Jeff slammed on the brakes. Ahead of us the gravel road disappeared into a massive hole about 40 meters across. It was clearly yet another victim of the typhoons that had destroyed so many of the forest roads in the interior. Jeff reversed back a bit to where we could turn around and park in an open area. A notice pinned to a post informed us that from here on the access road was impassable – we could see that – but also that the western trail leading up to Lion Rock had been destroyed. We had a quick rethink. Although the full loop was now impossible and it would be a longer and rougher walk in (and out), we still had plenty of time to get up and back on the eastern trail. Boots on, and off we went.
Much of the road was still walkable, though becoming overgrown. But where it had been washed away the devastation was spectacular, witness to the ferocity of the typhoon induced flash floods of summer 2016. For one stretch of a few hundred meters there was no indication that a road had ever existed, just a tangle of smashed driftwood that we had to maneuver our way through and around. But soon enough we reached the original trailhead. The logbook to enter party and route details lacked a pen, but a glance at the neglected book gave us the impression that few hikers had visited recently anyway.
The fresh bright green of spring lit up the forest as we climbed steadily alongside a stream and then up the ridge more steeply to a viewpoint on a shoulder. From here we could look back to Otofuke-yama and Ishikari-dake. As we got higher and into the shrub birch and haimatsu creeping pine all of the northern Daisestuzan range came into view, still holding massive amounts of snow. Eventually the haimatsu pine became sporadic and we emerged onto the more open main ridge, passing a trail branching off to the north and Muri-dake. There was plenty of snow on the lee of the ridge which gave much easier walking than battling through the rough pine on the path itself so we were soon at the small rock outcrop of the summit. A few hundred meters further the ridge dipped down to continue on to Lion Rock. It made a great viewpoint so we decided to stop there rather than continue all the way to the rock itself. I basked in the sun while Jeff picked some of the wild berries growing in profusion at the side of the trail.
All that was left was to retrace our steps, though first we took a short detour down the faint trail leading to Muri-dake to check it out for another time, before dropping down to the trailhead and back along the washed out road. We had not seen a single person all day. It was then a short drive to the onsen and Italian restaurant at Sounkyo to round off another wonderful day in Hokkaido’s high hills.
7 thoughts on “Mukayama Dayhike”
Hi there. This hike sounds fantastic. My group and I (pretty fit but not massively experienced) are planning to hike in/near Daisetsuzan in mid-late October. I notice that this page mentions that “[t]he main season for summer hiking on Muka-yama is mid-June into October”. Clearly conditions and weather vary year-on-year, but I just wanted to ask whether you think mid-late October is still a good time to attempt this hike? Thanks so much, and great work on such a fantastic website!
Hi Alex, cheers for the question, and great to hear you’re planning to head up this way. In late October, you need to expect a fair bit of new snow. This new snow will be be difficult to walk through/on even with snowshoes, because it will likely be fresh and deep. I would only recommend Muka-dake in late October for very experienced winter hikers. I hope this helps!
Hi Rob. Thank you very much for this advice. Unfortunate, but it’s good to hear from an expert that this kind of hike is likely too challenging for my group in mid-late October. I know this is a big question, but are there any dayhikes you can recommend around Daisetsuzan, Akan, Shiretoko, or elsewhere in Hokkaido at this time of year for people keen to get outdoors, but who aren’t very well equipped for snowy conditions? We’re very keen on the idea of walking/hiking to see some of Hokkaido’s famous scenery, and then visiting onsen at the end of the day.
Hey Alex, generally speaking, the Akan area gets less snow than Daisetsuzan, so you may find better prospects on something like Meakan-dake near Lake Akan: https://hokkaidowilds.org/hiking/meakan-dake-loop-hike. Hope this helps!
Thanks very much Rob – much appreciated.
This is a lovely hike, especially upon reaching the haimatsu and the ridge! Tsurutsuru onsen and Onneyu onsen in Rubeshibe are even closer than Kurodake no yu, and are worth a visit after hiking.
Hi Sheila, it’s a great day out for sure and thanks for the onsen info, definitely more convenient if coming from that direction!