A Quiet Dawn in the Mountains: Discovering the Arboretum of Morning Calm

[mediK / HEALTH IN NEWS] Just an hour north of Seoul, tucked beneath the gentle slopes of Chukryeongsan Mountain in Gapyeong-gun (가평군), Gyeonggi-do Province, lies the Arboretum of Morning Calm (Achim Goyo Sumokwon, 아침고요수목원). Since opening its gates in 1996, this sprawling garden has grown into one of the capital region’s most cherished escapes—a place whose very name evokes the stillness of dawn and delivers it in full.

Four Distinct Seasons, Four Different Gardens

Few botanical destinations in Korea change as dramatically with the calendar as this one. Spring arrives in waves of cherry blossoms, azaleas, and forsythia that paint the valleys soft pink. Summer is lush and almost tropical, with hydrangeas and irises blooming beneath dense green canopies. Autumn ignites the hillsides in fiery maples and hosts the annual chrysanthemum festival, while winter transforms the grounds into a wonderland of light for the celebrated Lighting Festival, when tens of thousands of bulbs turn snowy paths into rivers of color. Visit in April and again in October, and you’ll swear you’ve stepped into two entirely different places.

More Than a Collection of Plants—An Anthology of Gardens

What sets the Arboretum apart is its storytelling. More than twenty themed gardens unfold like chapters in a quiet novel. The Sunken Garden, shaped like the Korean Peninsula, carries a subtle wish for reunification. Curving paths, asymmetrical stonework, and borrowed scenery borrow from centuries of Korean garden tradition yet feel strikingly contemporary. Walking here rarely feels like touring a collection of specimens; instead, you’re wandering through living landscapes, each turn revealing a new vignette framed by mountains or water.

Panoramic view of the Arboretum of Morning Calm(아침고요수목원)(Image courtesy of Visit Korea)

A Day Trip That Feels Like a Getaway

From central Seoul, the drive rarely exceeds ninety minutes—close enough for a half-day escape, far enough to leave the city’s pulse behind. Families, couples, and solo travelers all find their rhythm here, whether strolling hand-in-hand along lakeside pavilions or simply sitting on a bench, letting the quiet settle in.

A Photographer’s Quiet Paradise

Photographers have long claimed the Arboretum as their own. Traditional pavilions reflected in still ponds, maple leaves mirrored on water, and—come winter—evening light tunnels glowing against the snow are almost foolproof backdrops. Arrive shortly after opening for soft morning light or linger until the golden hour before closing; either way, the grounds seem designed for memory cards.

When to Go

Spring: flower-strewn paths and panoramic lookouts
Summer: hydrangea hills and shaded forest trails
Autumn: chrysanthemum displays and blazing foliage
Winter: the nighttime Lighting Festival (check the official website for extended evening hours)

A morning or afternoon here rarely feels rushed, and almost never feels ordinary. In a country that moves at remarkable speed, the Arboretum of Morning Calm remains one of those rare places that politely, beautifully, asks you to slow down.

Oh Ha Eun medi·K TEAM press@themedik.kr

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A Quiet Dawn in the Mountains: Discovering the Arboretum of Morning Calm

An Hour from Seoul, a Garden That Whispers