Hokkaido Official Tourism Site HOKKAIDO LOVE!

A 1.7km alpine hiking course around a crater pond embraced by 2,291m Asahidake, completable in about 1 hour 30 minutes.

The trail starting from Asahidake Ropeway Sugatami Station continues along well-maintained boardwalks, an easy route even for beginners. Along the course walking around 1,600m altitude, colorful alpine plants including rhododendrons bloom from around June, with flowers competing as if celebrating the short summer. In the clear air, white smoke rising from the crater and the occasional hissing sound from fumaroles remind you that this is an active volcano. Proceeding amid drifting sulfur scent, the magnificent form of Asahidake, Hokkaido's highest peak, appears before you, and on windless days you encounter spectacular views of the mountain's form reflected upside down on the mirror-like pond surface.

From early September, slopes that were green are dyed in blazing red and yellow, allowing you to enjoy Japan's earliest autumn colors. Multiple viewpoints along the circuit route each allow you to view the scenery of Asahidake and Sugatami Pond from different angles. The hiking experience enveloped in Daisetsuzan's magnificent nature, feeling the cold, clear air characteristic of high mountains on your skin, is deeply etched in visitors' hearts.