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Daisetsuzan NP, Hokkaido
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Ginsendai’s road was meant to continue over Akadake toward Asahidake, but the cross-mountain highway plan was canceled in 1967. Today’s trailhead is the surviving end of a much bigger road scheme.
Ginsendai’s name preserves an old geographical belief: that the headwaters of Sōunkyō’s Ginga (Milky Way) Falls began here. The falls drop 120 m, their slender stream likened to a silver thread.
On September 18, 2025, Akadake’s ridge was already winter-bare while red Chinguruma leaves and yellow willows peaked at the lower Fourth Snowfield. The mountain’s autumn is a patchwork, not one synchronized color change.
The crimson slope above Ginsendai owes much to urajiro-nanakamado, a low shrub named for the white undersides of its leaves. It flowers white in summer, bears red berries, then turns red again in autumn.
At about 1,500 m, Ginsendai is a road-accessible trailhead in true alpine country. Kamikawa Town describes it as the highest place in Hokkaido reachable by car—a remarkable starting point for a hike.
On June 13, 2025, all 4 named snowfields above Ginsendai were still snow-covered, and flowers had begun only on newly exposed ground. Here, spring arrives in small patches, following the retreating snow.
