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| Uraasahi Camp Site |
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| Uraasahi Camp Site on the slope of Mt Asahi-dake |
Uraasahi Camp Site is a very simple place with no facilities like toilets or anything at all. The only thing there are spaces to pitch your tent that surrounded by semi rock walls to help protect your tent from the very strong winds that can blow through there.
Like I said before a lot of people get a bit shocked when they first step into the Uraasahi Campground because of its roughness and if you turn up there when it is covered in clouds it can have that spooky feeling going for it for sure but once you have you tents up and if the weather is clear and you give it a bit of time, you will start to see and feel what makes this cam site so special to me and a lot of locals.
For one thing there is nothing round but nature. The camp sites sits in a small high valley that has the peak Mt Asahi-dake on one side and couple of other small peak on the others and is surround by alpine grass which in July can be dotted with beautiful alpine followers and in September the grass turns a remarkable gold color.
From this camp site you can get some magnificent sunsets and if you can get up real early some spectacular sunrises.
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| Alpine flowers in July |
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| Alpine flowers in July |
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| Sunset at the camp |
The official hiking and camping season the Daisetsuzan is from the beginning of July up to the end of September. From the end of September the first snows start to fall and the camp site can be covered in snow right up to June.
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| The camp site covered in cloud |
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| Uraasahi camp ground in June. Notice the winter sleeping bag and down jacket |
The camp site is located right by an ice field which is the sauce of the water there. There is a stream that runs right through the camp ground in July and August which means you can collect water right at the camp site without walking anywhere but as the summer months move along the ice field gets smaller and by the end of August and September the stream in the campground can stop running, which is that case you will have to walk a bit to get your water. Some years because of a very hot summer there has been no water in September at Uraasahi Campground. This doesn't happen a lot but can happen.
Walking for water: If you see snow that is where the water is coming from. What you do is walk back up the trail up Mt Asahi-dake a bit and you will see where the stream was running. Follow it up until you come to some running water. Sometimes you may only have to walk a few minutes and some years you might have to walk all the way up to where the snow is which might take 20 minutes.
Note: In September the nights can get very cool and if there is water it can freeze overnight and stop running until it warms up again. I suggest that if you are planing to leave early that you get all your water the night before.
Note: If you are heading into park from end of August or September and are planning to start at Uraasahi Camp Site. It might pay to visit the visitor center at Asahidake onsen village and check if there is water there but be warn that there is not always English speaking staff there and they might not have the latest up date about the water situation on the mountain. The other thing would be to ask people if you run into them that have been up there about it.
Note: You must treat the water before drinking either by boiling, filtering or tablets .
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| Walking into the camp site. As you can see the snow field is right up to the camp so no problem with water |
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| collecting water at the campsite |
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| The camp site in September. As you can see by this photo there is no snow at the camp site and no water. There is a little snow up hill that you can't see in this photo where I had to walk to to get water. |
The Uraasahi Camp site is a about a 20 minute hike down the back slope from the peak of Mt Asahidake and is well worth a stop over for the night.
If you are planning on doing the Grand Traverse route and starting from the Asahidake onsen village then make the Uraasahi Camp site for first stop.
If you hike from the Asahiake onsen village it will be a hard 5 to 6 hour trek to the camp. If you start from the top gondola station then it should take between 2 and 3 hours.
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| The camp site looking down from one of the nearby peaks |
If you get to camp real early or plan to take a rest day there. You can make a side day hike to Naka-dake natural hot spring (onsen).
From the camp it will take you about 1 hour and half to get to and about the same to get back.
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| Naka-dake natural onsen, about a 3 hour round trip from the camp |
Bush Pig tip:
Because this camp site sits right next to a snow field it can get real cool and cold even in mid summer and especially in the evenings. I strongly suggest that you take some extra warm clothes and things like a woolen hat and gloves will not go a miss there.
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| Uraasahi Camp |
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| Always a good time at the Uraasahi Camp Site |
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