No More Car Camping: Pyeongchang's Daegwallyeong Blocks Long-Term Parking with Stakes and Structures

Whenever blistering heatwaves and tropical nights sweep across the country every year, the Daegwallyeong area, sitting at an altitude of over 830 meters, buzzes with camping cars seeking refuge from the heat.

Daegwallyeong, including the former eastbound and westbound Daegwallyeong Rest Areas on the Yeongdong Expressway, is a premier summer resort where it is cool enough to wear jackets or sleep under blankets even on midsummer nights and at dawn.

During peak vacation season, quite a few long-term campers stayed here for over a month, frequently taking over not only the local parking lots but also the surrounding roadsides with their recreational vehicles.

However, as suffocating heatwaves continue nowadays, finding groups of camping cars in the cool highland retreat of Daegwallyeong is not as easy as in previous years.

This is because local governments, road authorities, and rest area management have implemented physical barriers and administrative measures to block long-term parking, camping, and car camping.

First, a high-pressure gas filling station was established in the parking lot of the westbound rest area, which was predominantly occupied by camping cars, drastically reducing the parking space.

Banners reading "Car Camping and Camping Strictly Prohibited" have been hung across the remaining parking spaces to readily deter parking and long-term stays.

In addition, trees have been planted in empty roadside lots to completely block camping car parking, and wooden stakes and ropes have been set up in major zones.

Heavy structures too massive to be moved by human strength have been placed in major empty lots that were once packed with camping cars to block vehicle entry.

A local resident said, "In the past, camping cars disorderly took over places everywhere as if they owned Daegwallyeong, but this year the surroundings seem much more orderly."

While these strong blocking measures have tidied up the Daegwallyeong area, a balloon effect is also emerging as a result.

This is because camping cars are moving to park in deeper surrounding areas with available gaps, such as the entrances to Seonjaryeong and the sheep farm, in search of parking spaces.

In particular, as some vacationers are reportedly making fires for cooking and other activities, concerns over wildfire risks and environmental damage are also growing.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.