[Selected by riders who travel around Japan]10 recommended autumn leaves spots in Hokkaido – Webike Plus

Hello to everyone viewing Webike Plus! It’s been 4 years since I moved to Hokkaido, and I’m Sasu Rider.

What I learned after moving here is that the best season in Hokkaido is autumn, not summer.

There are many reasons why there are fewer people than in summer, the air is clear, it’s not that cold, there are various off-season fees, and it’s easy to book a ferry for Honshu riders. The autumn leaves are beautiful!”

Even if you say that, it may not come to your senses, but I’m a former Honshu native, so I understand.

So, for Honshu riders, it is an unknown world, but I would like to introduce “Hokkaido’s recommended autumn leaves spots”.

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Hello to everyone viewing Webike Plus! It’s a rider who cares about traveling on a motorcycle. A long time ago, despite my anxiety, I spent 10 months traveling around Australia on a motorcycle for some reason.

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2022.10.14

Welcome to Webike Plus viewers! My name is Rider. I love to travel by motorcycle and have been around Japan twice and Australia once. I just ride my bike…

* Information on each spot is as of October 2022. Information posted is subject to change without notice. Please check in advance when you go out.

1 Eniwa City: Autumn Leaves in Eniwa Valley

“Eniwa Valley” is a beautiful autumnal spot where three waterfalls, “Hakusen Falls, Rarumanai Falls, and Sandan Falls” interweave.

Every year around mid-October is the best time to see the fall foliage, and the fall foliage spreads according to the royal road template of “waterfall + autumn foliage = THE autumn foliage of Japan”!

By the way, Eniwa City, where Eniwa Valley is located, is next to Chitose City, which is the air gateway to Hokkaido, so weekend rental bike touring from Honshu, for example, is also possible.

Sasu rider’s one point advice

Eniwa Valley is along Route 117, and there are small parking lots here and there, but it is safe for riders to park their motorcycles at the “Rarumanai Falls Parking Lot”.

There is a relatively large parking lot with toilets, and you can walk to Rarumanai Falls and Sandan Falls.

In addition, during the autumn leaves season, there are many cars that suddenly slow down or stop abruptly, so be careful when driving.

2 Chitose City: Autumn leaves of Lake Shikotsu

Chitose City’s “Lake Shikotsu Fall Foliage” is a must-see along with the Eniwa Valley introduced earlier.

From around mid-October every year, autumn leaves spread along National Route 453, which runs along the lakeside!

During the autumn leaves season, the “Lake Shikotsu Autumn Leaves Festival” is also held, so it is recommended to go during this time (but be prepared for traffic jams).

Sasu rider’s one point advice

At Lake Shikotsu, there is a popular free stop for riders, “Poropinai Park”, but we recommend that you stop by “Lake Shikotsu Onsen” during the fall foliage season.

The parking fee is 200 yen, but you can leisurely enjoy the autumn leaves while walking around the lakeside hot spring town!

And the muffin of the cafe with the biting name “Pennen Norde” is excellent, so I recommend you to eat it by all means.

3 Ashibetsu City: Autumn Leaves on Hokkaido Route 70

Hokkaido Route 70 (prefectural road in Honshu) connects one of Hokkaido’s most popular areas, Furano, with neighboring Ashibetsu City.

Although it looks like a normal road on the map, there is actually a dirt section of about 10km along the way.

So it’s a little hard to go by on-road bike, but every year around mid-October, the autumn leaves are spreading to wake you up!

Sasu rider’s one point advice

The dirt section of Hokkaido Route 70 is relatively flat, so you can ride an off-road bike like SEROW without any problems.

By the way, I have challenged myself with a large-scale adventure GS, but at least I can’t say “Ikeru Ikeru, Daijoubu”…

Occasionally, there are on-road bikes that get lost, but if you feel even a little uneasy, we recommend turning back (cellphone reception is bad).

4 Yubari City: Autumn Leaves at Takinoue Park

At Takinoue Park in Yubari City, which is famous for Yubari melons, you can see a beautiful valley created by the erosion of the Yubari River.

Around mid-October every year, the autumn leaves spread all over the area, and you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the valley and the autumn leaves!

There is a beautiful promenade in the park, so get off your bike and enjoy the autumn leaves.

Sasu rider’s one point advice

Takinoue Park is one of the best spots for autumn leaves in Hokkaido, so it gets quite crowded on weekends during the season.

That being said, unlike in the Kanto region, the level is that there are a lot of people today.

5 Biei: The most beautiful autumn leaves in Japan

One day, a video titled “The most beautiful road in Japan” was quietly uploaded on YouTube and became a hit, and a spot for autumn leaves known to those in the know was born in Biei.

It is a scenic road unique to Hokkaido, where you can see the snow and autumn leaves on Mt. Tokachi at the same time!

The location is a side road of Route 966 heading to Biei’s super-major spot “Blue Pond”, a section of just under 1km.

Sasu rider’s one point advice

In order to see the superb view of snow and autumn leaves, it is necessary to confirm the snow cap of Mt.

However, even if you don’t meet all the conditions when you go to the site, you should be satisfied just by looking at the “Blue Pond” where the whole area is dyed in autumn leaves. nearby)

If you go to the site in mid- to late-October, you are almost guaranteed to see them, so don’t worry.

6 Higashikawa Town: Autumn Leaves at Hagoromo Falls

Hagoromo Falls is a famous autumn foliage spot in Higashikawa Town, which is close to Asahikawa City.

The name itself is already beautiful, but if you walk for about 15 minutes on the promenade of the Chubetsu River valley “Tenninkyo”, a huge waterfall with a drop of 270m will appear!

Because of its size, only half of it can be seen, but in mid-October, you can enjoy the collaboration with the autumn leaves.

Sasu rider’s one point advice

Route 213, which leads to Tenninkyo Onsen, the entrance to Hagoromo Falls, is also beautiful with autumn foliage.

There are toilets and free footbaths in the parking lot, so let’s take a break after seeing the waterfall.

7 Nanae Town: Autumn leaves of Onuma

Onuma is a famous autumn foliage spot in Nanae Town, which can be reached within an hour by motorcycle from Hakodate.

There are 15-minute and 50-minute walking courses, so you can enjoy it according to your time.

The best time to see the autumn leaves is around the end of October every year, and the red Mt.

Sasu rider’s one point advice

“Lucky Pierrot Tougeshita Souhonten”, located about 20 minutes by motorcycle from Onuma, is a highly recommended place.

Lucky Pierrot is a local fast food chain store in Hakodate, and the specialty is “Chinese chicken burger”.

The Togeshita Souhonten looks like a theme park, and you can enjoy just looking around the store!

8 Kamishihoro Town: Autumn Leaves at Mikuni Pass

The iron plate road “National Route 273” in Hokkaido Touring is a road that runs through the highest pass “Mikuni Pass (1,139m)” in Hokkaido!

If you’re a rider, I’m sure you’ve seen a photo of the “Matsumi Ohashi Bridge” over the vast sea of ​​trees in motorcycle media and magazines.

The leaves around the area begin to turn red around the end of September every year, so I personally prefer this road to be run in the fall rather than the summer.

Sasu rider’s one point advice

There is a parking area at Mikuni Pass, and the sausage curry of “Mikuni Pass cafe” there is recommended for its volume.

Coffee and soft-serve ice cream are also delicious, so you can use it for a short break.

In addition, it is necessary to take a picture of Matsumi Ohashi from “Matsumi Bridge” which is a short distance from here.

9. Abashiri City: Autumn Leaves at Ubarauchi Coral Grass Colony

You can see the autumn leaves of a plant called “coral grass” at the “Ubaranai Coral Grass Colony”, which is located about 30 minutes by motorcycle from the city of Abashiri.

Around the end of September every year, the scenery of Lake Notoro dyed red spreads out, and the contrast between the sky and the blue of the sea shines wonderfully!

By the way, coral grass is the common name of “Salicornia” discovered in Akkeshi-cho in the eastern Hokkaido area.

Sasu rider’s one point advice

After enjoying the autumn colors of the Ubaranai Coral Grass Colony, we recommend having lunch at “Restaurant White House” in Abashiri City.

Surprisingly, you can enjoy the 2,000 yen range of heart-warming menu called “Steak and sea urchin salmon roe bowl”, which is like the last boss in the calorie world!

There are many other filling and delicious menus starting from the 1,000 yen range, so I’ve been repeating myself several times.

10 Higashikawa Town: Autumn Leaves on Chobochinai Road

“Chobochinai Road (Route 1116)” in Higashikawa-cho, Hokkaido is commonly called “phantom road” because it can only be run for one month in a year.

The reason why the passable period is unusually short is “the snowfall in winter and the constant risk of landslides”, so I wonder why the road was built in this place…Aside from that, it is in the middle of the road. “Reiun Bridge” is a viewing spot for autumn leaves!

The passable period is about early September to early October every year, but the autumn leaves are at their peak after October (the passable period varies every year).

Sasu rider’s one point advice

At the entrance of Chobochinai Road, which is also called “Chobochinai Gate”, the period of passage is indicated, but of course this is only for the period when the road is open. I don’t understand at all.

It’s a bit of a hurdle for Honshu riders, but there are many cases where you can run at least from the end of September to the beginning of October, so that’s what you’re aiming for!

Autumn in Hokkaido is also wonderful!

Hokkaido in the summer is certainly wonderful, and it is definitely the high season.

However, if you run through Hokkaido in autumn even once, you will be able to see the wonderful autumn leaves that will make you want to say, “Autumn was the best season in Hokkaido.”