Hiking for Hotaka Mountains Autumn Leaves Viewing

Usually, most of the deciduous trees exist in the mountain areas and nationally, evergreen conifer tress are the main trees for the Alpineand subalpine belts. Therefore, there are no many trees which change colors in high altitudes. However, the North Japan Alps have unique features which do not make it a suitable area for a growth of evergreen conifer tress. These features are that the North Japan Alps is in a heavy snowfall area which reflects the Japan Sea side climate and that their shape is very steep. As a result, even the subalpine belt is lucky to have some beautiful places for autumn leaves.
Also, there are not only good spots with wide open views for autumn leaves, but also great spots for phenomenal views with rocky peaks in the background.

Those spots for autumn leaves would be located around the middle of the mountains and these are not Advanced courses such as rock climbing but Beginning to Intermediate courses. Even beginner hikers for the North Japan Alps can enjoy these courses.

The best season for autumn leaves around the Hotaka Mountains:
The best season for the alpine belt above the midline of the mountains to ridgelines or summits is from late September to early October and for mountain areas below the midline is early October to middle of October.

Beautifully colorful autumn leaves like “Nishiki” with a mixture of the bright red of Rown trees and maples, the yellow of the Betula Ermani, and the evergreen of Abies Mariesii attract hikers’ attention. The peak of the autumn leaves changes from year to year so make sure that you check the latest local information before you visit.

Autumn leaves color changing occurs due to a rapid temperature drop and the temperature in the mountains can drop to between 0 to 10 ℃. It might feel warm under the sun, however, once the weather changes for the worse, you might feel a rapid temperature drop and encounter snow or icy rain.
You must prepare to enter the mountains with warm clothing and rain gear.