China has added three woodland walks to its list of national trails, which aims to enhance the travel experience of outdoor enthusiasts and further stimulate forest tourism.
Initiated in 2017 as significant infrastructure to meet the growing popularity of mountain hiking, the national trails named by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration are located in grand mountains and forest zones.
Each measuring more than 1,000 km, these national trails wind through forest parks, nature reserves, wetlands, geological parks and ancient villages, better connect individual scenic spots and allow walkers to submerge themselves in the country's unique scenery.
The three new trails, about 3,466 km in total length, are respectively located in the Lesser Hinggan Mountain, Dabie Mountain and Wuling Mountain, spanning temperate mixed forests and sub-tropical forests.
To protect local ecosystems, sources with the administration said that the trails are mainly dirt roads or gravel tracks surrounded by natural wilderness.
The trails also avoid the migration routes of wild animals and are at a safe distance from the habitats of rare wild animals, they said.
China previously named nine national trails in the mountains of Qinling, Taihang, Greater Hinggan, Luoxiao, Wuyi, Tianmu, Nanling, Miaoling and Hengduanshan. The total length of China's 12 national trails now exceeds 22,000 km.
