Olle road
| Jeju Olle Trail | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Length | 422 km (262 mi) |
| Location | Jeju Island, South Korea |
| Trailheads |
Route 1: Shiung-ri Route 21: Jongdali |
| Use | Hiking |
| Hiking details | |
| Trail difficulty | Easy to Moderate |
| Season | All (heat advisory for July and August) |
| Months | All (particularly April, May, September, October) |
| Sights | UNESCO World Heritage Site Seongsan Ilchulbong, Sanbangsan Geopark |
Jeju Olle Trail is a long-distance foot path on Jeju Island, an island off the south-west coast of South Korea. The overall route, mostly following the coastline, consists of 21 connected numbered main routes, 5 sub-routes, and a short spur that connects to Jeju International Airport. The routes have an average length of 16 km and all together total 422 km. The exact length and locations change over time as trails are modified or re-routed.
The routes pass through various landscapes along the way including small villages, beaches, farms, and forests. Many routes encompass some of the island's 368 oreums, which are low parasitic volcanoes and historical sites dating from ancient times through to the modern era.
Since its founding in 2007, it has become a major draw for Jeju Island, which attracts not only visitors from mainland South Korea, but also international travelers who have a taste for hiking. According to a 2008 statistic, over 1.2 million people visited and brought $25 billion in economic benefits to South Korea.
Jeju Olle Trail derives its name from Olle, which is the local Jeju dialect word for "a narrow pathway that is connected from the street to the front gate of a house". Gil means "road or pathway" in standard Korean.
The trail can be walked in either direction by following the appropriately colored route signs.
Jeju Olle Trail was founded by ex-journalist Suh Myung-suk, who worked for Sisa Journal and the original citizen journalism web site, Oh My News. Exhausted after strenuous years working as a journalist, she felt a need to refuel herself. As a way to do this, she walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Suh Myung-suk was highly impressed and inspired by the trip, so she decided to create a similar hiking trail on her home island of Jeju. After organizing a team for her goal, she started the time-consuming project of discovering and creating hike-able routes on the island. Suh opened her first trail to the public in September 2007.
Route 1 opened to the public in September 2007 and is seen a good introduction route for Jeju Olle Trail as a whole. Three of the island's oreums, including the UNESCO World Heritage Site Seongsan Ilchulbong, are visited. There are also fields, quiet villages, coastal roads, and beaches to wander through. The route is considered "medium" difficulty and goes for 15km. A typical hike lasts 4 to 5 hours. The Information Center has moved ten minutes into the trail after starting from the stone route marker.
...
Wikipedia