Mt. Apoi: Exploring Hokkaido’s Alpine Wonder
Mt. Apoi is renowned for its unique alpine plants, typically found at altitudes exceeding 2,000 meters in Honshu, Japan.
Designated as a UNESCO Global Geopark since 2015, this area offers a glimpse into precious natural landscapes not found elsewhere in Hokkaido.
A campsite located next to the visitor center is open to the public. For those planning trekking adventures from Mt. Apoi to neighboring mountains, staying overnight allows early morning departures.
Given the mountain’s remote nature, there are no facilities, including toilets. Portable toilets are available for purchase at the visitor center for 500 yen and are recommended for your trekking needs.
Hiking Mt. Apoi typically takes between 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours uphill and 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours downhill.
While not excessively difficult, it’s essential to prepare appropriate equipment and be aware of potential encounters with bears, as the area is their habitat. Attach a bell to your bag to alert bears of your presence and reduce the likelihood of surprising them.
Access
To climb Mt. Apoi, this visitor center serves as the starting point. First, let’s park the car here.
After walking for about 30 minutes, we encountered a family of Ezo deer. They were remarkably beautiful and looked at us curiously, as if we were strangers. I found them to be very welcoming and lovely animals.
This sign indicates the second stage and another 2.9km ahead.
There are five rest areas with benches before reaching the fifth stage, which is the halfway point to the summit. Avoid drinking water from mountain streams due to the risk of echinococcus infection.
You can find a toilet behind the hut near the small tent. Make sure to set up your portable toilet if needed.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t see the view.
The elevation of Mt. Apoi is 810 meters. This is before reaching the sixth stage.
You will encounter numerous alpine plants along the way, each one stunning and precious. Your best option is to capture their beauty through photography.
The trekking course is known as Umanose, which translates to “horseback.” It’s named so because this is where two tectonic plates, one from North America and the other from Eurasia, collided to form the mountain.
This is the summit of Mt. Apoi, marked by a small shrine.
