Hiro Miura contributed photos to this post.
Last updated Mar 13, 2023
The Ningle Forest Management Hut is located at the southern-most end of the Daisetsuzan National Park in central Hokkaido, at the Genshi-ga-hara Trailhead, here. It’s about a 40 minute drive to the hut from central Furano City. The hut is accessible by car – via a gravel road – in the non-snow months. In winter, the hut is only accessible by snowshoe or ski, along a 7km snowed-in road, from around here.
This hut is an immaculate, fairly new building, with two stories. Technically, this hut is not open to the public – the general public must apply to the Furano City Council in advance to use the hut. As such, the hut is locked, and a key must be picked up from the Furano City Council. Day-to-day maintenance of the hut is done by the Furano Alpine Club (富良野山岳会). The hut becomes an amazing base in the winter for ski mountaineering around Maefurano-dake, Dairoku-yama, and the lesser Asahidake (旭岳, 1335m).
- Wood for the stove: There is wood in the hut, but this is the property of the hut, for use ONLY by hut maintenance staff and other hut-related personnel (as per directions from Furano town council staff). Any visitors using the hut must bring their own wood. The access road to the hut is suitable for pulling pulks/sleds, so it’s fairly easy to haul in a few nights’ worth of fuel.
- Windows and doors: In winter, all windows will be covered with sliding wooden panels. If these are opened on arrival, please make 100% sure they are all slid back into place when leaving. This goes for the entrance sliding doors also.
The hut is locked, so users must contact the Furano City Council to arrange to pick up the key in advance of using the hut. We visited the hut on a three-day weekend, so we arranged to pick the key up from the council’s guardsman’s office (on the southeastern end of the municipal office, here) on a Saturday morning, and drop it off at the Furano City Commerce and Tourism Department on the 2nd floor of the Concierge Furano (コンシェルジュ フラノ, location) on Monday afternoon.
There are no hut fees (it’s free to stay), and there’s no donation box of any kind.
Heating: The hut is heated by a small but efficient cast-iron wood stove. There is wood in the hut, but this wood is ONLY for use by hut maintenance staff and Furano Apine Club members. Visitors must supply their own wood. The access road is suitable for pulks/sleds, so we found it easy enough to pull in more than enough supply for a few nights. Bundles of hardwood can be bought at hardware stores in Furano City.
Water: There is no running water in the hut. In winter, melt snow on the stove. There is a stream nearby, but it’s not practically accessible in winter.
Kitchen/cooking: There are a number of very large nabe pots and one large kettle – these are good for melting snow. When we were there, there were also two table-top gas cookers (like this). If you bring your own threadless gas canisters (they look like this, available in any supermarket and most convenience stores), you’d be able to use these. Note, however, that club members will have first priority to use the gas cookers – bring your own just in case.
Bedding: There is no bedding in the hut.
Elecricity: There is no electricity in the hut.
Toilets: There is one, surprisingly not smelly toilet room accessed from within the hut, with one urinal, one squat toilet, and one sit-down toilet. The latter two are long-drops. When we were there in late February 2020, there were also two outdoor portable toilets, which were partially buried in snow.
Cell reception: There is patchy mobile reception. My docomo phone alternated between weak 4G and strong 3G.
There is no hutkeeper.
Related Maps
NOTE: For number references to official printed topographical maps, check the main route report ( Maefurano-dake Ski Touring ).
This hut is maintained by the passion and effort of the volunteer Furano Alpine Club. If you make a visit, please give the place a clean, and make sure to sign the guest book. Always leave a hut cleaner than you found it. Again – wood in the hut is for use by hut-related personnel only.
Ningle Forest Management Hut Hut Trip reports
Ningle Forest Management Hut Hut Photo Gallery
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