The 72.8 km² waterway created by Daecheong Dam: Walking Section 1 and the Chudong Lakeside at Daejeon’s Daecheong Lake

The inland lake of 72.8㎢ created by the completion of Daecheong Dam on December 2, 1980

Daecheongho is an artificial lake formed when Daecheong Dam was built in the upper reaches of the Geumgang River gorge. Dam construction began in March 1975 and ended in December 1980, and Daecheong Dam was built as a compound dam with a height of 72m and a length of 495m. The reservoir area is 72.8㎢, the total storage capacity is about 1.5 billion㎥, and it is introduced as the third-largest lake in Korea by storage capacity.

Rather than reading this place as a natural lakeshore, its scenery should be understood as a reservoir landscape created by changing water levels and mountainous terrain together. In Daedeok-gu, Daejeon, 15.13㎢ of Daecheong-dong was submerged due to the dam construction, accounting for 23.8% of the district's total area of 63.54㎢. The local culture hall at the Daecheong Dam Water Culture Center covers the lives and culture of residents in the Geumgang basin before the submergence.

12.4km, Section 1 of the Obackgil Trail, starting from the Water Culture Center at 618-136 Daecheong-ro

Rather than trying to circle all of Daecheongho at once, it is more realistic to use the Daecheong Dam Water Culture Center as a reference point. The Daecheongho Obackgil Trail is a long-distance route of about 200km across 21 sections passing through Daejeon, Okcheon, Boeun, and Cheongju, and the Section 1 Dume Village Trail introduced by Daejeon Tourism runs 12.4km from Daecheong Dam Water Culture Center to Dume Village.

The official route guidance for Section 1 is Daecheong Dam Water Culture Center → Sutgogae 2.0km → Observatory Rest Area 0.4km → Mihodongsanseong 0.7km → Emergency Spillway Dam 1.0km → Samjeong Village 1.7km → Minpyeonggi House 0.5km → Deokgogol 1.5km → Galseon-dong Songgang Restaurant 2.6km → Dume Village 2.0km in order. Instead of walking the entire route in one day, it is better for first-time visitors to adjust it to a short walk that goes only as far as the Observatory Rest Area and the area around the emergency spillway.

• Starting point: Daecheong Dam Water Culture Center, 618-136 Daecheong-ro, Daedeok-gu, Daejeon
• Inquiry: 042-930-7332~3
• Section 1 distance: 12.4km
• Entire Obackgil Trail: 21 sections, about 200km

The Daecheong Dam Water Culture Center is temporarily closed until March 2027, so switch to an outdoor route

The Daecheong Dam Water Culture Center normally operates from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00 and admission is free, with regular closing days on Mondays and January 1, Seollal day, and Chuseok day. It has a permanent exhibition hall, special exhibition hall, and video room, and an observatory is located on the second floor.

However, according to K-water's notice, the Water Culture Center has been temporarily closed since June 10, 2025 due to green remodeling work and will remain closed until March 2027. Therefore, if you are visiting in 2026, do not make exhibition viewing a condition of your itinerary; instead, plan around outdoor views along Daecheong-ro and a walk at the entrance to the Obackgil Trail. Even while closed, it remains a useful reference point for finding the starting address and direction of the trail.

• Normal operating hours: Tue-Sun 10:00~17:00
• Normal admission fee: Free
• Normal closing days: Mondays, January 1, Seollal day, Chuseok day
• Current notice: Temporary closure from June 10, 2025 to March 2027

The Chudong route ending at the Nature Ecology Center with hours from 09:00 to 18:00 at 41 Cheonggaedong-ro

If it is raining or you prefer an indoor exhibition over a long walk, it is a good idea to combine a visit with the Daecheongho Nature Ecology Center in Chudong, Dong-gu, Daejeon. The address is 41 Cheonggaedong-ro, Dong-gu, Daejeon, and the outdoor learning area is open Tuesday through Sunday from 09:00 to 18:00, while indoor viewing is available until 17:30. Admission is free.

Regular closing days are Mondays, January 1, and Seollal and Chuseok day. The exhibition focuses on the birth of Daecheongho and ecological/environmental conservation, and includes a digital immersive video hall and media experience space. Rather than simply visiting the lake and leaving, checking how the waterside environment has been managed since the construction of Daecheong Dam will make the background of the scenery clearer.

• Address: 41 Cheonggaedong-ro, Dong-gu, Daejeon
• Operation: Tue-Sun 09:00~18:00
• Indoor viewing closing time: 17:30
• Admission: Free
• Closed: Mondays, January 1, Seollal day, Chuseok day

Choosing a route when accessing the Maseon B District stop and the Meditation Garden without a car

Daecheongho has sites spread widely along the lakeshore, so it is different from a tourist spot you can walk to directly from a subway station. For the Chudong and Meditation Garden area, the official guidance suggests taking bus Nos. 60, 61, or 71-1 and getting off at the Maseon B District stop. After getting off, the walking distance differs depending on the destination, so it is safer to reset the route in a map app to 41 Cheonggaedong-ro or the Meditation Garden address.

Before entering the Meditation Garden, the Maseondong rest area has a parking lot, restrooms, exercise equipment, a drinking fountain, and benches. Car users can use this rest area as a preparation point for a short lakeside walk, while public transit users should check the return bus time first. The roads around the lake have scattered cafes, villages, and viewpoints, so this is not suitable for an itinerary that tries to cover many places in a short time.

• Buses: Nos. 60, 61, 71-1
• Disembarkation stop: Maseon B District
• Facilities before entering the Meditation Garden: parking lot, restrooms, drinking fountain, benches
• Daecheongho Nature Ecology Center area: can be planned together with the Chudong lakeside trail

The 470m waterside deck of Daecheong Park, built from 1998 to 2011, and buses 72 and 73

Daecheong Park near Daecheong Dam is an option where you can stay on relatively flat ground near the meeting point of Daecheongho and the Geumgang River. This park was developed from 1998 to 2011 over an area of 143,386㎡, and there is an approximately 470m waterside deck along the riverbank. The lawn plaza covers 40,500㎡, and the Daecheong Cultural Exhibition Hall is also inside the park.

If the mountain trails of the Obackgil Trail feel burdensome or if you are considering stroller or wheelchair movement, it is appropriate to first check the on-site condition of the deck section. The official guidance for Daecheong Park lists bus Nos. 72 and 73. However, because the Daecheongho area mixes waterside sections, slopes, and unpaved paths, it should not be regarded as a fully barrier-free route.

• Daecheong Park development period: 1998~2011
• Area: 143,386㎡
• Waterside deck: about 470m
• Lawn plaza: 40,500㎡
• Buses: Nos. 72 and 73

Line 517, where a 26.6km cherry blossom road stretches, is better on a weekday morning than during the festival period

In spring, you can also see the row of Yoshino cherry trees along Provincial Road 517, which runs from Sinsang-dong in Dong-gu, Daejeon to Hoenam-myeon in Boeun-gun, Chungbuk. This road was developed in the 1960s and is said to be 26.6km long. The Daecheongho Cherry Blossom Festival began in 2019, and during the festival period, it can take about 2 hours just to make a driving loop around the roads surrounding the lake.

If cherry blossoms are your goal, you should allow plenty of time for departure and return rather than just visiting the festival site and ending the trip. On the other hand, if you want a quiet lakeside walk, it is better to choose one or two places among the Nature Ecology Center, Meditation Garden, and Daecheong Park on a weekday morning rather than on a weekend event day. The lake is vast, and the scenery visible from one point and the difficulty of access at another can differ greatly.