Mt Kumotori (雲取山, Kumotori-yama) is a 100 Famous Mountain and Tokyo's highest mountain at an elevation of 2017m. Due to its course length of 20km, it's most commonly done as an 2-day hike with a stay at the summit, but I wanted to challenge myself and did it as a dayhike in June of last year.
I wouldn't recommend suddenly doing this as a dayhike if you aren't sure of your hiking fitness, but I had done a similar 20km course the month prior, which gave me the confidence to give Mt Kumotori a go as a day trip.
I took a bus from Okutama station to the Tozura bus stop (留浦バス停). From here it's a 2.8km, 50 minute walk to the actual trailhead where you begin your hike.
June is when the rainy season begins in Tokyo, and so in the weeks leading up to this hike I had been anxiously checking the weather forecast to figure out when I could go before it set in. The forecast for this day was rain only in the early morning, so by the time I began my hike there were only clear blue skies.
The carpark at the trailhead was quite empty, and I wonder if the reason was due to the weather forecast (or the fact that it was a weekday). I was alone for most of the trail, except near the summit where I passed some people descending.
There is a total 1700m elevation gain over this course, but considering that it's spread out over 20km it didn't feel too steep overall. It's also quite walkable, with long stretches of "smooth" path rather than any tricky sections with lots of tree roots or rocks to trip you up on.
This course also takes you past Mt Nanatsuishi (七ツ石山, Nanatsuishi-yama), elevation 1757m.
From Mt Nanatsuishi you get your first glimpse of the peak of Mt Kumotori in the distance.
Once you begin the final approach, you can see a large building which is the mountain hut at the summit of Mt Kumotori.
Once you reach the summit, there's a couple of different peak markers.
From here it's back down the same way I came. Before I started this hike I was pretty concerned about whether I could reach my time deadline (to make sure I got on a bus before it got dark) but I was ahead of schedule by this point, and feeling pretty good.
In the end I finished my hike just after 3pm, and did the 24km in just under 7 hours.
This hike's a great one if you want to get a lot of walking in, and with its smooth trails I could see it as a nice "beginner" course if you're planning on doing an overnight stay with a heavier pack.
Date climbed | Length | Course time |
---|---|---|
2023-06-07 | 19.7km | 10h47m (the expected time for an average hiker without breaks) |
The official course is a out-and-back course that that starts and ends at 小袖登山口 (Kosode-tozanguchi), which is where the carpark is located. If you're coming via the Tozura bus stop, you'll have to walk 50 minutes one way from the bus stop to here. This will bring the official course time up to over 12 hours, and with a total of 24km.
There is a toilet available near the bus stop, as well as at the peak.
Time | Location | Transport | Cost | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
04:59 | 東京(とうきょう) | Train | 1275 | |
07:17 | 奥多摩 (おくたま) | |||
07:25 | 奥多摩 | Bus | 740 | 奥11 bus |
07:58 | 留浦 (とずら) |
There is also the 鴨沢 (Kamosawa) bus stop which is a little closer to the trailhead and you can get to via the 奥09 and 奥10 routes, so I would recommend researching the bus schedules to see what works best for you.
Please note this schedule is NOT doable if you follow the course time. There are later buses (the last possible one is at 19:19) but I opted to put 17:57 in the schedule just keeping in mind sunlight hours. I would recommend not doing this as a dayhike if you are not confident in being able to do this course quickly.
Time | Location | Transport | Cost | |
---|---|---|---|---|
17:57 | 留浦 | Bus | 740 | |
18:32 | 奥多摩 | |||
18:54 | 奥多摩 | Train | 1275 | |
21:00 | 東京 | |||
Trip total: | 4030 |
Car park | Time ? | Cost ? |
---|---|---|
丹波山村 村営駐車場 (たばやまむら そんえいちゅうしゃじょう) | 2h30m | 1733 |
I went by bus so didn't use this carpark, but it seems to be decently sized. It was relatively empty when I went on a weekday morning.