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Trail reviews for Nikko National Park
Spectacular and serene experience in a rarely quiet Japan. Nikko is easily reached from Tokyo in a couple of hours on a train, and then busses run constantly from the station right to the trailhead- takes about an hour on the bus and costs about 1500 yen each way. The trail is not to be taken lightly- it’s probably right at the limit for a recreational hiker to do in a day- it’s one of the steepest trails I’ve done and took almost as long to come down as it did going up- our moving time was 5hrs 45min with another 45 min on the summit and we’re both very experienced and usually move very fast in the Rockies- I’ve done several 14ers in less time. I’d give yourself 7-8 hours round trip if you aren’t super fit/experienced. Strava said this was longer than AllTrails- over 6 miles round trip.
The trail is very well known: it's the marshland section between Nikko and Yumoto. It's very easy to hike, at beginner level, so there's no particular difficulty. If you're lucky in March/early April, you'll still find snow. The waterfalls and lake at the finish are magnificent. Don't hesitate to walk around the lake once you're at the top - it's superb! And while you're up there, don't hesitate to go for an onsen in one of the hotels available. We recommend the Kyukamura Nikko-Yumoto, which is reasonably priced and top-notch!
Superb drive to visit Nikko! Lots of roads on the way!
Fantastic whole loop or catch city bus from Nikko Astrea Hotel back up to Nikko Yomoto
Beautiful trail, I took a bus to Chuzenji from Nikko station and started backwards to end at Akechidaira. Was able to take the tram down no problem and another two buses back to Nikko Station. Very few people on the trail, the walk along the lake and through the international villas turned parks was a nice start. The climbs weren’t too bad, but was definitely tired at the end. Great mixture of forest, saw three deer bounding my way by the lake. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a quiet hike with beautiful views!
Got off at Tobu Bus stop 7 on the way back from Oku Nikko. Awesome walk through the main shrine area and up to a small shrine and sacred spring where sake brewers pray twice a year. Lots of rock cobble stones and steps. And 2 small waterfalls at the top. 1/2 part. We stopped for a wonderful meal at a steak house grill restaurant that was a temple house, just before getting back to the Main Street.