Goose-watching Cycle Tour to Miyajima Pond (short version)

Posted on Oct 13, 2018
0

Posted on Oct 13, 2018

0 0
140km

Distance

4 days

Time

560m

Ascent

67m

Highest point

2/10

Difficulty

100%

Paved

This is a 140km shorter version of the 300km round-trip cycle tour from Sapporo to Miyajima Pond northeast of Sapporo City. It makes for a very leisurely one-, two- or three-night cycle trip to escape the metropolis, without having to use any transport other than bicycle. In early spring or late autumn, Miyajima Pond is home to tens of thousands of migratory geese. Seeing them all take off in unison at daybreak is breathtaking.

Last updated Jun 3, 2019

Route Map

Route Overview

Golden Week (early May) in Hokkaido can be a real pot-luck when it comes to the weather. When we first scouted out this route from Sapporo to Miyajima Pond, it ended up being a cold, wet, and wild Golden Week. Hence all the wet- and cold-looking photos in this route guide. We even still had mounds of snow lying around. But the geese didn’t care – they were still making a stop off at Miyajima Pond in their tens of thousands, on their way back up to Siberia for the summer.

This route guide is a shortened version of a Sapporo out-and-back route that goes via Miyajima Pond, but heads further north still. That route guide is here. In this guide, we utilize Toyohira and Ishikari River stopbanks on the way there to get out of Sapporo City, and then return via the Naganuma Plains.

Other trips

Daily Route notes

Distance: 38km | Ascent: 101m | Paved: 100% | ↓ GPX file

45km along the Toyohira River Cycle Path and then the Ishikari River Cycle Path/stop-bank road. The campground is right next to Airis Onsen(アイリス温泉, costs 400円)and Shinotsu Lake(しのつ湖 ). Campground opens 1st May, and costs 300yen per person per night, plus 1000yen per tent (second tent is 500yen).

Accommodation: Shinotsu Park Campground (しのつ公園キャンプ場) | 1000 yen per tent | 300 yen per person

Man on a mamachari Japanese bicycle (Sapporo, Japan)_8713239808_l

As with each ski touring, cycle touring, and hiking route guide published on hokkaidowilds.org, should you choose to follow the information on this page, do so at your own risk. Prior to setting out check current local weather, conditions, and land/road/track closures. While traveling, obey all public and private land use restrictions and rules, carry proper safety and navigational equipment, and of course, follow leave-no-trace procedures. The information found herein is simply a planning resource to be used as a point of inspiration in conjunction with your own due-diligence. In spite of the fact that this information, associated GPS track (GPX, KML and maps), and all information was prepared under diligent research by the specified contributor and/or contributors, the accuracy of such and judgement of the author is not guaranteed. hokkaidowilds.org, its partners, associates, and contributors are in no way liable for personal injury, damage to personal property, or any other such situation that might happen to individuals following the information contained in this post.

Comments | Queries | Reports

Done this route or parts of it? Thinking of doing it? Please post any feedback or queries here. Thanks!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

See More Like this