One weekend a year: Gwangneung Forest opens a normally restricted trail

People visit forests for shade in summer. In autumn, this forest briefly opens a path that is normally closed. That changes the meaning of a simple walk.

Namyangju City scheduled the 21st Gwangneung Forest Festival for Oct. 24–25, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., around the forest in Jinjeop. The forest belongs to a UNESCO biosphere reserve, and some areas are normally restricted for ecological protection. The announced program includes walking trails, guided nature interpretation, busking, a forest library, wooden-play spaces and a letter-writing station.

A regular park offers access every day. Here, temporary access itself is the attraction—and a reminder that the restrictions exist to protect the ecosystem, not merely to create exclusivity.

Gwangneung Forest is a conservation area where access management matters. The festival does not turn every protected area into a permanently open attraction. Visitors should distinguish designated routes from restricted zones.

Reporting on Namyangju's Oct. 7 announcement says the festival runs Oct. 24–25 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with free general admission and no pre-registration. The separate ‘Le Mouton walk’ requires prior registration and costs 10,000 won. Its planned roughly 1,000 participants are not the total festival attendance.

On the final day, Oct. 25, check official access routes, weather changes and the separate walk's reservation rules. Do not assume a reserved walk admits walk-ins.