Utsukushigahara Day Hike (24Jul2011)

Hiking

I planned a trip for 3 days and 2 nights to hike 3 mountains, i.e. Utsukushigahara, Kirigamine and Tateshina-yama. Those are for beginners but I wondered if my daughter could walk all three mountains. So, I had a backup plan to visit tourist attractions, just in case. The first mountain was Utsukushigahara.

Milk and ice cream

“In Utsukushigahara, there is a farm that put cattle to pasture. You can see many cows there. Also, you can taste good milk and ice cream.”

“I wanna have milk and also ice cream.”

Utsukushigahara is a mountain with a volcanic plateau from where view of surrounding mountains is marvelous. Utsukushigahara is generally imagined to be a tourist resort due to easily accessible by car. Even the highest peak, Ou-ga-to, can be accessible by a hotel bus.

Trail from Yamamoto-goya was wide and easy to walk. Many people were walking the path but most of them were tourists. Although we took time to take photos and saw cows, we arrived at Shiokureba almost on the estimated hiking time.

Ougato Hotel — Soon after we begun to walk, we could see the highest point of Utsukushigahara.

It is a wide and flat path. — It started with a wide and flat path. A hotel bus runs this road.

Lots of cows lying on the grass when we passed Utsukushigahara Farm.

At Shiokureba, we found a path called ‘Alps Observation route’. This was a new path opened in 2010 and good view mountains is expected. It was not on the map we brought but we decided to walk the path.

Alps Observation route (1) — Walking ‘Alps Observation route’ – It became like a ‘mountain pass’.

Alps Observation route (2) - Ou-ga-to is in front — Walking Alps Observation route – It became like a ‘mountain pass’.

Alps Observation route (3) - bushed were as tall as my daughter — Walking the Alps Observation route – It became like a ‘mountain pass’.

A good view of Japan Alps mountains spreads in the left side of the Alps Observation route. My daughter kept walking thanks to a variety of the mountain scenery that never bored her. The path has ups and downs, so it seemed to be a good training to hike Mt. Tateshina tomorrow.

Alps Observation route (4) - mountains view — Walking Alps Observation route – It became like a ‘mountain pass’.

Alps Observation route (5) - Ou-ga-to, the highest pealk of Utsukushigahara is almost there — Walking Alps Observation route – It became like a ‘mountain pass’.

There was a hotel, called Ougato Hotel, close to the highest point. Restroom, some foods, and souvenirs were available at this hotel.

Ougato, the highest point of Utsukushigahara

Hikers visiting Utsukushigahara are heading Ou-ga-hana in general, but we decided to go back to the trailhead. We had enough time to walk because we planned to hike another mountain in the afternoon. I felt it was too tough for my daughter to walk faster.

We walked wide path to return to the trailhead.

What about milk and ice cream?
My daughter had milk at Yamamoto-goya. She also ate ice cream but after hiking the other mountain.

Route & Time

Hike date: July 24, 2011
Members: Family (farther, mother and 3-year-old daughter)
Course time:
9:55 Yamamoto-goya – 10:12 Utsukushi-no-tou – 10:22 Shiokureba (a fork to Alps Observation route) – 11:30 Ou-ga-to – 11:40 Ougato Hotel (lunch) 12:10 – 12:35 Shiokureba – 12:45 Utsukushi-no-tou – 12:59 Yamamoto-goya [3 hours and 4 minutes]