I want to see the spring of trees and grassy forest. Enter the Yonghyeon Natural Recreation Forest next to the valley of Seosan-si, Chungcheongnam-do. The sound of water in Yonghyeon Valley flowing with the melting of ice and wild flowers reaching out over the fallen leaves announce spring. On the road to the recreation forest, you can also see the history of Baekje era.

Yonghyeon Natural Recreation Forest is located in the Gaya Mountains of Chungcheongnam-do. Gayasan 678m above sea level is a famous mountain in Chungcheongnam-do and is famous for retaining various cultural remains of the Baekje era. It was called Sangwangsan at that time, and it was named Gayasan in the Unification Silla era, when it set up Gayasa under the mountain. Although it is not a high mountain, many peaks, such as Gayabong, Seokmunbong, Okyangbong, and Jungbongbong, form the ridge, and the Yonghyeon Valley flows between the valleys. The valley, which is about 5 km long, is plentiful and the surrounding forests are dense and many people visit. Yonghyeon Valley is designated as a large national forest. Thanks to the forests and valleys that consist only of natural forests, the ecosystem is highly preserved. Natural monument No. 452 Golden Bat was found, and endangered species such as crayfish and fireflies are inhabited.

The recreational forest has a variety of forest experience programs. Forest commentary, early childhood forest experience, forest school, forest healing five senses experience, and interior culture forest road trip. It runs from March to November every year, and anyone who wants to participate as well as recreational forest visitors can participate. Forest commentary starts at 10 am and 2 pm daily, and takes about 2 hours. Other programs are available after contacting the information office.

In the woodworking room, which is located next to the management office, the living woodworking classroom is operated. Participation is possible after advance booking at 10am and 3pm. You can make small crafts with natural materials such as wood and stones.

Accommodations in recreation forests include forest houses, coal alleys, and forest culture and recreation centers. There are also camping sites with 25 camping decks, 5 of which are the only loess thermal decks in Korea. The ocher thermal deck is made by laying ocher on the floor of a camping site to collect the heat in the middle of the day and catch the warmth for a long time. It's not as warm as installing an electric blanket, but you can feel the warmth, not the coldness of the bottom.

When you visit here for camping, be careful of the hard floor, so you may have difficulty using the tent pack and the deck area is 3 × 3m. It's a good idea to get a rope to hold your tent in, and prepare a small to medium size tent for your floor space.

Various forest trails cross the Yonghyeon Valley, where the recreation forest is located. In the vicinity of the recreational forest, there is an ecological trail, a forest interpretation course, and a forest trail. In the distance, a hiking trail that leads to Mt. Naepo Culture Forest Road and Seosan Arame-gil can also pass near the recreational forest.

The ecological trail is a recreational forest path through the forest classroom, forest school, and forest experience field. The 500m side of the valley is decorated with bare foot paths. If you want to walk a little longer, a forest trail of about 3km is a good option. It is a path that leads to a wooden staircase through a wooden bridge installed on Yonghyeon Valley. Not walking long from the wooden bridge, she arrives in a forest resting place with several wooden chairs. Above it, you can see the four sides of the valley, which controls the level of the valley. Suriba is a rock with a strange shape formed at the top of the mountain. It is named after a pair of owls. May-July is the Owl's spawning season, so be careful not to make a fuss when you pass.

Naepo Culture Forest Trail is a walking path created along the remains of cultural relics throughout Seosan, Dangjin, Hongseong, and Yesan-gun. So far, it is the longest trekking course in Chungcheongnam-do. Among them, the section covering the recreational forest is one or two courses. It is one course that leads to Gaesimsa through the Recreational Forest Observation Deck. The two roads lead to Okyangbong along the Naepo Culture Forest Trail.

Seosan Arame-gil is an eco-friendly trekking course created by Seosan. '아라' refers to the sea, and 'Me' refers to the mountain, which is a way that reflects the natural characteristics of Seosan that encompasses the sea and the mountain. A total of seven sections were created around attractions around Seosan. Not all courses are connected so it is good to walk for each section. Courses with recreational forests are divided into sections 1 and 1-1, which include five tourist attractions, including the Mae Ae Samseon Statue and Gaesimsa Temple.

The Maae Yeo Samsam Statue, the second Gyeongsang Seogyeong, was designated as National Treasure No. 84 by the late Baekje. It is located about 3km away from Yonghyeon Natural Recreation Forest in the direction of Seoul along Yonghyeon Valley. If you go up the stairs about 300m from the valley, you will see the station and the entrance, and if you go up a little more, you can face the three-phase statue carved on the rock. In the center, there are statues of Buddha statues, Bodhisattva statues on the left, and Bangasa statues on the right. The face of Buddha is very gentle, but the smile looks different depending on the direction of light. The delicate sculpture of the Baekje era can be seen from the hem and sagging folds across the shoulders.

Bowonsaji Temple, which was a Baekje era temple, is 2km away from Maaerae Samjon.

Relics, stone temples, and five-storied pagoda, believed to have been built around the 10th century, are designated and protected as national treasures. In 1968, Baekje and Unification Silla era statues were found together.

When you cross the Bowonsaji Temple, the trail to Gaesimsa begins. Walking along this road takes about 1.2 km to the entrance to the reconciliation gate and about 16 km to take the car.

Gaesimsa, the horseman of the budget county Sudeoksa Temple, was built in the 14th year of King Baekje's King Sejong (654) and belongs to the 4th Seosan. The buildings on the grounds were rebuilt in 1484 as they were lost in 1475. Among them, the base of Daeungjeon, a nationally designated cultural property, is said to have been built during the Baekje era.

You have to be careful of the steps you take in the springtime to walk through nature and history. Small grasses and wildflowers lie softly over the leaves.

Yonghyeon Natural Recreation Forest
Address: 339 Maae Samjonbul-gil, Unsan-myeon, Seosan-si, Chungnam
Contact: 041-664-1978

1. Nearby restaurants

Yonghyeon Collection: 66, Maaesamjonbul-gil, Unsan-myeon, Seosan-si / 041-663-4090
Native Yard: 176-7 Maaesamjonbul-gil, Unsan-myeon, Seosan-si / 041-664-8892
Natural Agriculture: 312-25, Gaesimsa-ro, Unsan-myeon, Seosan-si / 041-688-9999

2. Accommodation

Blue Mountain Garden Garden: 262 Maae Samjonbul-gil, Unsan-myeon, Seosan-si / 041-664-1715
Forest Pension: 125-30, Maae Samjonbul-gil, Unsan-myeon, Seosan-si / 010-3737-9290
http://www.forest-in.com/index.php

Mountain Village Pension: 326-9, Gaesimsa-ro, Unsan-myeon, Seosan-si / 041-688-1112

http://www.gaesimsa.com/

※ The above information was written in April 2015, and may change afterwards. Please check before traveling.
※ The information such as text, photos and videos used in this article is copyrighted by Korea Tourism Organization, so unauthorized use of the article is prohibited.