Overview
The Ainu name for the range means the playground of the gods, and the park is mostly trackless above the treeline, with brown bears throughout and no facilities on the high traverses. Asahidake, at 2,291 metres, is Hokkaido’s highest mountain and has a ropeway to 1,600 metres, which puts alpine terrain within an hour of a bus stop. Snow lies on the highest ground into July.
Highlights
The Sugatami loop from the top of the Asahidake ropeway is an hour on boardwalk past steaming vents and is the accessible half of the park. Anything beyond that is serious mountain walking: register your route, carry a bear bell, and check the forecast, because weather here turns faster than the map suggests. Mid-September is the colour; late June is the alpine flowers.