As chrysanthemums bloom and maple leaves change color, and silver grass and reeds emerge, take a leisurely stroll through the expansive garden beside the Hwanggang River.
The 424,164 square meter waterfront ecological park, located along the Hwanggang River, offers the opportunity to view autumn foliage expected around November 6, 2026, as well as the autumn chrysanthemum exhibition that runs until November 8.
Geochang Changpo Garden is not just a garden with flowers; it is an ecological garden that combines the scenic views of the Hwanggang River, wetlands, seasonal plants, and indoor facilities. The space is quite large, so it is worth exploring beyond the chrysanthemums, and with the addition of a tropical plant garden, the walking paths are more diverse than one might expect.
This is the location that was once a flooded area and has now been transformed into a seasonal garden.
This area was a submerged zone created in 1988 during the construction of the Hapcheon Dam. Geochang County replaced agricultural land pollution sources with wetlands and planted sweet flag, a water-purifying plant, to create a riverside ecological garden that harmonizes with the national river, Hwanggang.
The park includes a visitor center, a tropical botanical garden, an eco-energy learning center, a kids’ café, a book café, a bicycle rental station, and a wellness center. In spring, more than one million Japanese water irises bloom. In summer, lotus flowers, water lilies, and hydrangeas are the seasonal highlights. In autumn, chrysanthemums and maple trees take center stage. In winter, the tropical botanical garden, along with the silver grass and reeds around the retention basin and wetlands, becomes a seasonal highlight.
While similar to Upo Wetlands, the way of experiencing it is different.
Upo Wetlands is primarily focused on natural wetland conservation and observation, while Geochang Changpo Garden operates a combination of landscaped gardens, flower beds, greenhouses, and hands-on facilities. It offers a more comprehensive experience, allowing visitors to enjoy seasonal flowers and indoor spaces in addition to observing the wetland ecosystem.
While it features a wide and flat waterfront promenade similar to Sejong Lake Park, the focus of this place is not the urban lake itself, but rather the Hwanggang River water purification system and the plant ecological garden. While Suncheon Bay National Garden centers around its themed gardens, Geochang Changpo Garden emphasizes the ecological landscape created by the Hwanggang River waterfront, wetlands, and sweet flag, lotus flowers, and reeds.
It is good for walking, holding the hand of your mother, and holding the hand of your child.
When traveling with parents, a design that includes a wide, flat waterfront area for leisurely walks, as well as tropical botanical gardens or book cafes for relaxation, is a good fit. You can choose a less strenuous walk than a long mountain trail, while still being able to see seasonal plants up close.
When visiting with children, consider combining a kids’ cafe, a tropical botanical garden, an eco-energy learning center, and a book cafe, arranging them in a sequence that works for your itinerary. Family-friendly amenities such as nursing rooms, stroller rentals, and wheelchair rentals are also available, making it easier to plan your route.
Couples and friends can enjoy comparing the different seasons as they walk among the chrysanthemums, maple trees, reeds, and cattails. If you are alone, you can walk along the Hwanggang River and the surrounding wetlands, and then relax in a book cafe to organize your photos and notes. Even if the walking pace is different, the spaces are divided, making it easy for groups to maintain their own rhythm.
Dividing the park in this way makes it appear smaller.
Instead of trying to walk the entire park at once, start at the visitor center, examine the map, and explore the garden, tropical plant area, and wetland sections separately. Large spaces can easily turn a leisurely stroll into a chore, but at Geochang Changpo Garden, the scenery changes with each section you explore.
With children, proceed from the kids’ cafe to the tropical botanical garden and the eco-energy learning center. The fees for the kids’ cafe are 3,000 won for children and 1,000 won for adults, adding indoor play and learning to what was previously an itinerary focused solely on outdoor flower viewing.
Couples and friends can rent bicycles at a rental station and travel along various riverside sections. If you enjoy photography, try capturing chrysanthemums, maple leaves, silver grass, and reeds along the Hwanggang River in a single frame. If you are with your parents, incorporating breaks at a book cafe or a tropical botanical garden will make the walk much more comfortable.
In November, the focus shifts from chrysanthemums to pampas grass.
The Chrysanthemum Exhibition will be held from October 24th to November 8th, 2026, at the Geochang Changpo Garden. The autumn foliage was described as occurring around November 6th. Visitors can experience the transition from chrysanthemums and autumn leaves to the early winter scenery of silver grass and reeds from the beginning of November.
If you want to enhance the mountain scenery after a walk along the water, you can combine it with the Y-shaped suspension bridge at Udusan in Geochang, Geochang County. If you prefer a forest and mountain course, consider Geochang Anti-Aging Healing Land. If you want to add a valley and rocky scenery, Su Seung Dae in Wicheon-myeon offers a different experience from Changpo-won.
A large outdoor space requires preparation.
Parking areas may be crowded on weekends, so it is advisable to arrive in the morning. The park is spacious and flat, but there are also areas with limited shade, so it is recommended to bring a hat, umbrella, water, and a jacket depending on the season to make your walk more comfortable.
When walking along the Yellow River and the surrounding wetlands, you will encounter alternating views of flower beds and riverside scenery. Therefore, it is better to focus on specific areas of interest rather than spending a long time in one particular section. If you are walking with someone who enjoys photography, you will naturally find places to stop briefly.
If your purpose is photography, choose the soft light of early morning or late afternoon. First, observe the chrysanthemums and autumn leaves, and then arrange the pampas grass and reeds. Even within a single walk, you can observe the order of the seasons.
You can easily handle the address and transportation arrangements.
The address is 21-1, Changpowon-gil, Namsang-myeon, Geochang-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do. If you are driving, enter “Geochang Changpowon” or the address directly into your navigation system.
It is approximately 3.9 km from Geochang Bus Terminal, and taxis or buses are available from the terminal. Parking is available. For small vehicles, parking is free for up to 30 minutes, costs 1,000 won for more than 30 minutes up to 1 hour, and costs 5,000 won for more than 3 hours.
Parking fees for large vehicles are as follows: 2,000 won for parking exceeding 30 minutes but up to 1 hour; 4,000 won for parking exceeding 1 hour but up to 2 hours; 6,000 won for parking exceeding 2 hours but up to 3 hours; and 10,000 won for parking exceeding 3 hours. Parking fees are charged separately.
Please check the admission fees and the operating hours for each facility separately.
The entrance fee for Changpo-won is 3,000 won for individuals and 1,500 won for groups, and parking fees are charged separately. Bicycle rentals are 4,000 won for a 4-seater or 6-seater vehicle (per hour), 2,000 won for a 2-seater vehicle, and 1,000 won for a 1-seater or children’s bicycle.
The foot soaking experience at the healing center costs 5,000 won for 30 minutes, while the book cafe and tropical plant garden are free. Usage fees are subject to change, and the healing center programs are available through reservations based on the schedule.
The basic operating hours are from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
The iris garden, parking lot, and tropical plant garden are open from 09:00 to 18:00. The healing center is open from 10:00 to 17:00. The kids’ cafe and the book cafe are open from 10:00 to 18:00. The bicycle rental station operates from 09:00 to 17:00 from March to October, and from 09:00 to 16:30 from November to February.
It is closed every Wednesday, and if Wednesday is a public holiday, it will be closed on the next weekday. For inquiries, please call 055-940-8840. Since opening hours vary by facility, it is better to plan your walking routes and visits to indoor facilities separately rather than trying to do everything at once.
