Gangwon

Woljeongsa Temple & Needle Fir Forest

Woljeongsa Temple in Pyeongchang's Odaesan National Park is a 7th-century monastery best approached on foot through its iconic 1-kilometer needle fir (jeonnamu) forest path. The path of straight fir trees averaging 26 meters tall is the visible signature of the visit, and walking it slowly with the cool needle-fir scent overhead is part of the temple experience itself. Inside the compound stand the nine-story Octagonal Stone Pagoda — a National Treasure — and the seated bodhisattva sculpture facing it. Allow ninety minutes including the fir forest walk. Pair with Sangwonsa Temple deeper in Odaesan, the next stop on the same valley road, and Jinbu's slow-food restaurants.