Getting there

This hike is best accessed by car, if coming by bus, it adds an additional 5+ kilometres to the hike as there is no nearby bus stop. 

If comming by car from Nakatsugawa direction, drive along route 19 past Tsumago post town. Type this into Google Maps: 南木曾岳蘭登山口

It will take you to the car park where you start the hike. Just be noted that Google Maps is a bit outdated and will try to take you up a closed road. Use your own common sense, when you see a carpark with a big sign board that is where the carpark is. Do not attempt to drive past the steel gate that says no cars. 

Maps

My GPX map

Route/Trail notes

Begin the hike by walking past the toilet at the carpark. Continue past the steel gate and walk up an old forestry road. Note that there is no English on this hike. You have to look out for kanji. Continue straight on this road and you will see a green sign that says 登山道, follow those green signs which will loop you around a construction site and to the true trail head. 

From the true trail head, the path will become narrow and you will be surrounded by dense forest. Continue straight along here until you reach a junction. There will be a right path and a left path. The right path is for descending hikers, the left path is for ascending hikers. Take the left path, the sign should say 南木曾岳. 

Follow this path straight to the summit. Along the way you will encounter some dodgey bridges with rotted wood. Shortly after the junction you will reach a section that requires you to pull yourself up over a fallen log. On top of the fallen log there is a bridge with rotted wood. Walk along this, looking out for paint guiding you the way on the trail. Be warned that some of the planks of wood on the bridges have snapped. Test the planks before putting your full weight on them as they may snap and you may fall. The trail is poorly maintained due to its lack of popularity. 

You know you are near the summit when you spot a large bridge with a massive stone in the centre. Follow the bridge around and continue up to the summit. The road to the summit is steep, the trail aids you with wooden ladders and steps. If hiking in summer, be careful of heatstroke. 

The summit is marked by a bench and a sign that says 南木曾岳. There are no views from the true summit. Instead continue a few metres down the path and you will see a turn off to your left. This will take you to a lookout where you get an amazing view over the Central Alps. 

On the descent, do not follow the way you came back. Instead continue past the summit. This will take you on the descent trail that you saw at the junction at the beginning of the hike. Keep an eye out for signs marking 下山. This will loop you around the summit and take you down the other side of the mountain. The way down is steep and requires some minor non-technical rock scrambling. In some sections, the wooden ladders are broken and require caution. Thankfully there are chains to aid you. 

Once you are back at the junction, follow the path you came back to the carpark. If you are feeling adventurous, there is an alternate path that takes you to a set of waterfalls. Both of which are obscured by trees and not really worth your time, but if you want to check them out, they are there. 

Permits/Costs

free parking mate.