Mukawa River (Takinosawa to Shimukappu)

鵡川 | Muk-ap

Hokkaido Paddling / Hidaka

Photo of Rob Thomson Founder of Hokkaido Wilds

Posted on Jun 10, 2023

by Rob Thomson

Posted on Jun 10, 2023

by Rob Thomson

0 0

14km

Distance

1 day(s)

Time

4.9 mpk

Gradient

4/5

Water clarity

Class II+

Difficulty

May-Sep

Best season

The upper reaches of the Mukawa River 鵡川 above Shimukappu Village 占冠村 offer a relaxing paddle punctuated with just a couple of enjoyable CII+ rapids. This section of river is always close to roads, but you'd never know it - the river is shrouded in deep forest, with plenty of bird life. There's one exposed bedrock rapid in particular that is perfect for repeating as many times as you can handle - the carry back up to the top of the rapids is an easy walk.

We visited this route on May 21, 2022

Paddlers: Haidee, Timbah, Ben

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GeoPDF

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Route Map

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Need to know details

Difficulty

Grade: II+

Engagement: E1

Remoteness: 2/5

River Details

This route is on Mukawa (鵡川), or Muk-ap in the Ainu indigenous language. The river is a Class A (一級河川) river, 135km in total length. This section of the river is between 4m and 20m wide. The gradient for this section of river is 4.9 mpk (25.87 FPM).

Weather: Windy.com weather forecast for Mukawa

Ideal water level: 330.40ｍm
Water level paddled 330.16m
Water level notes: For the most consistently high water levels, this section of river is best paddled in spring during the melt (late April/May). In the summer months, the river can suffer from low water levels – OK in a packraft, but hardshell kayaks or canoes might suffer.

Location

The Mukawa River is a major waterway flowing from deep in the northern Hidaka Range in western-central Hokkaido, southwards out to the Pacific Ocean east of Tomakomai on Hokkaido’s southern coast. This section of the Mukawa River starts about 15km upstream from the small mountain village of Shimukappu.

Put-in Location: Google Maps

Put in just below the railway bridge east of the exit of the Shimukappu Tunnel 占冠トンネル. There’s a gravel road running right off the main road, just opposite the large parking area on the left.

Take-out Location: Google Maps

A good spot to take out is on the river left just after the Shimukappukawa-bashi bridge 占冠川橋, about 800m downstream of the Bedrock Rapids. There’s a gravel road running from the main road down to a gravel area on the riverbed. If you’d prefer to get closer to Shimukappu Village center, then it’s possible to take out on the river left just before Chitose-bashi bridge千歳橋 or on the river right immediately after Chitose-bashi bridge.

General notes

As far as river paddling goes, this far upper section of the Mukawa River doesn’t get much action. The lack of attention is misguided, however. It’s lovely, relaxing part of the river, with some fun, uncomplicated rapids along the way which keep things interesting. The river is lined with trees, and the small bluffs and cliffs along the way are nice. Well worth paddling if you’re at a loose end in the area, and the more committing and difficult downstream sections don’t appeal.

Paddling even further upstream on the Mukawa: Further upstream than this section becomes difficult on the Mukawa due to downed trees across the river. The river narrows considerably, making paddling difficult, and certainly dangerous in high water.

Route description

After putting in under the railway bridge, there’s a fairly shallow (in summer conditions) CII swift about 100m downstream, wrapping around the first bend. From there, you’ll enjoy a forest-lined paddle along a fast-flowing river with just a few swifts here and there until the 3km point, where the ‘Old Road Rapids’ begin. This stretch of about 500m is a CII+ rapid with plenty of rock-dodging involved. In a packraft it’s great fun, and at normal water levels the water flow is relaxed enough that even if you do tip out, you’d be able to stand up and get back onto your raft. In higher water, the boulders will be covered, and it’ll be a fun wave-ride.

From the Old Road Rapids, it’s another 6km of relaxing paddling until the Bed Rock Rapids. This pushy CII+ rapid/slider twists its way down the bedrock, and will challenge lesser skilled paddlers to keep upright. It’s easily scouted, and it’s easy to walk back up the riverside on the river left to repeat.

Beyond the Bed Rock Rapids, paddlers will just enjoy the remaining float to one’s preferred take out option.

Route Timing

Trip time: 5hrs 0min

This section of river can be smashed out in a few hours, but if you make a day of it, the bedrock rapids at the 9km point can be a fun play spot for a few hours.

Transport

Public transport:

There is no public transport to this route.

By car:

There is plenty of parking at the put-in – we recommend dropping gear at the riverside, and parking in the large paved parking area on the main road, here. At the take-out closest to Shimukappu Village on the river left, there’s a large gravel area where you can park your car (here). For the take-out 800m downstream from Bedrock Rapids (here), there is limited parking – perhaps three cars at a pinch.

Physical maps

Print: HokkaidoWilds.org 1:25,000 TOPOMAP+

Official Topo Map: Shimukappu (占冠) – map no. NK-54-8-10-2

NOTE: The official 1/25000 topo map(s) above can be purchased for 350yen from Kinokuniya bookstore next to Sapporo Station or online (in Japanese).

route safety

Be aware that the large catchment area above the Mukawa means that the river does rise quickly with rain.

See our tips for keeping safe while canoeing, kayaking and packrafting in Hokkaido here.

Weather forecast

Windy.com weather forecast for Mukawa

CampSites

None

Onsen nearby

If you’re headed back to Shimukappu, then we’d recommend Yunosawa Mori-no-shiki Onsen 湯の沢森の四季温泉 (location, 550yen). There’s no outdoor baths, but the attached restaurant has great food at a reasonable price. If headed east towards Tomamu, the enigmatic hot pools in the sprawling Tomamu Resort complex are worth visiting – Kirin-no-yu 木林の湯 (location, 900yen). The pools are not natural hot springs, but the whole Tomamu Resort is such a curiosity, they’re worth a visit.

Extra Resources

See HokkaiCamp’s write-up (in Japanese), here.

Guide Options

There are a number of whitewater guiding services that run paddling tours on the Mukawa River. All offer rafting, and a few may also be able to arrange guided kayaking trips. Check out the following: Wokkys Furano, Hokkaido Outdoor Adventures, River Trip, and Dolphins.

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Show Full Route Notes

Route Trip Notes

HokkaiCamp.com description of the route (translated)

The upper section, where Soshubetsu River merges with the Mukawa, used to be called Tomamu-gawa. Now, however, the river is consistently called the Mukawa. Generally, the higher upstream one goes on a river, the stronger the current, but in the case of the Mukawa, it flows through Shimukappu, which is sandwiched between the Yubari and Hidaka mountain ranges, so the current is relatively gentle in that area. This section of the Mukawa is also a relatively easy descent, with only two difficult rapids along the way. The water is clear and the river is a hidden canoeing field. Canoe clubs descend this section of the river usually in the spring for the purpose of gathering spring shoots. Not only do they enjoy the wild vegetables, but also the beautiful scenery of spring wildflowers in bloom and cherry blossoms adorning the mountainsides. However, this is also the time of year when the water level continues to rise due to the melting snow, and when the water volume is high, it can be a situation where you risk your life going down the rapids to harvest wild vegetables. If there is a moderate amount of water, this is a section of the river where you can enjoy comfortable river rafting.

A warm-up to the more technical downstream section, was the framing for today’s paddle. And it was just that. It had been a long while since Ben had paddled a single vessel on a river, so this relaxed section of the Mukawa, with punctuated here and there with some rapids to keep things interesting, was a perfect precursor to the Niniu section of the Mukawa the next day.

The water level was low. It was only late May, and it felt like the height of summer.

Soon after setting off, there was a shallow swift to contend with.

Very straight forward in the packraft, but had we been in the composite Prospector canoe, we would have left some gelcoat in the river. Boney.

It wasn’t long before we arrived at number one of two rapids of this upper Mukawa river section – the Old Road Rapids. Named as such because they run alongside an old abandoned road.

Haidee and I managed to run them fairly smoothly in the packraft.

Timbah, on top of a high-riding single ducky, with a much higher center of gravity, flipped his ducky a couple of times as he came to terms with how his borrowed vessel handled in faster moving water.

From the bottom of the Old Road Rapids to the next set of rapids 6km downstream, it felt like a good old-fashioned float. Just letting the water take us down stream, chatting…

The Bed Rock Rapids were a fun interlude on the relaxed paddle down the river, and a perfect spot for eating lunch and having multiple runs down the rapids.