Chuo Alps

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Chuo Alps

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About

Discover Chuo Alps

Chuo Alps or Kiso Mountains or Central Alps (中央アルプス Chūō Arupusu) are a mountain range mostly located in Nagano (prefecture). There are several hiking routes in the mountains and most of them are suitable for all hikers and require only a little earlier experience. Out of the mountain ranges of Japan Alps, Chuo Alps is definitely the easiest and a good place to start. Most of the action is concentrated around the Komagatake ropeway. A big part of the people here come only to see the views from Senjojiki ropeway station and then head back down. Some climb to the peak of Kiso-Komagatake, and most of the time the traffic drops dramatically if you walk a couple of kilometers away from the station.

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What to Experience in Chuo Alps

Snow-capped mountains under a clear blue sky

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Plan Your Trip

Essential Information

Getting There

Multiple Options

Komagane, a quiet city of about 30,000 inhabitants, is the number one starting place for Chuo Alps hikes. It features frequent connections to Tokyo with a highway bus and resides also on the JR Iida line, if you wish to take a train. The Komagatake Ropeway from Shirabidaira (altitude 1,662m) to Senjojiki (2,612m) can take almost one kilometer of altitude out of your hike! One-way ricket costs ¥1180 and a return ticket ¥2200. The buses from Komagane to Shirabidaira run every half hour until 5PM. The road up from Komagane-kogen to Shirabidaira is permitted only for buses. There are also various other options for starting your hike. For example, you could approach the mountain range from west. There's a hiking trail starting directly from Kuramoto station and it continues west directly up to Utsugidake. The hike from the station up to Kisodono hut is a long one, but doable in one day, if you start early....

Travel Tips

Getting Around & Staying

Where to Stay

There are several mountain huts (山小屋 yamagoya) along the route, where you can sleep for the night. Overnight with 2 spartan meals costs about ¥7000. Without meals the price is typically around ¥5000. Hiking in the Chuo Alps is not dangerous and many of the routes are of average difficulty. However, there are certain things that you should keep in mind. It's always better to hike with someone. For example, if you strain your ankle, you will have a friend to take care of you. Although if you are hiking during July or August, there will very likely be other people around as well. Tell someone about your planned route. If you're staying in mountain huts, let the people there know where you are heading next. Be sure that you have the necessary equipment, enough drinking water and a proper map with you. The weather can change very rapidly and it can get really cold and windy up in the mountains, even in summer. Waterproof clothing is advised.

Stay Safe

Safety Information

Safety Overview

Hiking in the Chuo Alps is not dangerous and many of the routes are of average difficulty. However, there are certain things that you should keep in mind. It's always better to hike with someone. For example, if you strain your ankle, you will have a friend to take care of you. Although if you are hiking during July or August, there will very likely be other people around as well. Tell someone about your planned route. If you're staying in mountain huts, let the people there know where you are heading next. Be sure that you have the necessary equipment, enough drinking water and a proper map with you. The weather can change very rapidly and it can get really cold and windy up in the mountains, even in summer. Waterproof clothing is advised. It is very unlikely that you will encounter any dangerous animals during the hike - there are several monkeys though, but they tend to avoid close contact with people.

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