Daisetsuzan: Peak Colors

On my second day in Daisetsuzan National Park, I went onto a considerably longer hiking excursion than yesterday, walking from the Ginsendai trailhead via Mount Akadake and through Daisetsuzan's interior to Mount Kurodake from where I descended to Sounkyo. It is a long and strenuous trek that requires proper preparation and footwear.

Along the way, the autumn colors were at their peak near Ginsendai and along the upper slopes of Mount Kurodake, but they were already beyond their peak in the even higher elevations in the interior of the Daisetsuzan mountains, although the volcanic scenery with some colorful batches here and there was still spectacular.

I took an early bus from Sounkyo to Ginsendai (departing daily at 6am until September 30, see official link), which was relatively well occupied. Less than half an hour into the trail, hikers come across a wide mountain slope covered by nanakamado bushes and other trees, bushes and shrubs, providing one of the national park's most spectacular seasonal sights. The colors were at their peak today and should remain so for a few more days.

As I climbed higher towards the Akadake peak, the scenery remained spectacular, although the seasonal colors gradually thinned out. This remained the theme for most of my hours-long journey across the interior of the Daisetsuzan Mountains from the Akadake peak via the Koizumi and Hokkaidake peaks towards Kurodake.

The descent from the summit of Mount Kurodake to the upper station of the chairlift was another highlight. While most bushes have dropped their leaves already near the summit, they were still at their best in the middle and lower sections of the steep trail that connects the summit with the upper chairlift station.

Even along the chairlift, it was possible to enjoy some colors already, and their intensity is to further improve over the coming days.

The Kurodake Ropeway finally brought me back down to the hot spring town of Sounkyo. Down in the valley, the predominant color remains green, and the peak of the autumn color season is not expected to be reached before around mid October.