Hiked on 9/15/2021
Mt. Karamatsu, known as Karamatsu-dake(唐松岳) is located in Hakuba, Nagano prefecture, where the 1998 Winter Olympic Games took place.
A couple of ski lifts take you up to trailhead/Happoike Sanso at 1850m. For RT it takes about 7hrs with 850 meter elevation gain and loss. The hike offers a pristine alpine lake, seasonal wildflowers, fall folisge and wildlife such as Ptarmigan, known as Raichō(雷鳥) and Japanese Macaque monkey Nihonzaru(ニホンザル).
Mt. Karamatsu is a great day hike to explore and get a taste of the Northern Alps of Japan with breathtaking landscape, mountain peaks, pristine alpine lakes and beautiful nature in all directions. 👍👍
Japanese macaque monkey(ニホンザル):
I wasn’t really expecting monkeys with this hike, but came across quite a few of them en route as they were coming and going across the trail here and there. It was like playing “hide and seek” along the trail with them! 😅🐵🐒
Stats(approx.):
Distance: 10km/6.2miles
Gain: 850m/2,789'
Summit: 2,696m/8,845’
Time: 7hr RT
Camera: iPhone 8