A popular hike with great trail, many options for any hiker and great views. The top of the mountain as a tiny loop with 3 peaks to view Yufuin and Mount Tsurumi, next to Beppu.
We only got up to one peak since we got lost in fog, stuck in a frost field and maybe saw a few ghosts.
DINK Details
Difficulty: Medium Month: April | Time¹: 5.5 hours Distance: 4.4 mi Elv. Gain: 2,378 ft |
Concerns: Climbing down rope(loop trail only)² - 10 to15 ft drops | Equipment: N/A |
1. How long we took to walk it with breaks and all
2. We saw this and turned around
They were old, where did they go so fast?!? Were they ghosts?
Trailhead
The trail head is on a major road to the town of Beppu. We decided to catch a local bus from the bus station near the train station. There is also a parking lot by the trailhead.
With a 15 minute bus ride, 15 walk from ryokan, and time for a boss coffee rainbow mountain blend, we were making good time.
The Hike
Start Time: 9:16 am
After getting off the bus, we saw a clear path in a field to the mountain we have been eyeing for the past day.
The first part of the trail was flattish with a pretty view on a sunny day. As time went on, elevations slowly increased and some clouds rolled in. There were more signs but older and with a foreboding element.
As the clouds rolled in, we only had a few yards of visibility. The leaves also disappeared from the trees at the same point coincidently .....
As we reached the peak loop, we ran into some other hikers. After some conversation, they loved we were from New York City and asked for a picture. I, for one, never say no to my fans. After Nea rolls her eyes for an unrelated reason, we walk a few more steps and hit a wall of frost that comes out of nowhere.
Haven't seen anything like this..... Still have to make it to the peak. We take lots of pictures and swim through this fog. Soon enough, the top appears. We celebrate and sit down for snacks.
After we finish, two older Japanese gentlemen ask us if the route continues through here, like we would know. After seeing we were confused as well, they took lead and we followed. Together we walked through a field of frost and down a wall of rocks. We tried to keep up but the fog got thicker and the gentlemen faded into it..... We never saw them again. Stuck in the middle of a field of fog, frost and cliffs we didn't know what to do.
Obstacles
Scrambles with Rope
Keeping up the gentlemen across the landscape was challenging. The pictures above show a 10 foot drop with rope to help get down. The trail was well marked with signs at least, helping hikes decides if they want to continue the loop or head down a different path. We attempted to head down down the new path buy, this lead us to a larger drop with a rope. This was a huge noooope and we were quite happy stopping here and doubling back.
Wrap Up
We headed back the well travelled route wondering what we we had just seen.
We were greeted by an older local gentleman who was just hanging out. After saying hello, I threw down a "hajimemashite" and got back my first "dozo yoroshiku".
We caught the bus back to town, looking forward to our second night in Yufuin (recommendations below). When we arrived, we were greeted by this cuteness!!
In the Area
Yufuin
Details
An idyllic, rural village
Walkable with many cute shops
The best meal we ever had, sukiyaki
Train station for getting around.
Where we stayed for two nightsTODO
Maps
AllTrails
Note: There are many options but we got lost in the fog sooo out and back.
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