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Shikotsu-Tōya NP., Hokkaido
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This trail once charged admission: a mountaineering club founded in 1905 cut the Hirafu route, collected entry fees at a gate near today’s Hangetsu Lake, and ran a paid rest hut at the 9th station. The club transferred its assets in 1925.
The lake beside the trailhead began as a nearly round volcanic crater. A lava dome rose inside it, splitting the water into Hangetsu (Half Moon) and Shingetsu (New Moon); Shingetsu has since filled in and become marshland.
Hirafu Station first opened as Ōmagari (“big bend”), named for the nearby Shiribetsu River’s curve. The Ezo Fuji Mountaineering Association later persuaded the railway to rename it Hirafu, echoing the 7th-century commander Abe no Hirafu.
The upper Kutchan route passes through the nationally designated Alpine Plant Zone of Mt. Shiribeshi, protected since 1921. Above 1,700 metres, more than 100 kinds of alpine plants bloom in midsummer, including distinctive Hokkaido species.
On 17 April 1912, 2 local Hirafu youths set off on snowshoes ahead of Austrian ski instructor Theodor von Lerch’s climbing party. The skiers caught them at Komagaeshi, astonishing the locals with their unfamiliar skis and single pole.
Mountaineering leader Kawai Atsunobu named Hangetsu Lake around 1907. Before World War II, visitors rented boats and carp were raised here; writer Hayashi Fumiko visited in 1934 and described the lake’s scenery in her writing.
During the snowmelt season, Yōtei’s largest crater reveals a fleeting sight that Environment Ministry rangers call the “Dragon Eye.” It is a little-known seasonal view for hikers who reach the summit rim by this route.
Komakusa may look perfectly at home among Yōtei’s alpine rocks, but people introduced it; it never grew naturally on the mountain. In 2023, a ranger-and-local team removed 10 plants near the Kutchan route’s 9th station, continuing a 13-year effort.
Between the 1st and 2nd stations, a spot called the Wind Cave breaks up the forest climb. Hikers have noticed a chilly draft at its opening—a small, refreshing surprise before the trail steepens.
