long line hikes as options.
I didn’t have a car, so I needed to rely on public transportation. There are buses that connect to Cheondong Park Information Center (천동탐방지원센터) (can be seen on the map above where it says ‘you are here’ ), and the Eouigok Park Information Center (어의곡탐방지원센터). Because of the bus route I opted for a loop course starting at Cheondong and ending at Eouigok.
The course up is listed as Intermediate and its not a particularly difficult course.
The first 2/3 has a road/stone like path that leads up to the to the Cheondong Rest Area (천동쉽터), and then the following 1/3 of the course is equally as difficult but is more natural looking trails. If this is a difficult hike, its only because its a little long. It’s about 7km from Cheondong Info Center to the peak and then another 5km to get to the Eouigok Info Center.
If you follow the same trail as I did, you will find that its a fairly ordinary hike except for the 1km area between the Euouigok Intersection (어의곡 삼거리) the Cheondong Intersection (천동 삼거리), which contains the peak. It’s a peak of rolling hill of tall grass and aggressive wind.
As you can see on the map, there are a wide variety of trail options. If you are wanting a longer hike, you can do the whole ridge hike, which has a long more beautiful views than the simple loop course.
Happy Trekking Everybody!
-Aurora
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