Gimsatgat Valley

This is a nearby valley that became famous because the tomb of Gimsatgat (Kim Sat-gat) is located here. Relics related to Gimsatgat are scattered across the southern part of Gangwon-do and the border area of Chungcheongbuk-do. Across the Namdaecheon Stream, in Seonraegol (Seonrak-dong), Eodun-ri, Hadong-myeon, Yeongwol-gun to the north, there is the site of his house, and nearby in Norumok, Waseok-ri, there is his grave. Across the stream, at the border of Yeongchun-myeon, Danyang-gun, a memorial monument has been erected. Recently, with growing literary and historical interest in Gimsatgat, the number of hikers and field trip travelers visiting this area has increased, leading to the development of a hiking trail connecting Daeya-ri - nearby Maedae Mountain (elevation 1,052m, a mountain forming the border of Gangwon-do, Chungcheongbuk-do, and Gyeongsangbuk-do) - the site of Gimsatgat's birthplace - and the Gimsatgat grave area. Gombong (a peak shaped like a bear) is also being visited more frequently. Waseok-ri is a small remote village with about ten households, preserving the atmosphere of old rural life. The Gimsatgat Valley boasts scenery so outstanding that Gimsatgat himself called it 'Mureunggye' during his lifetime. Although not designated as a tourist site, it remains unpolluted and well-preserved, priding itself as a clean zone. The white-bellied black woodpecker in the nearby Nae-ri Valley, the woodpeckers along the path to Beopheungsa Temple's Jeokbyeolbogung, and the otters, eagle owls, common mergansers, golden eagles, little owls, brown hawk-owls, kestrels, and flocks of ducks living where the Donggang and Seogang Rivers flow around rocky cliffs all prove that this area is a living ecological museum. Yeongwol-gun implements a rotational rest year system for this valley and nearby valleys such as Nae-ri Valley, so you should check before departing.