• 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.19 no.2
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• pp.187-195
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• 2012

Daisetsuzan National Park in Hokkaido, Japan, has an extensive alpine region due to the topographic feature of lava plateau, and exhibits the surface geology largely composed of pyroclastic materials. In addition, the peak season of mountain climbing in the park coincides with a snow-melting period, resulting in severe soil erosion along hiking trails generated by human trampling, snow-melting water and pipkrake. Trail section has been particularly enlarged because the snow-melting water scours a trail surface and the pipkrake erodes sidewalls of a trapezoid-shaped trail. The scoured tread also forces hikers to walk out of a trail, and then frequently brings about path divergence as well as path widening. The soil particles, which are produced by erosional processes in a slope reach, flow downward, and cause the secondary trail degradation by covering a tread in a flat reach and nearby grassland.