Danyang may be the destination for people looking for some thrills via paragliding, but for those who are looking for good scenery, this area still has a lot to offer. I already talked about Gosu Cave in my previous post. There are other spots to check out and, possibly, the most popular are the Dodamsambong Peaks. And since it is really close to the Stone Gate, you can hit two birds with one stone.
After our jaunt in Gosu Cave, we followed the road signs (yes, no Google Maps because using it didn’t occur to us) and walked. Then walked until we crossed a long bridge and found ourselves back at the bus terminal. As suggested by ParaMan Cho (whom I will talk about in a later post), we chose one of the restaurants across the bus terminal, had a hearty lunch, then got on one of the waiting taxis and asked the driver to take us to Dodamsambong.
Yeah, unfortunately, there’s no subway or train system in Danyang, so we had to go there using a taxi.
He dropped us off at the entrance leading to Dodamsambong, with this illustrative map showing the area, with focus on Namhangang, or Namhan River.
And look! A photo spot for when the show 2 Days 1 Night made Dodamsambong as one of their stops. If I’m not mistaken, this was during the first season of the show, with the original cast.
Dodamsambong, the “Three-Peak Island”
The Dodamsambong Peaks refer to three stone peaks rising out in the middle of Namhangang. It’s referred to as an “island” because the stone peaks are large enough, with the middle stone even having a pavilion on it, where people can actually step on and maybe rest in for a while.
Sadly, we got there on a sunny and scorching hot day, but the couple of days before were rainy, meaning the silt of the river was disturbed, resulting in a brown hue of the water. Plus, the water level was also higher than usual, which probably explains why there are no people riding up on boats toward the rocks.
There are three stones or rocks rising out of the water, and they are said to represent an angry wife turning away from her husband after discovering that he has taken a mistress/concubine to produce a male heir (because she is unable to do so).
Ergo, the biggest rock on the middle is the Janggunbong or Husband Rock, and it is around 20 feet tall. The one on the right, as if turning away, is the Cheobong or Wife Rock. The one on the left, seemingly in a coquettish pose, is Cheopbong, or the Mistress Rock.
From here you can see the pavilion on the Husband Rock. I heard there are boats that you can hire to get up to that pavilion, but notice how the water level was almost to the pavilion itself. Perhaps that’s why we saw no boats going there.
I presume the stone steps lead to a dock where you can get on the boat, but the water actually reached the first few steps.
The Stone Gate of Danyang
If you take a walk further along, you’d see a sign pointing toward the Stone Gate. Without being aware of a Stone Gate worth checking out, we decided to follow that direction. After all, there was still a lot of time before we got on the bus back to Seoul.
We found ourselves at the foot of this set of steel steps. We had no idea what we’re in for, but we saw the sign indicating it’s only 200 meters away to the Stone Gate of Danyang.
So we started going up.
We were mindful of the distance, but we were surprised at how steep it was, haha! At some points, the steel steps also narrowed so much it can accommodate only one person. People with extreme cases of vertigo might have difficulty going back down.
And yes, the only way down is the way you went up on.
Once you are past the steel steps, wooden steps follow but they are less steep. And you will also pass by a wide pavilion where you can rest and catch your breath from the climb. There were already a number of people on the pavilion when we arrived, so we opted not to stop.
The view from the pavilion is quite encompassing, though, since you see the mountain ranges, the road and tunnel we passed on earlier, Dodamsambong Peaks, and Namhangang.
Apparently, the area surrounding Dodamsambong turns into a musical fountain, all lit up in the evening. What a sight it must be from up here!
Seongmun is the local name and direct translation of “Stone Gate”. From the pavilion, the trail becomes a mix of packed dirt, muddy and slippery in some parts because of the rain. In some areas, it is written and pronounced as Seokmun.
The Stone Gate of Danyang is the second of Danyang’s Eight Scenic Beauties, by the way. On this trip, we were able to check out only two of the 8: Dodamsambong and Seongmun. Maybe I’d need a day more in Danyang to explore the other 6; the paragliding took up most of our morning, you see.
The Stone Gate is not any sort of man-made gate. It is actually a stone arch in the shape of a crude rainbow. A wooden platform with iron rails was set up as a view deck so you can look at the Stone Gate, and get a view of Namhangang flowing by on the other side.
On the left side of the gate, presumably visible from the other side of the river, is a small cave called Okdap, or Stone Field. Folklore has it that an old enchantress from heaven once came to earth and accidentally dropped her hairpin near the Stone Gate. While looking for the hairpin, she fell in love with the beauty of the place, and so decided to leave her heavenly abode and lived as an ordinary peasant, cultivating the area around Seongmun, and making Okdap her home.
A~ah, these folk tales are always so fascinating, and add more character to the place, even if I found out about the tales long after I’ve already left.
These side trips in Danyang weren’t planned, because we thought our paragliding activity would take us a very long time. However, we got to Danyang quite early, so we got to finish early, too, and since we had more time to kill, we just decided to wing it and see what we could while we were there.
I’m so glad we did. Planned itineraries are good and safe and all, but the pleasant surprises you get from unplanned trips are also very rewarding and highly satisfying.
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