• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.41 no.6 s.117
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• pp.657-669
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• 2006

Rates and processes of bare patch denudation were observed at Janggumokoreum(1,710m) and Minoruem(1,600m) in order to clarify some characteristics of turf exfoliation in the subalpine grassland of Mt. Halla. The bare patches have marginal terrace fronts with a maximum height of 85 cm. The terrace risers usually develop an overhanging edge 2 to 38 cm long that eventually hangs down and protects the riser beneath. The patches are largely covered with angular pebbles and cobbles. The mean rate of riser retreat for the period 2002-2004 is 39.2 mm, equivalent to 19.6 mm/yr. However, there is a disparity of the rate of riser retreat at individual sites. The maximum rate is 131 mm measured at Janggumokoreum patch while the minimum rate is 0 mm at Minoreum patch. The rate of riser retreat also varies with seasons. The thawing season of April exhibits a maximum rate of retreat. The freezing season of October and November and the rainy season of June and July show relatively high rates of retreat. Several Processes such as frost action, aeolian deflation, rainwash, rainsplash and fauna activity cause the denudation of bare patches. In particular, the needle ire action which is combined with rainwash or deflation plays a primary role in turf exfoliation due to the diurnal freeze-thaw cycles occurred over 100 days, melted snow and strong wind in the subalpine zone of Mt. Halla. Rainwash is also an important contributing process in the rainy season because Mt. Halla has the highest precipitation in Korea. By contrast, rainsplash erosion has a minor effect on the bare patch denudation due to the overhanging edge of terrace risers. Recent increase in roe deer appears to be responsible for turf destruction.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.416-431
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• 2011

Hiking trails in Mt Jiri, and Mt Halla, National Park have been examined in terms of their degrading factors. The trails are deteriorated by natural erosion processes as well as human trampling. Trail deterioration is classified into tread lowering, sidewall retreat, path widening and divergence based upon a place where erosional processes occur. Tread lowering and sidewall retreat is generally produced by natural erosion factors, whereas path widening and divergence is generated by human trampling. Rainwash is the most contributing process to tread lowering. By contrast, several processes such as rainwash, needle ice action, deflation, tree falling and animal activity play a major role in sidewall retreat according to physical conditions of a hiking trail. Path widening and divergence could be classified by a factor producing human trampling. There are lots of cases related to rainwash such as the tree root, gravel, and bedrock, exposed by a surface flow lowering a tread and the riser produced by tread scouring. A puddle of rainwater on a flat tread and a fallen tree of Abies koreana in a forest region are also major factors to cause path widening and divergence. A paved tread with stones encourages a hiker to walk out of a trail. Taking a shortcut also results in path widening and divergence without a factor giving a hiker inconvenience on a trail.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.103-115
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• 2017

This paper shows the types of deteriorated hiking trails and degrading factors at three Great Walks such as Tongariro Alpine Crossing, Routeburn Track and Kepler Track in New Zealand. The deteriorated trails could be classified into gullying, widening, narrowing, branching and sidewall erosion. Department of Conservation carefully manages overland flows on trails for preventing surface erosion, thus the Great Walks show only a minor problem of gully on trails which is usually active in a mountainous area. Widening and branching of trails caused by tread erosion are not also developed due to the restriction of visitors as well as the management of rainwash. However, despite the detailed maintenance and prevention of an overuse of trails, some trails traversing steep slopes in a alpine zone under a periglacial environment are severely degraded along their sidewalls. It suggests that a unvegetated sidewall of trails has to be strictly managed in an early stage of occurrence and a slope-traversing section should be selected with more consideration when establishing a route of hiking trails.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.425-441
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• 2011

Ridge traversing trail in Mount Jiri National Park is classified as flat, gully-like, unilateral, and asymmetric bilateral, paths based on a location and gradient of paths. These types are interchangeable due to a drainage condition of trail surfaces. Using a rapid survey, the trail is 135.9 cm wide, 23.6 cm deep and $5.1^{\circ}$ in a gradient, respectively. All treads have been compacted due to human trampling. The path width is affected by a slope aspect and a distribution of Sasa borealis. An asymmetric path is wider than a symmetric path. A soil erosion rate is equivalent to $68.9cm^2/year$ for the period from 1960 to 2009, suggesting that the trail has been widened 2.7 cm/year and the tread lowered 0.4 cm/year. Trampling and needle ice action combined with rainwash induced by a pipeflow are dominant erosion processes contributing to the trail expansion.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.234-245
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• 2013

In order to examine the amount and rate of soil erosion on Ridge Traversing Trail in Jirisan National Park, a cross-sectional area of hiking trail were monitored at 16 sites in Nogodan - Samdobong section from November 2011 to April 2012. Although all sites demonstrates an enlarged cross-section of trail, the amount of soil erosion varies from site to site: 54.9 to $908.8cm^2$. It suggests that the erosional rate ranges from $0.1cm^2/day$ to $1.72cm^2/day$. The erosional amount is also varied with a trail type: $109.3cm^2$ for a shallow gully-like trail to $573.2cm^2$ for a unilateral trail. However, the cross-sectional change is larger on a sidewall than a tread irrespective of a trail type. The erosional amounts of November to April are smaller than that of May to October. In particular, the erosional amount of November 2011 to April 2012 is smaller than the depositional amount, implying a reduced cross-section of trail. Pipkrake action puts loose soil particles on a sidewall on March and April, and then rainwash due to a heavy rainfall takes them away after May. It seems to be the most predominant erosional process in Ridge Traversing Trail. A sidewall facing north shows a larger amount of erosion than a sidewall facing south. It also implies a difference in the development of a pipkrake according to an aspect. The small amount of erosion and cross-sectional decrease, which is usually observed on April, results from the combined effect of frost heaving, pipkrake action, a small rainfall and a temporary suspension of trampling. It is necessary to establish the monitoring system of trail erosion in terms of the management of hiking trail in a mountain national park.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.296-311
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• 2008

In order to examine the rates and factors of path widening in Mount Halla, the retreat of path sidewalls was monitored at 32 sites of Seongpanak Hiking Trail located between 875 m and 1,400 m in elevation. The mean rate of sidewall retreat for the period 2002-2008 is 50.6 mm, equivalent to 10.0 mm/yr. The retreat rate of frozen period is 19.3 mm/yr, while the rate of unfrozen period is 4.3 mm/yr. The latter is divided into the rainy and dry periods that exhibit the retreat rates of 5.9 mm/yr and 2.9 mm/yr, respectively. The retreat rate of sidewalls is also varied with seasons; winter shows the maximum rate of 42.2 mm/yr, while summer exhibits the minimum rate of 1.3 mm/yr. Spring and fall show the intermediate rates of 13.9 mm/yr and 6.4 mm/yr, respectively. Soil hardness and elevation are not closely related to the retreat rate of sidewalls, even though the retreat rate is larger at the north-faced sidewalls than the south-faced sidewalls during the frozen period. Pipkrake is likely to be the most important factor contributing to the path widening in that the retreat of winter months accounts for 76.7% of the total retreat. The hiking trail is placed under the climatic conditions which develop pipkrake in 85 days annually. In addition, it is usual to observe the path sidewall covered with pipkrake in the freezing month of December and the thawing months of March and April. On the other hand, deflation and rainsplash erosion are not important due to the weak wind speed and the forested trail. Rainwash is also insignificant in that the path has been almost paved to mitigate trampling effects. Although biological activity is not dominant, hikers cause a large retreat of sidewalls in the thawing months since they would walk on the sidewalls to avoid snow-melting pools on the path.