Kuju Hiking くじゅう連山: Kibe 吉部 to Bogatsuru 坊ガツルキャンプ場, camping and hiking Taisen-san 大船山 2019/11/2&3
Nestled in the centre of the
Aso-Kuju National park is a wonderful area that feels very different from
hiking from the Makinoto pass. Beautiful forests, rivers waterfalls open up
into a large valley with long grashes and marshland. We headed to the area to
hike up Taisen-san 大船山 another important mountain in
the park and to camp out under the wonderful star filled sky.
Nestled in the centre of the
Aso-Kuju National park is a wonderful area that feels very different from
hiking from the Makinoto pass. Beautiful forests, rivers waterfalls open up
into a large valley with long grashes and marshland. We headed to the area to
hike up Taisen-san 大船山 another important mountain in
the park and to camp out under the wonderful star filled sky.
The Kibe parking lot to Bogatsuru camp ground 坊ガツルキャンプ場
We started at this parking area 吉部300円駐車場 It was 500Yen for an
overnight stay or as the name suggest 300Yen for the day. There are toilets and
the owners sell local produce such as fruit and some snacks/drinks etc. We
hiked up behind the parking lot to this trailhead.
Not far along the trail we
came to the Kurasomenotaki waterfall 暮雨の滝. It is not a tall waterfall
bit it is beautifully framed with a backdrop of autumn trees
Eventually we emerged from the
forest into a breathtaking valley with the Kuju mountains on the right and the
Taisen mountains on the left. The camp ground was just a little further along
this trail.
The Bogatsuru 坊ガツルキャンプ場 camp ground is a free camping area which has basic toilets
and area to cook and prepare food and a tap with water that you can drink and
use for cleaning. The ground is very soft and easy to hammer tent pegs into but
was stable. You can safely pitch your tent here are continue exploring the the
surrounding area.
The toilet block
We pitched the tent and stored any
unneeded weight and headed off to the nearby mountain lodge. My wife decided to
stay at the lodge and I camped with the kids. The lodge has an Onsen which
costs 500 Yen that anyone can use and also has better toilet facilities. It
also has a restaurant and sells some drinks and snacks etc.
The mountain lodge. The route to
get there only takes about 15 minutes from Bogatsuru. You can also pitch your
tent for a charge however the tent site is small and the ground is very hard
and rocky. Inside the lodge you get a space in a large Tatami room which you
share with a random group of hikers. The atmosphere is nice.
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We started at this parking area 吉部300円駐車場 It was 500Yen for an
overnight stay or as the name suggest 300Yen for the day. There are toilets and
the owners sell local produce such as fruit and some snacks/drinks etc. We
hiked up behind the parking lot to this trailhead.
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Eventually we emerged from the
forest into a breathtaking valley with the Kuju mountains on the right and the
Taisen mountains on the left. The camp ground was just a little further along
this trail.
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 |
 |
 |
The Bogatsuru 坊ガツルキャンプ場 camp ground is a free camping area which has basic toilets
and area to cook and prepare food and a tap with water that you can drink and
use for cleaning. The ground is very soft and easy to hammer tent pegs into but
was stable. You can safely pitch your tent here are continue exploring the the
surrounding area.
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 |
 |
 |
We pitched the tent and stored any
unneeded weight and headed off to the nearby mountain lodge. My wife decided to
stay at the lodge and I camped with the kids. The lodge has an Onsen which
costs 500 Yen that anyone can use and also has better toilet facilities. It
also has a restaurant and sells some drinks and snacks etc.
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The mountain lodge. The route to
get there only takes about 15 minutes from Bogatsuru. You can also pitch your
tent for a charge however the tent site is small and the ground is very hard
and rocky. Inside the lodge you get a space in a large Tatami room which you
share with a random group of hikers. The atmosphere is nice.
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Bogatsuru camp ground 坊ガツルキャンプ場 to Taisen-san 大船山
After getting set up at the lodge
we headed back to the camp ground and started our hike of Mt. Taisen 大船山, The start of the hike is just up through the campground and the
signs are in both English and Japanese. The climb gets rockier the higher you
go up.
The rocky parts were slippery but
this was more of an issue on the climb down than the climb up. The forest floor
was carpeted in beautiful red leaves.
A panoramic of the view. Taisen is
on the right. We also got beautiful views of the Kuju mountains across the
valley.
Finally we reached the summit of Mt.
Taisen 大船山. The top is very rocky and we
could see above the clouds in some areas.
Just behind the summit sign there
is a small lake in what looks like an old volcanic crater. The trees were very
colourful around the lake and the reflection of the sky was nice.
Bogatsuru camp ground 坊ガツルキャンプ場 to Taisen-san 大船山
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After getting set up at the lodge
we headed back to the camp ground and started our hike of Mt. Taisen 大船山, The start of the hike is just up through the campground and the
signs are in both English and Japanese. The climb gets rockier the higher you
go up.
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The rocky parts were slippery but
this was more of an issue on the climb down than the climb up. The forest floor
was carpeted in beautiful red leaves.
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There are great views along the
hike. Near the top we came to a cross road with the trail to Taisen-san to the
right. It was a good place for a short rest.
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A panoramic of the view. Taisen is
on the right. We also got beautiful views of the Kuju mountains across the
valley.
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Finally we reached the summit of Mt.
Taisen 大船山. The top is very rocky and we
could see above the clouds in some areas.
 |
Just behind the summit sign there
is a small lake in what looks like an old volcanic crater. The trees were very
colourful around the lake and the reflection of the sky was nice.
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Bogatsuru camp ground 坊ガツルキャンプ場 the night time and hiking back to the car park the next day
The night sky was full of stars it
truly was amazing! We sat out and drank hot cocoa watching them. We could see
the constellation of Orion right above our tent. The pictures here do not do it
justice at all.
We awoke to a cloudy morning. I made
coffee and we ate breakfast before dismantling the tent and packing away.
We started out hike back to the car park and chose a different route to get
back which had many more Autumn colours.
There was a waterfall signpost in
the car park that we missed when we arrived. I walked down to it and was
pleasantly surprised to find it was very pretty and also had a nice view of the
rivers feeding it.
We went to Chokabaru for an Onsen
at a nearby hotel and soothed our aching muscles. Great trip!
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The night sky was full of stars it
truly was amazing! We sat out and drank hot cocoa watching them. We could see
the constellation of Orion right above our tent. The pictures here do not do it
justice at all.
 |
We awoke to a cloudy morning. I made
coffee and we ate breakfast before dismantling the tent and packing away.
We started out hike back to the car park and chose a different route to get back which had many more Autumn colours. |
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 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
There was a waterfall signpost in
the car park that we missed when we arrived. I walked down to it and was
pleasantly surprised to find it was very pretty and also had a nice view of the
rivers feeding it.
We went to Chokabaru for an Onsen
at a nearby hotel and soothed our aching muscles. Great trip!
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