Taehwagang Grand Park: Ulsan's Bamboo Forest River

Taehwagang Grand Park (태화강대공원) is a 36-hectare ecological park running along both banks of the Taehwa River through the heart of Ulsan, South Korea's industrial capital. The park's centrepiece is a sprawling grove of giant bamboo that lines the riverbank for nearly two kilometres, creating a cool, cathedral-like corridor of towering green stalks. Beyond the bamboo, the park contains wildflower meadows, reed wetlands, a lavender field, and wide cycling and walking paths that connect Ulsan's urban districts to the river's edge.

The Taehwa River was heavily polluted during Ulsan's rapid industrialisation in the 1960s and 1970s, when the city became Korea's manufacturing heartland. A decades-long restoration project that began in the 1990s removed industrial discharge, planted wetland vegetation, and introduced salmon and otters back into the ecosystem. In 2019 the river was officially designated a National Garden — the third in Korea — recognising its complete ecological recovery. The bamboo grove itself has been cultivated for over a century and is one of the most photographed landscapes in the region.

Visitors can walk or cycle the full length of the riverside trail, which connects the bamboo grove to the wildflower fields and the Ten-ri (십리) bamboo path. The park hosts the Taehwagang Bambooo Festival each summer with lantern installations and night walks through the illuminated grove. In autumn, cosmos and silver grass fields turn the meadows pink and silver, making it a favourite photography destination.

The bamboo grove is most atmospheric on weekday mornings when crowds are thin and morning light filters through the canopy. Bicycle rentals are available at the main park entrance near Samho Bridge. The park is accessible from Taehwagang Station on Line 1 of the Ulsan metropolitan bus network, a ten-minute walk from the main grove entrance.