Hakusan National Park

Introducing Hakusan National Park

Travellers with a thirst for exercise (and time on their hands) may want to venture into this national park, in the southeast corner of Ishikawa-ken and spilling over into neighbouring Fukui, Toyama and Gifu prefectures. The park has several peaks above 2500m; the tallest is Hakusan (2702m), a sacred mountain that, along with Mt Fuji, has been worshipped since ancient times. In summer, hiking and scrambling uphill to catch mountain sunrises are the main activities, while in winter skiing and onsen bathing take over.

For information, you can phone the Hakusan Visitor Centre (93-1001), which also handles reservations for the Murodō Centre, or the Shiramine Town Hall (98-2011). Japanese language skills are helpful at both places.

The alpine section of the park is crisscrossed with trails, offering hikes of up to 25km. For hikers who are well equipped and in no hurry, there is a 26km trek to Ogimachi in Shōkawa Valley. However, camping is prohibited in the park except at designated camping grounds, meaning you’ll have to hike very fast.

Those looking to hike on and around the peaks are required to stay overnight at either Murodō Centre or Nanryū Mountain Lodge. Getting to either of these requires a hike of 3½ to five hours. That doesn’t stop the park from swarming with visitors, however.

The surrounding area of the park is dotted with little villages offering onsen, minshuku and ryokan accommodation and camping grounds.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009