Summer Info
With the opening of the Kurobishi Forest Road and the start of operations on the Kurobishi 3 Pair Lift on 7/1 (Wed.), both the Happo Alpen Line and Kurobishi Line are now up and running. The first weekend of the season with both access routes open was greeted by cool, cloudy weather. As I rode the Grat Quad, I emerged above a layer of low cloud, only to find another blanket of clouds hanging overhead.
[Ridge Trail]
Sunny skies may make for better photos, but when it comes to hiking, overcast conditions are far more comfortable. Looking out over a sea of clouds to the east this morning, I steadily gained elevation. There were noticeably more people on the trail today—from serious mountaineers carrying large packs to lightly equipped hikers, and from young children to older walkers—all making their way toward Happo Pond. Some of the narrow sections and steeper climbs even saw a few brief bottlenecks.
[Ridge Trail]
With the last patches of snow now gone, Happo Pond was almost perfectly still this morning, beautifully reflecting the Hakuba Sanzan peaks. At the classic photo spot, I watched families and groups of friends taking turns photographing one another from opposite sides of the pond, their cheerful voices echoing across the area. Nearby, chinguruma and yukiwari-so were nearing the end of their blooming season, while tegata-chidori, urajiro-yoraku, takane-bara, and kumoma mimina-gusa were blooming in abundance. (※The chishima-kikyo flowers near the No.3 Cairn were still budding.)
[Happo-One Nature Trail / Happo Pond]
Many hikers continued beyond Happo Pond toward Mt. Karamatsu. Next weekend, beginning on 7/11 (Sat.), the Kurobishi 3 Pair Lift will begin its special Sunrise Operations. Not only will visitors be able to enjoy the sunrise from Kurobishidaira, but it will also make for an ideal early-morning start for those heading up the first section of the Happo-One Nature Trail (the Riesen Grat Course) on their way to Mt. Karamatsu.
[Trail to Mt. Karamatsu / Happo Pond to Shita-no-Kanba]
＊The Kurobishi Forest Road and the Kurobishi Line are scheduled to open on 7/1 (Wed.).
[Happo-One Nature Trail Opening Information]
*Period … 2026/5/30 (Sat.) & 5/31 (Sun.), 6/6 (Sat.) – 11/3 (Tue.)
*Hours … Happo Alpen Line (from 8:00; early‑morning service starts July 11). *The Kurobishi Line begins operation from July 1.
*Fees … Happo Alpine Line Roundtrip / Adults JPY3,500, Elementary School Students JPY2,300 → Advance Discount Tickets: Adults JPY3,200, Elementary School Students JPY2,000! (Skip the ticket window! Go straight to the gondola gate.)
