Hiking around Senjogahara Marshland in March

Hi everyone,

I'm visiting Nikko on March 6 and will visit the Senjogahara Marshland. I would love to walk the short hiking trail mentioned here: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3811.html and here: http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/expreadisplay.html?aID=100016. However, it seems there is a chance that there will be snow on the trail. I have no experience with snow and I will be walking on my own. I've been unable to find any other information about the trail (in English, at least).

Could anyone answer these questions - is it well-marked? Is it likely to be impassable with snow? Are there likely to be other people on the trail at that time of year? I'd love to do the walk, but I don't want to risk getting lost or being unprepared for the conditions.

I hope there is someone who can give me some advice or direct me to more information. Thank you in advance!

out of season.

Dont go.

I live a few train stops south of Nikko and am planning to go hiking/snow walking in early February. I've heard good and bad things about hiking in winter, but I wouldn't lose much money by going to see for myself since I live so close. I'll let you know how it is and hopefully that can help you for March.

I don't recommend it in snow because it will be slippery. And if there is a lot of snow, the trail can be difficult or impossible to walk. But if there is no snow, I imagine it to be very calm and peaceful. The vegetation will be barren, though, but that can be nice, too.

Note, however, that the chance of snow in March is relatively high.

Thank you all for the prompt advice - it sounds like walking the trail might be a bit ambitious for me, but I still look forward to seeing the easily accessible sights in the area. Lihua - I hope you enjoy your hike/snow walk. I look forward to hearing how it goes! Uji, the wintry landscape will be very new to me and I expect it will have a particular kind of barren beauty. Thank you both for your helpful responses.

This response might be a bit late, but Senjogahara is quite doable in winter even for inexperienced hikers, as long as they have a pair of snowshoes and choose the appropriate course. The marsh is quite popular for snowshoeing beginners (and cross country skiers) because of its gentle terrain and pretty scenery. Snowshoeing itself is beginner friendly. However, I strongly advise people who have little experience in winter backcountry conditions to refrain from going alone.

There are a number of ryokan/minshuku/hotels in the Yumoto, Chuzenji-ko and Senjogahara areas that offer rental snowshoes. Some of these hold half-day/one-day guided snowshoeing tours (group), and some even offer one-night packages that include a tour and two meals. Within these tours, there is almost always a beginner tour, and the guides will match the level of the participants. One of the added benefits to ryokan-/minshuku-run tours is that the owner may be the guide, and therefore give you a more personal perspective of the area. I can't accurately comment on their English-speaking ability, but I think that at least some can communicate at a conversational level.

Outdoor companies run group tours in the area, as well. There are also a number of private guides, both Japanese and English speaking, who can tailor a program according to your level and interests, but their fees are considerably higher.

I recommend looking into the guided tours before giving up on your endeavor. Snow-covered terrains have a unique beauty to them that make them worth the extra effort to see.

There is a fair amount of snow in Nikko in March, but also keep in mind that the snowshoeing/cross country skiing season in that area tends to end around the end of March because snow levels start to decrease throughout the month.

Very interesting! I didn't know that it is a popular area for snow shoeing.

Thank you for your contribution hkaze. I've already booked a ryokan in Nikko, but I'll try and find out if I can there are any snowshoeing tours I could join. It sounds like the perfect answer to my question! Even if I can't do it this time, I'll keep it in mind should I make this trip again.

To follow-up on my previous post, I did a snowshoe hike (walk) of Senjogahara this weekend, as a cooldown after cross-country skiing. The route I took was: Koutoku Iriguchi -- Yutaki -- Izumiyado-ike -- Akanuma. It was clearly marked by periodic signposts, and the path was very easy, thanks in part to the large number of previous visitors who had stamped down the snow into a firm crust. Other than the occasional gentle rise and the descent from Yutaki Iriguchi, the terrain was virtually flat.

Be aware of the double boardwalks (two narrow boardwalks running next to each other). The snow sometimes makes sections of the boardwalks difficult to see, and can make them slippery. Take care not to slip off or step into the space between them, as this could result in injury.

If you want a challenge, this route will be somewhat boring, but either way, the scenery is beautiful.

I've just returned from Japan after spending a wonderful day around the Senjogohara Marshland. There was about 2 feet of snow on the ground, but the weather was sunny and reasonably warm. I spent some time walking along the 120 highway and visiting Yudaki Falls. Since the weather was very good and I had seen some showshoe hikers enter the trails at Akanuma I decided to hire snowshoes (1000 Yen) at Sanbonmatu.

I walked along the 120 from Sanbonmatu to Akanuma then began the trail. I walked towards Odashirogahara. This part of the trail was very well-trod by many hikers and was very easy to follow. I intended to loop back through the marshlands to Akanuma. The trail became less well-trod after the turn-off to Odashirogahara, but was still clearly marked and easy to follow. However, once I reached the boardwalks in the marshland I found them very hard to follow as hkaze mentioned. Even following a cross-country skiier's trail I found the route difficult and quickly turned back. Instead I walked across Izumiyado Pond to Kotoku Iriguchi and walked along the 120 highway back to Sanbonmatu. The path to Kotoku Iriguchi was very easy, because it had wide boardwalks that were very easy to follow. I spent about 2.5 hours hiking approximately 6 km.

The trail was incredibly beautiful and in the good weather conditions the trail was very easy to follow. It was well-marked with simple maps, signposts and ropes or ribbons. I am very glad I went. I would suggest to other beginners or those going alone to make sure the weather conditions are good and the snow does not cover the markers and that there are other people walking the trail before deciding whether or not to go. If the weather was bad, no one else was hiking or I had difficulty following the trail I would have stuck to the highway where there are still views across the marshland. I hope one day I can come and visit in autumn and see how the marshland looks then.

Thanks again to all of you who contributed to this thread. I am very grateful for your help. I had so much fun snowshoeing and enjoying the stunning scenery!