Kitayokodake Hiking Guide | A winter introduction from Tsuboniwa in North Yatsugatake, with a course time on foot without the ropeway

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Editor's note

Editor's note

編集長

Climbed on：2026-07-02

Kitayokodake is a 2,480 m mountain representative of North Yatsugatake. At the northern end of Yatsugatake as seen from the editor's home town of Hokuto, it stands shoulder to shoulder with Mt. Tateshina. Because the North Yatsugatake Ropeway carries you straight up to Tsuboniwa (2,237 m), it is beloved as a mountain for a first taste of winter mountaineering and snow hiking, but the Hokuto editor deliberately skipped the ropeway and, in the depths of winter, walked the round trip on foot from the base.

He walked it in January. Setting off from the North Yatsugatake trailhead in the morning, he climbed the snowy forest belt to the ropeway summit station and Tsuboniwa. From the lava plateau of Tsuboniwa he toured Kitayokodake Hut and Nanatsu-ike, then climbed amid rime ice and blue sky to the South and North peaks of Kitayokodake. From the summit of the North Peak spreads a grand view of neighbouring Mt. Tateshina, the Southern, Central and Northern Alps, and South Yatsugatake.

The editor's measured time, including breaks, was about 6 hours 36 minutes (07:23 departure, 11:27 summit, 13:59 descent), covering about 8.8 km with roughly 750 m of ascent. Using the ropeway it is an introductory course of about a 2-hour round trip from Tsuboniwa, but walking up from the base made it a day with the rewarding, real feel of a midwinter snow mountain.

With the ropeway, Kitayokodake is ideal for a first taste of winter mountains, but above Tsuboniwa it is a full winter mountain. Prepare crampons and warm clothing properly, and always check the last ropeway car and the weather. You can enjoy the beautiful rime ice and views of North Yatsugatake together with Mt. Shimagareyama opposite and Mt. Tateshina.

Routes

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Editor's record

Editor's measured times

The editor's actual timings on this hike (from the video record). Use them as a guide to course times.

1. 07:23Depart the North Yatsugatake trailhead (climbing on foot without the ropeway)
2. 09:16Yatsugatake Ropeway summit station / Tsuboniwa (elevation 2,237 m)
3. 10:30Kitayokodake Hut
4. 10:45Nanatsu-ike (touring the snow-buried ponds)
5. 11:16Kitayokodake (South Peak)
6. 11:27Reach the summit of Kitayokodake (North Peak) (elevation 2,480 m; one of the main peaks of North Yatsugatake)
7. 13:59Descend to the North Yatsugatake trailhead (round trip about 6h36m)

History & culture

History & culture

Kitayokodake is a 2,480 m mountain rising in Chino City, Nagano, and a representative peak of "North Yatsugatake," the northern part of the Yatsugatake range.

Its formal name is "Yokodake," but to distinguish it from Yokodake (2,829 m) in South Yatsugatake it is generally called Kitayokodake. The summit is a twin peak of the North Peak (2,480 m) and the South Peak (2,472 m), with the North Peak being the highest point.

The lava plateau of "Tsuboniwa" spreads out just below the summit, and because the North Yatsugatake Ropeway carries you straight up to Tsuboniwa at 2,237 m, the mountain is beloved as a peak for a first taste of winter mountaineering and snow hiking. The old-growth forest and mossy woods around Tsuboniwa, Nanatsu-ike and Kitayokodake Hut, together with Mt. Shimagareyama opposite, form a landscape representative of the volcanic terrain of North Yatsugatake.

From the summit you command a sweeping view of neighbouring Mt. Tateshina, the Southern, Central and Northern Alps, and the main ridge of South Yatsugatake.

Photos

Photos from the trail

All photos were taken by the editor on the actual hike. Tap to enlarge.

Early morning, setting off through a snow-laden forest belt. Climbing from the North Yatsugatake trailhead without the ropeway (about 1,890 m).Emerging from the forest belt, snowy North Yatsugatake seen from near Tsuboniwa, with the ranges of the Southern Alps stretching in the distance (about 2,250 m).Climbing toward Kitayokodake up a slope cloaked in the deep snow of midwinter (about 2,370 m).A rime-ice ridge set against blue sky. A winter scene unique to North Yatsugatake (about 2,470 m).A trace continuing across the snowfield, and the ridge of North Yatsugatake stretching far into the distance (about 2,470 m).Standing on the summit of Kitayokodake's North Peak. Snow-clad Mt. Tateshina rises behind (elevation 2,480 m).The snowfield on the descent, with the peaks of North Yatsugatake beyond and clouds drifting across a blue sky (about 2,260 m).Descending a snowy slope, with the snow ridges of North Yatsugatake spread out ahead (about 2,260 m).

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