Why this ride
A 148 km round trip from Seogwipo - roughly 3 h 02 in the saddle. On the way it passes Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1, Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3 and back through Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Hallasan Natural Reserve and Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 148 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 02
- 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 49 km this is Jeju Island Coastal Loop, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 49 km
- Named road
- Jeju Island Coastal Loop
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Hallasan Natural Reserve
Hallasan rises from the middle of Jeju like a shield laid face-up on the sea. At 1,947 metres it is the highest mountain in South Korea, a massive shield volcano with a crater lake at the top, called Baengnokdam, and a ring of smaller cones on its flanks, perhaps three hundred in all, which the islanders call oreum. The upper slopes were declared a nature reserve and are part of the World Heritage listing of the island's volcanoes and lava tubes. Camellias, Korean fir, azaleas and a great variety of mosses grow in layers by altitude, and in winter the summit is under snow, a surprise on an island with palm trees at its coast.
Read the complete Hallasan Natural Reserve write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Hallasan Natural Reserve is where the day begins. Next is Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1.
2. 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 comes up about 49 km into the recorded legs. Next is Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3.
3. 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
about 72 km into the recorded legs you reach Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3. Next is back through Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1.
4. back through 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 through Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1, late in the day. Next is Hallasan Natural Reserve.
5. Hallasan Natural Reserve
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Hallasan Natural Reserve write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Hallasan Natural Reserve. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Hallasan Natural Reserve to Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1
Hallasan Natural Reserve → Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1 is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1 to Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3
Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1 → Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3 is 23 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3 to back through Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1
Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 3 → back through Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1 is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1 to Hallasan Natural Reserve
back through Geomunoreum Lava Tube System - 1 → Hallasan Natural Reserve is 51 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.