Daisetsuzan Grand Traverse

In this guide, we describe the longest uninterrupted traverse of the Daisetsuzan National Park – a full traverse from south to north along the spine of the range. Note that this is not the most commonly walked version of the Grand Traverse. Hikers seeking more brevity or convenience will start in the north either in Asahidake Onsen 旭岳温泉 or Sounkyo (Kurodake) 層雲峡 (黒岳), and end in the south at Tokachi-dake Onsen 十勝岳温泉 after summiting Furano-dake 富良野岳. This is because 1) there are ropeways in the north that can aid the ascent to the alpine and 2) committing to a shorter traverse will decrease the probability of being caught out in storms, increasing chances of completing the route in relative comfort and safety. If committing to the full traverse (and being determined to finish it), hikers must carry a few days of extra food in anticipation of sitting out inevitable storms (indeed, we did).

What makes a ‘Grand’ Traverse? We’ve written up a full definition here, but the most common is that ‘Grand’ Traverse must include Furano-dake in the south, and usually starts/finishes at either Asahidake or Kurodake. For aesthetic (and purist) appeal, we heartily recommend experienced hikers plan well and attempt the extended traverse (Genshigahara to Aizankei) outlined on this page.

• When to go: The main season for summer hiking in Daisetsuzan is from July into September; before and after this, you need to be prepared and equipped for snow on the ground and/or falling from the sky. Even in summer, expect temperatures down to freezing overnight.
• Flora and geography: This high alpine volcanic route is home to flora ranging from hardy creeping pine to extremely delicate permafrost areas and alpine vegetation. From July to early August, the plateaus are home to spectacular alpine flower meadows. Hikers are asked to keep to trails at all times.
• Preparations and what to pack: This hike requires multiple 6-9hr hiking days. If you’re not very hiking fit, it’s worth doing some long day trips to get in hiking shape. Keep your pack as light as possible, but still carry the gear required to deal with near-freezing temperatures and rain, even in summer. See our full preparations post here (with kit-lists).
• Permits and trail costs: Besides hut or campsite fees at Hakuundake Hut (payable at the hut), there are no other permits required for the hike and no trail access costs.
• Weather: Close attention to weather forecasts is important (there’s good cell reception at peaks along the way). It is almost unheard of in the Daisetsuzan Range to go more than three or four days without some sort of serious weather. Indeed, we spent 48 hours in a hut waiting for a storm to subside. During the storm, with 60-90km/h winds, another hiker just 8km away from us died from exposure (see the story here). The high peaks in Hokkaido are relatively low altitude, but Hokkaido’s high latitude and positioning relative to the jetstream means that even 2000m here can be on par with 3000m peaks elsewhere in the world. Bad weather often rolls in with SE systems.
• Huts and campsites: On this hike, you will need to spend up to seven nights in shelter huts or in campgrounds. Huts en route are very spartan with no cooking facilities, washrooms, or bedding, so you need to take all your food, bedding and cooking equipment. Most huts have toilets, but some don’t. Expect basic communal sleeping platforms and not much else. The huts may be crowded during the summer holiday season and at weekends. Camping is allowed outside all huts. Campsites are equally spartan, alpine, and windswept, with no toilet facilities. Camping is only permitted at designated campsites marked on the map, or next to huts.
• Toilets: There are few toilets along this route. Five out of eight days, you’ll need to carry your own human waste out with you; catholes are not allowed in the alpine in Daisetsuzan. Portable toilet bags are available online. Toilet privacy booths (for using your portable toilet bags) are available at some (but not all) campgrounds. See our ‘Pooping on the Daisetsuzan Grand Traverse’ post here. For huts with toilets, used toilet paper should be packed out.
• Water: By September it can become difficult to find water at the campsites and huts. Some water sources dry up as early as late July onwards, so be prepared to carry plenty of water in your pack. All water sourced en route needs to be filtered or boiled, to protect against the fox-borne Echinococcus parasite (see our deep-dive here).
• Trail information: For up to date trail and hut information, contact the Asahidake Visitor Center (TEL: 0166-97-2153, www.asahidake-vc-2291.jp/eng) or the Sounkyo Visitor Center (TEL: 01658-9-4400, http://sounkyovc.net). Note, however, that these visitor centres are at the far north end of the range. They may need time to call around to find out the situation on water sources etc at the southern end of the range – be prepared to call them back or have them return your call. Alternatively, drop a question in the Facebook group Hiking, Climbing and Camping in Japan, and someone may have an answer for you.
• Cellular reception: There is reasonable mobile phone reception (4G) throughout the range on peaks and some high, exposed ridgelines. Reception at huts and campgrounds is patchy at best.
• Winter season traverse: Deep winter-time (Dec-Feb) attempts on the Daisetsuzan Grand Traverse are rare, but not unheard of. They require a full alpine winter expedition style approach on skis. Around two weeks is the norm for timing in deep winter due to storms and deep snow. Spring-time ski traverses are relatively more practical and allow for both multi-day traverses as well as skimo-style attacks on the range. The shortest time we know of for a spring traverse (60km from Tokachidake Onsen to Asahidake) is a shade over 13 hours by local skimo athlete Ken Fujikawa, in May 2016 – story here. This beats a previous record by a Norwegian in 2015 of 17 hours (source, p. 32).