Gyejoksan Red Clay Trail

Character

Each year, fresh red clay is brought back onto Gyejoksan's barefoot trail. Yonhap reported in 2025 that roughly 2,000 tonnes are spread during annual maintenance, continuing a project that began in 2006 with about 20,000 tonnes laid through the forest

The clay surface is built and maintained as part of the trail. The 14.5-kilometre route begins around Jangdong Forest Park and follows a forest road beneath Gyejoksan, with the clay kept soft enough for barefoot walking through repeated repair and replacement. Rain, foot traffic and seasonal weather continually reshape the surface, which is why it needs regular repair

The result is unusual for a mountain walk: a forest route whose defining feature is the ground underfoot

The experience

The clay makes the route feel different from a typical mountain trail. Underfoot, the surface shifts between wetter patches, firmer stretches, roots and newly worked clay, while the broad forest road avoids the rough footing of a rocky climb

The full 14.5-kilometre circuit is substantial. Yonhap describes a complete loop as taking close to five hours, although the trail can also be experienced in shorter sections around Jangdong Forest Park. The nearby Gyejoksanseong fortress adds a much older layer on the mountain above the clay route

Conditions change after heavy rain or during resurfacing. The route itself is straightforward, but the clay underfoot is always changing

History

The red-clay trail was created in 2006. Daejeon and Yonhap both trace the project to local businessman Cho Woong-rae, who developed the barefoot route on Gyejoksan and funded the initial clay surface. Around 20,000 tonnes of clay were used in the early construction

The trail became one of South Korea's earliest large-scale barefoot walking routes and helped make Gyejoksan a distinctive outdoor destination in Daejeon. The maintenance program continued after opening; Yonhap reported in 2025 that about 2,000 tonnes of clay from the Gimje and Iksan areas are brought in each year, with annual upkeep costing roughly one billion won

Gyejoksanseong predates the red-clay trail by well over a millennium. Archaeological and local historical interpretation places the fortress in the late sixth to early seventh centuries, when control of the area shifted between Silla and Baekje. Its surviving wall runs for roughly one kilometre near the summit

Before you go

The red-clay route is a long forest circuit, while shorter walks are possible around the Jangdong Forest Park side. A complete circuit requires far more time than a short barefoot section near the main approach

The trail surface responds directly to weather and maintenance. Rain can leave the clay much softer or muddier, and resurfacing periodically changes individual sections even though the route itself remains stable