As autumn approaches, noticeably more people are walking barefoot on dirt paths. But once you take off your shoes and walk for a while, you may find yourself wondering where you can wash your dirt-covered feet. Before deciding where to go, there are a few things you should check first.
3-Line Summary
1. Barefoot paths are only truly usable when they have foot-washing facilities
2. Sunchang is open year-round; the Wonju festival is on September 5
3. If you have diabetes, shoes are safer than walking barefoot
Sunchang Any Day, Wonju on September 5
Gangcheonsan County Park in Sunchang, North Jeolla Province was the first county park designated anywhere in the country in 1981. Along the 5.5-kilometer course, which runs from Byeongpung Falls past Gangcheonsa Temple and the suspension bridge to Guganggun Falls, there is a barefoot path measuring about 2.5 kilometers. It was created in 2005 and is about 3 meters wide.
Admission for adults is 5,000 won, but after paying, visitors receive a 2,000-won Sunchang Sarang gift certificate in return. Since it can be used at affiliated businesses in Sunchang County, the actual cost is effectively 3,000 won. Students pay 4,000 won, while children aged 6 and under, people aged 70 and over, people with disabilities, national merit honorees, and Sunchang County residents enter free. Many people know the senior-citizen free-admission age as 65, but here it is 70.
One place requiring caution is the suspension bridge. It is the red bridge often seen in photos, and because it stands about 50 meters above the valley, reaching it requires climbing 275 wooden steps packed into a short section. If your knees are uncomfortable or you are traveling with young children, you can simply follow the valley trail to Gangcheonsa Temple and Guganggun Falls and skip the suspension bridge. The Sunchang Gochujang Festival is also being held in the same area from October 16 to 18, so you could plan a day that starts with walking the barefoot path in the morning and continues to the Gochujang Folk Village in the afternoon.
If you are looking for an event on a fixed date, there is Wonju. To mark the 81st anniversary of the founding of the Gangwon Ilbo, a barefoot-walking festival will be held at 9 a.m. on September 5 on the Un곡 Solbaram Forest Trail in Wonju, at the foot of Chiaksan Mountain. Participants will gather at the Wonju Eoreal Education Center’s Parking Lot 2 and walk 3.5 kilometers. The participation fee is 10,000 won, and souvenirs will be provided. Registration is available through the Korea Walking Association website.
In Asan, South Chungcheong Province, the barefoot red-clay path walking event at Gungpyeong Reservoir will be held for the third time. However, the date and registration method have not yet been finalized.
| Area | Schedule and course | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Sunchang Gangcheonsan | Open year-round, 2.5-kilometer barefoot path | 5,000 won (2,000-won gift-certificate refund) |
| Wonju Ungok Solbaram Forest Trail | September 5, 3.5 kilometers | 10,000 won |
| Asan Gungpyeong Reservoir | Third annual event, date TBD | TBD |
The Difference a Single Towel Makes
Whether a barefoot path is actually practical depends less on the walking route than on whether there is somewhere to wash your feet. Anyone who has climbed into a car with dirt-covered feet knows.
Jeju recently added one such facility. Kang Cheol-nam, a member of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Council, announced on social media the installation of a new foot-washing station on the arboretum walking trail in Jeju City. The trail sees hundreds of people a day, but until now there had been no suitable place to wash their feet. The station has water facilities that several people can use together, and its installation was handled by Jeju City’s Parks and Greenery Division.
The Gangcheonsan route mentioned earlier also has foot-washing stations. The course is arranged so that visitors take off their shoes on sections of fine sand and put them back on when they reach decks or stairs, so one small towel is all you need. Some places, such as the Barefoot Hill at Eco Forest in Jungma-dong, Gwangyang, even have red-clay baths and foot-massage facilities attached to the foot-washing station. If it is your first time on a route, it is better to check the locations of the foot-washing stations in advance using local-government park information or photos in a map app.
Three Years at Age 89—Should You Follow the Same Path?
According to Gwangyang News, 89-year-old Mr. Woo Jong-in of Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province, once had difficulty walking even 100 meters and needed a cane. He underwent heart surgery and a cerebral aneurysm procedure, and walking became even more difficult after his spine curved as a result of complications from a traffic accident. He began walking short distances on the red-clay path at Eco Forest in Jungma-dong, and now, 3 years later, he reportedly walks 10,000 steps a day without a cane and has stopped taking all the medication he used to take. This account received the grand prize in a healing-case contest held by the National Barefoot Walking Movement Headquarters.
However, this is one person’s experience. It does not mean the same method will work the same way for other people, and his walking cannot be explained without accounting for the surgeries and treatments he received during that time.
In particular, people with diabetes are safer avoiding barefoot walking. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that people with diabetes may have reduced sensation in their feet and may not notice an injury, and recommends wearing protective footwear rather than going barefoot, even indoors. If you have a wound on your foot or an underlying medical condition, consult a medical professional before walking.
The news that stood out this time alone mentioned Sunchang, Wonju, Jeju, Gwangyang, and Asan. With barefoot paths already established in eight places in Gwangyang alone—including Seosan Neighborhood Park and Madong Ecological Lake Park—it is highly likely that a path has already been created somewhere nearby.
Before looking into festivals that require traveling far away, we recommend checking the walking trails in your neighborhood parks first. It is not too late to start with a short distance. In the end, you have to walk it yourself to find out whether it suits your body.
References
- Travel Leisure Newspaper, Gangwon Ilbo, Gwangyang News, News N Jeju, Chungcheong Maeil, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
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