Daegwallyeong Natural Recreation Forest

Opened in 1988, this was the first place in Korea to carry the name 'Natural Recreation Forest.' Pine and birch trees grow side by side, a valley stream runs through the middle, and the pine-needle paths are soft under your shoes. The sound of water follows you the whole way, and the phytoncide is so thick that every breath feels like it scrubs your lungs clean. Traditional thatched-roof lodges sit inside the forest, and woodcraft workshops are available. If you bring children, let them try walking barefoot on the pine-needle trails. Summer and autumn lodging books up fast — reserve early. This is not a place for chasing sights. It is for the kind of day when you want to do nothing inside a forest.