Park or nature areaOutline guide

Chuo Alps

Mountain range in the central part of the Japanese alps

Photo: Hiroaki Kaneko, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

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.

Getting there and around

Getting there

Komagane, a quiet city of about 30,000 inhabitants, is the number one starting place for Chuo Alps hikes.

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Shinshu-Matsumoto Airport

Matsumoto · Regional · MMJ

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Full travel guide

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UnderstandMost 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.

Get inKomagane, a quiet city of about 30,000 inhabitants, is the number one starting place for Chuo Alps hikes.

PrepareDepending on the length of your hike and the accommodation of your choice, you will need at least:

HikeAll following itineraries assume that you will overnight in mountain huts, so no sleeping bag or tent is required.

DrinkThe most important thing is to keep enough water in your pack and drink constantly. Especially during the warm and sunny days, dehydration is a real risk.

SleepThere 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.

Stay safeHiking 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.

Sources and licences

Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Chuo Alps" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Summary from the Wikipedia article "Kiso Mountains", available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikipedia
Photo: Hiroaki Kaneko, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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