TRAVEL: Seeking solace in cold valleys of Mount Geumsu

제천 금수산 — A valley in Mount Geumsu/ AJP Cho Bo-hee

JECHEON, August 05 (AJP) - In the thick of a Korean summer, when the humidity clings to your skin and the sun bakes the city streets, the idea of hiking a mountain may seem more ordeal than escape.

But in the highlands of the Korean Peninsula, nature offers a surprising reprieve.

At Mount Geumsu, which straddles the regions of Danyang and Jecheon in North Chungcheong Province, chilled streams and shaded trails provide relief even in the hottest months.

Rising to 1,016 meters and nestled within Woraksan National Park, Mount Geumsu is one of the few places where a midsummer trek ends not in exhaustion, but exhilaration.

What makes this mountain especially unique is the phenomenon known as "eoreumgol" — literally “Ice Valley.” Here, even during August’s peak heat, icy air seeps from deep rock crevices, cooling the surrounding area and forming frost under the right conditions. The crevices are wide enough for two or three people to sit inside, and the cold draft is so strong it seems to breathe new life into tired limbs.

금수산 얼음골 — The entrance to "Ice Valley" in Mount Geumsu/ AJP Cho Bo-hee

Only a handful of such valleys exist across the country, found in places like Mount Palgong in Gunwi and Mount Juwang in Cheongsong. But Mount Geumsu's eoreumgol, combined with the mountain’s dense pine forests and mineral springs, makes it a rare refuge — a natural air-conditioner built into the landscape.

For weary hikers, the moment of dipping sun-warmed hands into the icy waters of a mountain stream is a kind of instant therapy. The stream winds through mossy rocks beneath the forest canopy, its glass-clear water offering moments of quiet reflection and pure sensory pleasure.

The reward for reaching the summit is a sweeping view of the Namhangang River and the sprawling lakes formed by the Chungju Dam — known as Chungju Lake in Chungju and Cheongpung Lake in Jecheon.

On clear days, the glinting expanse of water, framed by green peaks, feels worlds away from the thick summer air below.

In a season when many seek comfort in air-conditioned rooms and beach crowds, Mount Geumsu offers something quieter, cooler, and altogether more rejuvenating — proof that, sometimes, the best way to beat the heat is to climb toward it.

밀양얼음골 — Eoreumgol in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province/ Yonhap

청풍호 유람선 — A sightseeing boat on Cheongpung Lake/ AJP Cho Bo-hee

Cho Bo-hee jobo@ajupress.com