[WEEKEND GETAWAY] Head to Pyeongchang this summer to take shelter from heat

K-campus

Published: 16 Jun. 2023, 17:34

[WEEKEND GETAWAY] Head to Pyeongchang this summer to take shelter from heat

Yukbaekmajigi presents wild daisy flowerbeds across the wide plateau in Pyeongchang County, Gangwon. [KIM KYUNG-BIN]

Pyeongchang County, Gangwon, may remind you of the glory of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Ski resorts and white snow would be the first images that pop up in your mind. For those who associate this Olympic city only with the snowy season and the cold, a seasonal twist this summer would be a great opportunity to get ahold of nature's treats. While the heat intensifies and many people rush indoors where the air conditioner is on full blast, some vacationers grasp the natural cool in Pyeongchang.

If you are interested in hopping onto the journey this summer to Pyeongchang, here are the four destinations the Korea JoongAng Daily recommends.

Phoenix Pyeongchang

Phoenix Pyeongchang offers visitors a place to stop by to cool the heat down at Sinami Valley, Pyeongchang County, Gangwon. [PHOENIX HOTEL AND RESORTS]

Phoenix Pyeongchang is located in the heart of the county and takes its guests to a deep forest that will save them from the summer heat. Mount Taegi, which reaches up to 1262 meters (0.78 miles) above sea level, provides a two-hour trekking course through arrays of birch, softwood and larch. To add to the refreshing view of trees, Sinami Valley, where the waters travel down from the mountain peak, is accessible at the foot of the mountain. The path around the valley underwent maintenance last year and now offers more accessible walkways to the spot. Sinami comes from the Gangwon dialect sinabro, meaning "bit by bit" or "gradually" and "unnoticed" in the dialect. The valley was named this way to appreciate the idea of cooling and savoring tranquility with water without rushing.

174, Taegi-ro, Bongpyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang, Gangwon

Dutasan National Recreational Forest

Dutasan National Recreational Forest, Pyeongchang County, Gangwon, is a favorite summer getaway spot for many tourists. [KOREA TOURISM ORGANIZATION]

Mount Duta contains the one-and-only national recreational forest in Pyeongchang, Dutasan National Recreational Forest. Placed at the foot of Mount Duta, the forest has up to 21 accommodation facilities in different forms, from wooden lodges to camping decks, that are extremely challenging to reserve during summertime. Groups of varying sizes can visit, as there are rooms that accommodate up to 12 people. The nature-friendly experience is a plus for those visiting the nearby valley as well.

Mount Duta in Pyeongchang is a completely different mountain from those with identical names located at Donghae and Samcheok, also in Gangwon. People who wish to go on a nature-friendly journey to get a breath of fresh air amid the heat may head to this forest. The trails are well-established, and there are also budget-friendly craft programs that cost between 1,500 won and 3,000 won.

132, Achagol-gil, Pyeongchang, Gangwon
Business hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Closed every Tuesday and on holidays)
Phone number: 033-334-8815, 1588-3250
Website: https://www.foresttrip.go.kr/indvz/main.do?hmpgId=0243

Yukbaekmajigi

Yukbaekmajigi, Pyeongchang County, Gangwon, is one of the major summer destinations of the county. [YONHAP]

Yukbaekmajigi, also known as 600 Majigi plateau, lies on the top of Mount Cheongok, Pyeongchang County, Gangwon. Standing 1256 meters (0.78 miles) above sea level, the plateau is as wide as six football fields. The area was originally a highland farm for cabbages but was replenished to become a vast field with wildflowers. Car camping is a newly rising trend in Korea, and Yukbaekmajigi has gained a reputation as a favorable car camping spot. Now it is a popular tourist destination on social media, where you can find pictures of travelers beaming at the flowerbeds and shots of car camping memories.

June is the month Shasta daisies bloom all across the field, adding splashes of white and yellow across the large flowerbeds. As you head up the mountain hill, wind turbines appear along the paths and add to the scenery. Summer days with temperatures climbing over 30 degrees Celsius are much more bearable here since the air cools down to the point that it might even feel chilly. Lucky visitors who come for car camping might spot stars in clear night skies. Although campervans are allowed, you cannot use cooking equipment or install tents.

583-76, Cheongoksan-gil, Pyeongchang, Gangwon

Gwangcheonsungul Adventure Theme Park

Gwangcheonsungul Adventure Theme Park, Pyeongchang County, Gangwon, was kept as a natural cave but opened last November as an adventure theme park. [PYEONGCHANG FACILITIES MANAGEMENT CORPORATION]

If you wish some time away from the sun and to avoid the heat, head to Gwangcheonsungul Adventure Theme Park, where an 850-meter-long limestone path will cool you down instead of the artificial breeze of an air conditioner. The cave's temperature drops to around 10 degrees, even during the hottest summer days. Gwangcheon Cave is less known to Pyeongchang visitors compared to the other two caves in the county, Baengnyong Cave and Seopdong Cave. However, created around 400 million years ago and kept as a natural cave until 2016, the cave was renovated into an adventure theme park in November, thus providing entertaining paths and well-made facilities for visitors.

The cave offers a variety of programs apart from the tour around the venue, such as a walkthrough on how the cave was created and what consists of the insides of the cave. If you visit, you might run into a rare sight of dormant bats hanging upside down the cave. Since the facilities were recently built, the theme park has paths that are easy to pass through and that welcome everyone regardless of age. Around 200 meters are within the paths accessible by wheelchairs.

119 Godaedong-gil Daehwa-myeon, Pyeongchang, Gangwon
Business hours: 9 a.m.to 6 p.m. (Tickets sold until 30 minutes before closing)
Admission Fee: 5,000 won for adults, 4,000 won for teenagers, 3,000 won for children. Free entrance for children below age 6. Visitors with disability, residents of Pyeongchang County and older adults aged above 64 receive a 30 percent discount.
Phone number: 033-339-9038

BY BAEK JONG-HYUN, KIM DONG-EUN [kim.dongeun@joongang.co.kr]