Why this ride
From Jeju City it runs 86 km to Jeju City; allow about 1 h 51 of riding. It goes by way of Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3, Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone and back through Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1 and Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 86 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 51
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Jeju Island Coastal Loop
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 21 km this is Jeju Island Coastal Loop, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 21 km
- Named road
- Jeju Island Coastal Loop
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1
Under the northeastern slopes of Jeju there is a hollow world made by fire. Geomunoreum is a small volcanic cone, one of the hundreds that dot the island's flanks, and in the long prehistory of the island it spilled lava that ran downhill in rivers. The surface of each flow cooled and hardened while the molten rock inside kept moving, and when it finally drained away it left long empty tunnels. The Geomunoreum lava tube system, a family of caves including Manjanggul, Gimnyeonggul and others, is among the finest in the world, and it is the core of the Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes World Heritage site, inscribed in 2007.
Read the complete Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1 is where the day begins. Next is Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3.
2. Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3
Geomunoreum is a quiet, forested volcanic cone on the north-east side of Jeju, and the real attraction is underground. Thousands of years ago lava poured from this cone down towards the sea, and as the outside of the flow cooled and hardened, the molten rock inside kept draining out, leaving long tunnels. Together they form the Geomunoreum lava tube system, which is part of the UNESCO listing for Jeju's volcanic island and its lava tubes. Manjanggul, the most famous tube, runs for several kilometres, with only a section open to visitors, and it has a lava column rising several metres from the cave floor, a remarkable sight.
Read the complete Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3 comes up about 20 km into the recorded legs. Next is Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone.
3. Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone
Seongsan Ilchulbong rises from the eastern tip of Jeju like a stone crown that someone dropped into the sea. It is a tuff cone, formed in a single explosive eruption when magma hit shallow water, roughly five thousand years ago, and the crater at the top is a wide, grassy bowl about six hundred metres across, ringed by jagged rocky teeth. The name means sunrise peak, and the Koreans take the idea seriously: on New Year's morning thousands climb the steps to watch the sun come up out of the East Sea.
Read the complete Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 41 km into the recorded legs you reach Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone. Next is back through Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3.
4. back through Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3, late in the day. Next is Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1.
5. Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1 to Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3
Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1 → Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3 is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3 to Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone
Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3 → Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone to back through Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3
Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone → back through Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3 is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3 to Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1
back through Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3 → Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1 is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.