Hwacheon County’s Paro Lake Otter Forest Trail to be developed into a 5.3-km ecotourism destination after 80 years closed

【Financial News Hwacheon=Reporter Kim Gi-seop】A forest trail along the shore of Paro Lake, closed to visitors for more than 80 years, is being developed as a new ecotourism asset for Hwacheon.
Hwacheon County said on the 7th that County Governor Kim Se-hun, Hwacheon County Council Chair Jo Woong-hee, Gangwon State Forest Science Research Institute Director Park Myeong-hui, Korean Otter Research Center Director Han Sang-yong and others visited the Paro Lake Otter Forest Trail in Gandong-myeon on the 6th to inspect the site. The county plans to develop the trail as a tourism resource based on the discussions held that day.
The Otter Forest Trail, a one-way route of about 5.3 km, was first opened in May 2024. It starts at the Korean Otter Research Center, passes Otter Rest Area, Dunjeon Rest Area and Deungjatgeori Rest Area, and ends at Solberu Rest Area. Along the way, visitors can enjoy the scent of the water at Paro Lake and the dense forest, while the lake’s colors change with the seasons to create scenery unique to this place.
Trees between 200 and 300 years old line the trail, while azaleas and bracken grow at their feet. That day, County Governor Kim and Council Chair Jo attached name tags to water birches, cork oaks and other trees, then joined the other attendees in discussing ways to improve the trail.
The county is also preparing to make joint use of the Korean Otter Research Center, which is adjacent to the trailhead. The center cares for rescued Eurasian otters and returns them to the wild once they have adapted; 12 are currently awaiting release.
“A trail that starts at a research center caring for rescued Eurasian otters and runs alongside Paro Lake among trees hundreds of years old is a strength unique to Hwacheon,” County Governor Kim Se-hun said. “Once Hwacheon Station on the Dongseo high-speed railway is established, it will be much easier to visit, so we will make this one of the leading ecotourism destinations.”

[email protected] Kim Gi-seop Reporter