Seoul’s Secret Gardens: Revealing the City’s Best-Kept Natural Escapes
① The Grandeur of Dream Forest
Seoul has parks where you can escape the towering skyscrapers and enjoy the natural scenery. Even if it’s not a famous park, you’ll find plenty of places perfect for leisurely strolling. The Dream Forest is a massive park surrounded by six districts, including Gangbuk and Dobong.
Dream Forest is one of Seoul’s representative parks. It was established on the site of the former Dream Land, covering an area of approximately 1.68 million square feet. It’s the third-largest park in Seoul, following the World Cup Park and the Olympic Park.
Dream Forest is surrounded by Mt. Byeok-o and Mt. Opae, making it incredibly beautiful. In the center of the park, there’s a large pond called Wolyeongji and the Wolgwang Waterfall, Cherry Blossom Road, and Maple Forest. From the 163-foot observation deck, you can see Mt. Bukhan, Mt. Dobong, and Mt. Surak simultaneously. You can visit various places in the park, such as the Bamboo Forest, Wolyeongji, Chilpokji, Cheongundapwon, Changpowon, Culture Plaza, and Dream Forest Art Center.
When spring arrives, Dream Forest becomes a popular spot to enjoy the season. Just walking around the expansive park and admiring the cherry blossoms can make you feel like you’re on vacation.
With so many places to explore, it’s a great place to visit with children.
- Address: 173 Wolgye-ro, Gangbuk-gu, Seoul
② A Park for the Citizens
The Onsu Urban Natural Park is located in Yangcheon-gu and Guro-gu. It was designated a park in 1971. It is a well-preserved area with abundant plant life, and numerous citizens utilize it every year.
Onsu Urban Natural Park has a pond and a deck, making it an excellent place for a walk. In particular, it’s where you can escape the city and enjoy the freshness during the summer. Around the hiking trail are springs, badminton courts, fitness centers, and exercise equipment for citizens to use comfortably.
When spring arrives, beautiful flowers begin to bloom. It’s the perfect time to enjoy the most stunning scenery with the blooming flowers.
- Address: 9-44 Onsu-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul
The Yongma Waterfall Park, located in Myeonmok-dong, Jungnang-gu, is a representative park of Jungnang-gu. This place was originally a quarry. Using the cliffs of Yongma Mountain as aggregate quarries, they created the largest artificial waterfall and park in the East.
The park opened in 1993 as Yongma Dolsan Park but changed its name to Yongma Waterfall Park in 1997.
It has three artificial waterfalls, four swimming pools, a soccer field, a basketball field, a badminton court, and more. A pavilion is also famous for citizens in the summer as a rest area.
Yongma Waterfall boasts a staggering height of 167 feet. In winter, it is used for ice climbing. When you visit Yongma Waterfall Park, you can also hike up Yongma Mountain. Although it’s in the city, it feels like you’ve entered nature.
③ Seoul’s Eco-Friendly Ecological Park
The West Seoul Lake Park in Sinwol-dong, Yangcheon-gu, opened in October 2009. It’s a place that has transformed from a sewage treatment plant into an eco-friendly park. The park, themed around water and regeneration, is being utilized as a resting place for citizens.
Initially, this place started as a Gimpo Water Treatment Plant in 1959. While improving the forest and hiking trails of Neunggol Mountain, which forms the border with Bucheon City, it was reborn as the largest park in the southwest region with a total area of 2.34 million square feet.
West Seoul Park has various themes, including an open grass field, a table for 100 people, a regeneration garden, a culture deck plaza, a Mondrian garden, and a central lake. The scenery of the lake, which is about 204,514 square feet in the middle of the park, is stunning. In the park, there is also a sound fountain that detects the sound of airplanes passing overhead.
The Gildong Ecological Park in Cheonho-dong, Gangdong-gu, is an eco-friendly park created as part of the “Five-Year Plan for Park Greenery Expansion.”The park was established with a total project cost of about $11.1 million. It’s a large park covering an area of about 232,475 square feet.
Gildong Ecological Park is home to numerous organisms. There are 31,846 trees of 64 species and 183,357 wild flowers of 138 species. To protect these organisms’ habitats, Gildong Ecological Park accepts reservations in advance. The number of daily visitors is limited to 200.
Near Gildong Ecological Park are Seungsangsan and Iljasan, where you can fully enjoy the natural scenery.
It’s a park loved by citizens as an excellent place to walk all year round.
- Address: 1291 Cheonho-daero, Gangdong-gu, Seoul
- Operating hours: 09:00 – 16:00, Closed on Mondays
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