Summer Info
The colors at Kami-no-kanba (pictured) were breathtaking. Even if you normally turn around at Happo Pond, I recommend submitting a hiking registration and continuing at least as far as the Kami-no-kanba forest or Ogi-no-setsuden snowfield through this weekend. Beneath the clear autumn skies today, nanakamado and maples were glowing brilliant red, the mine-kaede had turned yellow, and the dakekanba were beginning their transition from green to gold.
[Trail to Mt. Karamatsu・Shita-no-kanba to Kami-no-kanba]
I met a family from Omachi City (pictured), who called out to me, “Oh, Snownavi! We always read your reports! I’m the mountain lover in the family, and the kids are always kind enough to come along with me. This summer we climbed Mt. Chokai and Mt. Tengu together, too. Today we’re heading up to Mt. Karamatsu, then tomorrow we’ll traverse to Mt. Goryu.” Several other hikers on their way to Mt. Karamatsu also stopped to say things like, “The weather and the fall colors are both perfect!” and “September was so rainy that I was worried, but the colors have turned out surprisingly well!”
[Trail to Mt. Karamatsu・Shita-no-kanba to Kami-no-kanba]
One of the best indicators of how the fall colors are progressing around Happo Pond is the slope stretching below Kaerazu-no-ken (pictured, center). This morning, the dakekanba there were just beginning to turn yellow, putting the overall color at around 50% of peak, and I expect the foliage around Happo Pond to reach its peak sometime between this weekend and the middle of next week.
[Happo-One Nature Trail・Happo Cairn to Happo Pond]
A light, cool breeze made the area around Happo Pond a popular place to stop and relax while taking in the views of the Northern Alps. From here (pictured), the colors gradually became less advanced as I descended toward Happo-ike Sanso. (＊Fall color was about halfway to peak along the Happo-One Nature Trail, around 30 to 40% along the Alpen Quad, and just beginning along the gondola).
[Trail to Mt. Karamatsu・Happo Pond to Shita-no-kanba]
[Happo-One Nature Trail Opening Information]
*Period … 2026/5/30 (Sat.) & 5/31 (Sun.), 6/6 (Sat.) – 11/3 (Tue.)
*Hours … Happo Alpen Line: 8:00 a.m., Oct 3 – 4, Oct 12, Oct 17 – Nov 1 (Weekends) from 7:30 a.m., Kurobishi Line: 8:15 a.m., Oct 3 – 4, Oct 12, Oct 17 – 18 from 7:45 a.m., Oct 10 – 11 from 7:15 a.m.
*Fees … Happo Alpen Line round trip / Adults ¥3,500 · Elementary school children ¥2,300 →Adults ¥3,200, children ¥2,000 with early-discount tickets! (No need to exchange at the ticket counter—bring it directly to the gondola gate!)
