Mt. Rausu Round Trip from Iwaobetsu Onsen (hot spring)

Sign your name on the list of hikers at the Kinoshita-goya mountain hut listed at the trailhead and start hiking. After hiking the ridge trail through the forest belt for approximately an hour, you will arrive at the “650m Ganpo.”

After the hiking trail switches to a traverse, you will soon arrive at a mountain stream. While there is water here, drinking water from mountain streams in Hokkaido can lead to contracting echinococcosis, a parasitic disease spread by the Ezo red fox. As such, it would be best to bring your own drinking water. Proceed along the flat trail at Gokuraku-daira and up the steep, zigzagging Sennin-zaka Hill and you will arrive at the Ginreisui watering hole in approximately 90 minutes.

From here, the trail follows the valley up through the timberline and into a shrub belt that blooms with a variety of alpine plants in the summer. After walking from Ginreisui along the ridgeline for approximately an hour, you will arrive at Rausu-daira. The surrounding area is a dwarf stone pine belt that offers a scenic view including an up-close view of the peak of Mt. Rausu.

Leave the dwarf stone pine belt at Iwashimizu. From here, the hike to the summit is up a rocky section slope with rows of large boulders. After leaving Rausudaira you will arrive at the peak of Mt. Rausu in approximately an hour. If the skies are clear, you will likely be able to enjoy a 360-degree view of the mountains of the Shiretoko Mountain Range, the Sea of Okhotsk, and beyond.

Take the same path back down the mountain.