Taebaek City Declares Leap Toward Stay-Type Forest Tourism City with "Heavenly Forest Trails"

A City Embraced by Forests, Taebaek Where Healing Stays
27.21km "Heavenly Forest Trail" to Be Completed in 2025
Urban Healing Trails and Barefoot Walking Destinations Also Expanded
Completion of the Heavenly Forest Trail Nears... Emerging as a Center for Forest Recreation

The forest recreation city of Taebaek in Gangwon Province is accelerating its leap toward becoming a "city where healing stays," based on its pristine highland forest resources.

According to Taebaek City (Mayor Lee Sangho) on October 22, the city is working to establish a sustainable forest tourism infrastructure that enhances citizens' health and increases visitor satisfaction by expanding its forest trail network and introducing a smart guidance system.

The forest recreation city Taebaek in Gangwon Province is accelerating its leap toward becoming a "city where healing stays," based on its pristine highland forest resources. Photo by Taebaek City

◆ The Trail to Heaven: Opening the Way to a Forest Recreation City

Since 2021, the city has been implementing the "Heavenly Forest Recreation Activity Development Project," focusing on creating stay-type forest trails that connect the mountainous terrain.

With a total project budget of 4.684 billion won, the network of "Heavenly Forest Trails" will be completed with the finishing of the Gubongsan section (6.26 km) in 2025, resulting in a total length of 27.21 km.

This will expand forest recreation areas connecting Daejobong, Bonjeoksan, Maebongsan, and Hambaeksan, which is expected to improve leisure welfare for citizens and stimulate the local economy by establishing stay-type tourism infrastructure.

◆ Hwangjicheon-Cheoramcheon Healing Forest Trail: Connecting the City and Tourist Attractions

The city has completed the "Hwangjicheon-Cheoramcheon Healing Forest Trail Project" to promote healthy leisure activities for citizens and link local tourism resources.

With a total budget of 5.665 billion won, the project began with the Hwangjicheon section (5.5 km) in 2017, continued with Songijae (3.45 km) in 2021, and was completed in 2024 with the Jangseong and Cheoram area (18.7 km), resulting in a total trail length of 27.65 km.

In particular, the final Jangseong and Cheoram area trail was developed as an urban forest trail network connecting major attractions such as the General Sports Complex, Jangseong Double Bridge, 365 Safe Town, Taebaek Paleozoic Natural History Museum, and Baeksan Station.

By preserving naturally formed hiking trails as much as possible and minimizing steep slopes, the trails have been made safe and accessible for everyone, regardless of age or gender. This has increased citizens' leisure satisfaction and expanded stay-type tourism routes in the region.

◆ Jijirigol Barefoot Walking Forest Trail: A Destination for Health and Healing

Completed in 2024, the "Jijirigol Barefoot Walking Forest Trail" is a 1.84 km loess trail connecting Hak Village in Sangjang-dong to the Creative Playground in Sodo-dong, created as a lifestyle-friendly healing space with a project budget of 187 million won.

The eco-friendly dry loess trail, made by mixing loess and decomposed granite soil, is equipped with foot-washing stations and dust removers for user convenience, establishing itself as a place where citizens can interact with nature and restore their health.

The city is also separately working on gradually expanding streetlights and security CCTV to ensure safe nighttime walks. Through these efforts, the Jijirigol Forest Trail is expected to become a healthy healing space during the day and a safe, pleasant walking path at night, bringing it even closer to citizens' daily lives.

The forest recreation city of Taebaek in Gangwon Province is accelerating its leap toward becoming a "city where healing stays," based on its pristine highland forest resources. Photo by Taebaek City

◆ Production of QR Code Guide Maps: Transition to Smart Forest Tourism

Taebaek City is producing "QR code-based forest trail guide maps" to make it more convenient for citizens and tourists to use the forest trails.

By providing mountain tourism authentication services that combine QR codes and GPS functions, the city will improve user convenience. Both paper and online maps will be distributed simultaneously through major facilities such as tourist information centers, the city hall civil affairs office, railway stations, terminals, as well as on the city's official website and social media channels.

This marks the first step in transitioning from the traditional paper-based guidance system to a digital, smart tourism system, and is expected to establish a convenient forest tourism platform accessible to both citizens and tourists.

Mayor Lee Sangho of Taebaek said, "Taebaek is creating new vitality for the region through stay-type tourism centered around forest trails. We will continue to develop the city into a forest tourism destination where both citizens and tourists want to stay."

Going forward, Taebaek City plans to complete a stay-type forest tourism city model centered on forest trails by integrating forest recreation infrastructure with smart technology, opening up a sustainable future for Taebaek as a highland city that enhances citizens' quality of life.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.