Discover places worth seeing — from historic sites to mountain trails.
Nature
평창군
High on the Daegwallyeong plateau, between 850 and 1,470 m above sea level, this ranch covers about 6 million pyeong (roughly 20 km²) of grassland. Giant wind turbines turn along the ridges while sheep and cattle graze the slopes below. Th…
Nature
상주시
On the northern slopes of Songnisan, in the village of Sango-ri in Hwabuk-myeon, Sangju, stands a grove of pine trees several centuries old. Every August the ground beneath them is carpeted with the purple flowers of lilyturf (maengmundong…
Nature
서귀포시
On the southern slopes of Hallasan, between 320 and 760 m above sea level, Seogwipo Healing Forest is a public forest designed so that walking itself is a form of rest. It contains several stands of Japanese cypress averaging more than 60…
Nature
서천군
On a seaside knoll in Seo-myeon, Seocheon, the Maryang-ri Camellia Forest is a rare camellia wood on Korea's west coast. Some 80 camellias, kept to 2–3 m by the sea wind, cover the hill, and from the Dongbaekjeong pavilion on top you look…
Nature
상주시
Seongjubong Recreational Forest in Euncheok-myeon, Sangju, North Gyeongsang, sits at the foot of Seongjubong, a 606 m rocky peak. You stay in forest cabins or at the campsite, walk the trails up Seongjubong and along the herb garden paths,…
Nature
인천광역시
In Nonhyeon-dong, Namdong-gu, right behind Sorae Port, Incheon's old salt pans and tidal flats have been turned into a large nature park. Sorae Wetland Ecology Park covers about 1.51 million m² of salt marsh crossed by tidal creeks, reed b…
Nature
순천시
Tall reeds stretch endlessly over the mudflats where river meets sea, and a channel winds through them in a perfect S. Suncheon Bay Wetland Reserve is the showcase of Korea's southern coastal wetlands, where boardwalks take you right into…
Nature
부산
Ahopsan Forest in Cheorma-myeon, Gijang-gun, Busan, is a private forest that one family has refused to sell for nine generations. Towering moso bamboo and Geumgang pines several centuries old cover 520,000 m² of hillside. It is known as a…
Nature
안동시
On a hillside in Daegok-ri, Imdong-myeon, east of Andong, an Oriental cork oak estimated at around 500 years old spreads its branches in every direction. At 22.5 m tall and 5.4 m round at chest height, it is considered the sturdiest and be…
Nature
안동시
In Imha-myeon, Andong, where the Banbyeoncheon stream bends, three elements come together in one view: Naeap Village, home to the Uiseong Kim clan; Gaeho, a pine grove standing in the water; and Baegunjeong, a pavilion on the hill across t…
Nature
안산시
Ansan Reed Wetland Park is Korea's first large constructed wetland, built so that reed beds could filter dirty water from the streams flowing into Sihwa Lake. Construction began in 1997 and finished in 2005, and today wooden boardwalks lea…
Nature
여주시
On the bank of the Namhangang River in central Yeoju, right below the Yeongwollu pavilion, a great granite outcrop meets the water. This is Maam, "Horse Rock". Legend says a yellow horse and a black horse emerged from it, giving Yeoju its…
Nature
속초시
North of downtown Sokcho, on the south-western shore of the natural lagoon of Yeongnangho Lake, a cluster of huge granite boulders forms a small rocky hill. Locals say it looks like a crouching tiger, hence the name Beombawi ("tiger rock")…
Nature
영월군
In Yeonha-ri, Yeongwol-eup, Yeonhagyegok Valley is a small, naturally formed valley on the slopes of Eungbongsan. Cold water running down from dense forest and plenty of shade have made it a known summer retreat, and despite its modest siz…
Nature
울진군
Inland from Uljin, Buryeonggyegok Valley winds for about 15 km, with pale rock cliffs rising on both sides of clear water. The rock here is gneiss formed some 2 billion years ago, among the oldest on the Korean Peninsula. The valley was de…
Nature
인제군
On a hillside in Wondae-ri, Inje, some 690,000 birch trees stand packed across 138 hectares. Walking between their straight white trunks, you are surrounded by white and green on every side, which is why it is also called the "Whispering B…
Nature
원주시
Standing alone in the fields of Munmak-eup near Wonju, the Bangye-ri ginkgo is a single tree that looks like a small wood. Its branches spread 37.5 m east to west and 31 m north to south, so when the leaves turn gold all at once in autumn…
Nature
의성군
On the western edge of Sachon village in Jeomgok-myeon, Uiseong, a long belt of centuries-old zelkovas and hackberries lines the fields. It was planted at the end of the Goryeo period as a windbreak by a scholar who settled here, and villa…
Nature
대전광역시
Jangdong Forest Park, on the slopes of Gyejoksan in Daedeok-gu, Daejeon, is the starting point of the Gyejoksan Red Clay Trail, a barefoot walk on soft red earth. The clay is spread along 14.5 km of forest road that circles the mountainsid…
Nature
장성군
At the entrance to Danjeon village in Bukha-myeon, Jangseong, a zelkova more than 10 m round spreads its branches in a half-dome beside a small pavilion. The Danjeon-ri Zelkova Tree is a Natural Monument counted among the largest zelkovas…
Nature
대전광역시
On the slopes of Jangtaesan in western Daejeon, some 6,700 dawn redwoods (metasequoias) stand in tall, straight rows. The forest was planted by one man over a lifetime, then taken over by the city of Daejeon and opened to everyone free of…
Nature
제주시
Most of Jeju's oreums rise like hills, but Sangumburi in Gyorae-ri, Jocheon-eup, is a deep crater sunk into almost flat grassland. Walk a little way up the slope and a huge bowl suddenly opens beneath your feet, said to be larger than Baen…
Nature
제천시
When Koreans call the Chungcheong region "Hoseo", west of the lake, the lake they mean is said to be Uirimji in Jecheon. This ancient reservoir is generally dated to the Samhan period, roughly two thousand years ago, and it still irrigates…
Nature
증평군
Jwagusan Recreational Forest in Jeungpyeong, North Chungcheong, is where you can spend a night in a forest cabin and then look at the stars through Korea's largest refracting telescope, a 356 mm instrument. By day you cross the 230 m Medit…