Level: Intermediate Navigating: Intermediate Distance (Downtown/Camp Henry): about 40km roundtrip
Ready to get some local biker cred? Still wondering now how in the heck do I get to Cheongdo?
The answer is this beauty of a climb: Paljoryeong---your pal in getting to Cheongdo or just catching a view into the beyond. You can feel like you're part of history as Paljoryeong is a pass that dates back to the Joseon Dynasty days (1392–1910) that connected Busan to Seoul. Now people can drive through the tunnel so it's now a biker favorite.
What's cool about this hill is that it looks like it would be an intense climb from the photographs it affords but it inclines so gracefully you'd begin to over-estimate yourself thinking you are ready for the Tour de France.
Coming up to the Paljoryeong Persimmon Rest Stop at the top and taking a rest and then heading back down the ski-like slope (toward Daegu) is enough to call it a day and will put you at about 40 km and some change getting back to Daegu Downtown/Camp Henry area. Even if you feel called by the downward hill toward Cheongdo you can venture down a bit and come back up mid way.
I'm not your mama or nothing but always be careful ascending and descending these climbs. These are car roads and cars drive on them.
If it calls to you, and you're standing there looking down, feeling like Cycling Moana...
You can head into Cheongdo and visit the Lotus Lake (Myeongdeokji Resevoir) at the bottom of the hill (this doesn't qualify as a mountain--it was only a hill don't think you've been out there conquering mountains. The pass is 400 metres (1,300 ft) above sea level.)
Cheongdo is bike friendly. The left hand side from Paljeryeong will offer a bike path that runs through the town. On Naver Map, you'll see it as a red dotted line and also a solid red line. From here you can go through town and bike into downtown Cheongdo, do the Tour de Cheongdo-Daegu (talking about 75km or so roundtrip) and head right and back up to Hultijae, or do the Tour de Gachang-Cheongdo-Gyeongsan. World is your oyster--you can tell me about it.
Now, about getting to Paljoryeong
It's pretty much a straight shot through Gachang. You'll need to get through the main street of Gachang and then past restaurant alley. You can find your own way through but use the Gachang bike path as your guide. You'll need to get to the end of it and cross through a tunnel/underpass before the path terminates.
Going through the tunnel/underpass tunnel, you'll end up on the other side of the road and remember that you're going South, so you'll need to go left. You will need to get on the big road that is a little bit busy here and be pretty much total roadie level up at this point. But nothing scares you anyway, so who cares?
Before the Cheongdo Tunnel---don't go through there---you'll see a left protected light. Yes, I'm talking about a traffic signal. Yes, everybody does this. After your protected left light you'll be back on the quiet mountain road, follow it along and up you go to Paljoryeong.
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