Abstract

People living in crowded cities are exposed to many adverse effects of urbanization. The continuing population growth, unemployment problems, traffic problems, rising crime rates, and declining living standards are just some of the natural stressors on the people living here. Especially city dwellers with such problems are in an effort to seek and perform recreational activities that will leave them alone with nature in order to get rid of their stress even for a moment. These factors make trekking very attractive for city dwellers. This study aimed at evaluating longoz Forests, which are close to a metropolis like Istanbul, for trekking individuals. For this purpose, data were collected from individuals trekking in the region by qualitative research method. Interviews were conducted using the semi-structured interview technique in the research. The interpretation of the data was carried out using content analysis. As a result of the research, it was determined that Longoz Forests have a powerful potential for trekking.