Ice Valley

Ice Valley(Eoreom-gol), designated as Natural Monument No. 224, is one of the four mysteries in Miryang. The valley is 36km apart from downtown Miryang toward Ulsan. It has gorgeous scenery of nature and keeps the mystery of ancient times. This valley, located on the 700m high northern slope of Mt. Jeyaksan(1,189m), shows an extraordinary temperature phenomenon. The ice freezes in the hottest season and melts when the cool season begins. On the huge stone field(9,000pyeong) the water begins to freeze from mid-April, and the ice reaches its peak in the hottest season. In summer cool wind blows from the valley and the water in the valley is as cold as ice. On the contrary the ice begins to melt in fall, and hot steam rises from the valley and water does not freeze in winter.

At the top end of the valley is Byeongpung Bawi(Screen Rock) surrounding the three sides of the stone field and the valley. There are more attractions such as Gamabol Narrow Valley, Seokbul Jasang(Seated Stone Buddha), Hobakso, 5,000pyeong Rock. Gamabol Narrow Valley is so named as the huge cliff inside the valley has been washed out by the water for a long time and looks like a big iron pot(Gamasot). The cool waterfalls from the Gamabol makes a wonderful landscape matched with the Screen Rock. The seated stone Buddha is believed to be built in the Unified Silla Dynasty. In 1950 when they rebuilt Cheonhwangsa Temple, a stone Buddha was found in Cheonhwangsa site. It is assumed that this Buddha was enshrined as the main Buddha. This stone Buddha statue was designated as Treasure No. 1213 with 11 lion statues inscribed on each side of the platform of Buddha. Water washed a limestone for tens of thousands of years and made a pond. As the pond has a shape of a large bowl of a mortar, it is called Hobakso, meaning 'a mortar pond'. 5,000pyeong Rock is in the valley of waters flowing from so-called Yeongnam Alps Mt. Jaeyaksan(1,189m), Baeunsan and Gajisan(1,240m).