Why Hike This Section

Section 3 of the Seoul Dulle Gil includes both a super-modern drone park and an ancient neolithic village. As more and more cities are clamping down on the use of drones, Seoul has allocated space for drone enthusiasts to safely enjoy their toys. Amateur aviators fly unmanned aircrafts of all sizes up and down the Han River in Gwangnaru Hangang Park. These drones make our little photography drone seem silly!

Next, stage 3 jumps back in time to Amsa-dong Prehistoric Village. Nerd alert: I’m a huge archaeology fan, so this neolithic age excavation site was a thrill for me. The site was discovered after a flood in 1925 uncovered earthenware pots dating back 6,000 years. It took 40 more years for the site to be professionally excavated in 1967. There is a small entrance fee of 500 won (about 50 cents) to enter the park, where you can explore nine restored huts that illustrate what life was like for Han families living in 5000 B.C.E. There is also an indoor museum with artifacts and information about the excavation.

The remainder of this section is mostly urban walking, with a short section that heads up Godeoksan, a small mountain with a pop-up pub in the park. We stopped in at the roughly-built shelter, which was warm and cozy inside. A handful of day-drunk people were playing cards. We ordered a cup of hot soup to warm our bellies and then pressed onward. At the bottom of the little mountain, we passed a house with three cute puppies! I was hoping they would follow us home, but the owner promptly called them back. The section through Bangidong ecological park and Seongnaecheon stream is very pretty, with lots of birds. Section 3 ends in the beautiful tall, swaying grasses of Tancheon Stream.

Level of Difficulty and Type of Terrain

Most of stage 3 is flat, traversing rivers and streams. There is just one little bump up / down a small mountain. Section 3 is extremely EASY.

Miles and Hours

The total course for Section 3 is about 16 miles (26 km) and can be completed in 5 to 6 hours, depending on your pace. This could easily be a nice city run, as well.