We basically had one shot to visit Jangtaesan Recreational Forest as a family, so we didn’t hit it RIGHT at the peak of the fall colors. The Gingko trees were poppin’ and there were so many different colors in the area which was absolutely breathtaking. What we didn’t get was the fiery orange trees that we’d hoped for. Still, it was worth the two-hour drive to get there to experience the variety of colors. If you want to see the incredible orange trees, visit Missy’s post from Jangtaesan Forest from last year (spoiler: it’s incredible).
Jangtaesan Recreational Forest
By the time I heard about Jangtaesan Recreational Forest last year, it was too late in the season to catch any of the incredible changing colors. So I added it to my bucket list and have been waiting almost an entire year to visit. The hope was to see the bright orange trees, but the goal was to get out of the house, get some [mostly] fresh air, and have a pleasant experience. And so while it wasn’t absolutely everything we’d hoped for, it was the perfect way to spend a Saturday (and yes, I am trying to convince my kids to accompany me back on a weekday soon when the trees have turned more – I’ll keep you all posted).
Jangtaesan is home to an abundance of gingko and bald cypress trees (it’s the densest forest of these on the Peninsula), as well as the largest metasequoia forest in the country. What does this mean? I makes for some INCREDIBLE foliage, regardless of the time of year you visit.
Even without a bright orange backdrop, the area was beautiful. It was STUPID busy, but that didn’t bother us much – except for the few times that H tried to unalive herself by dashing out in front of a car. I’ve never been more grateful for overbearing Ajummas in my life – they grabbed her when she made a mad dash for the road multiple times. After we arrived, we wasted no time and headed for the suspension bridge (because ya’ll know that’s totally my thing) and the sky tower. We actually ended up forgoing the sky tower when we took a little detour after crossing the bridge – climbing the ridiculous amounts of stairs to the observation platform at the top. And, while insanely busy, I did manage to sneak past the other folks and snap a few pictures from high above the trees.
It’s not just the foliage that attracts so many visitors here every day (although it’s considered one of the densest forests of cypress and gingko trees). Like other recreational forests in Korea, Jangtaesan offers a variety of activities including a children’s playground, hiking trails GALORE, glamping, barefoot hiking paths, and so much more. There were lounge chairs situation underneath incredible cypress trees – and the locals were taking full advantage of the relaxing environment.
After we’d explored as much as we had time for (as Brandon actually had to be at work in the evening… boo), we stopped into the cafe and grabbed some ice cream (as has become an adventure tradition wherever possible) as well as some ramyeon before hopping back in the car and making the trek home.
In all, it was a successful family adventure. Nobody died, there was minimal complaining, we got to spend time outdoors, and we saw some pretty killer foliage. We’re gonna count all that as winning!
’til next time…
Ash
How to visit Jangtaesan Recreational Forest in Daejeon
Directions & Parking: It takes about two hours to drive from Camp Humphreys to Jangtaesan Recreational Forest. There are multiple free parking lots in the area, but during peak seasons (fall being one of them) they fill up EARLY. It was busy when we arrived at about 10:00am, but we still managed to find a place to park (although truthfully, it wasn’t in an actual parking spot).
Naver pin: Jangtaesan Recreational Forest 1st Parking Lot
Cost: FREE
Hours: Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
Accessibility: Most of the park is not stroller or wheelchair friendly and the observation towers and forest adventure area are not accessible.
Amenities: There are bathrooms located at each parking lot, as well as near the children’s playground and throughout the park. There are a variety of cafes and small restaurants down the street from the 1st parking lot that I linked above.
