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Mt. Karamatsu

2,696m · Nagano

Timetable checked 2026/09/07
Mt. Karamatsu2,696 mNagano
100 Highest Mountains300 Famous MountainsNew 100 Famous Mountains100 Mountains of Shinshu
🚃 Reachable by public transport · Day trip · Beginner · fine for beginners
Access ease Moderate Direct hiking bus, Seasonal access
Gateway station Osaka / Kyoto, Shinjuku Station, Baengma Station  →  Trailhead Happo Information Center, Happo Bus Terminal
2 public-transport routes ・ Station→trailhead approx. 300 min ・ One way ¥2,900
Beginner
Stamina3/10 (Official 3–6)
TechnicalB some steep climbs 〜 D Official
Trail time 5h 57mestimated
More figures and data sources
Distance 10.46 kmmeasuredTotal ascent ↑918 mmeasuredHighest point 2,682 m
📍 Distance, ascent and trail time are for the route shown on the map. (of 2 routes; others differ in difficulty)
🌸 Best season: Jul, Oct bk🏠 Mountain huts, Water source, Toilets, Hot spring nearby
🔍 Find similar mountains →
“bk” = data from books (being replaced with our own measurements). Distance, ascent and trail time are measured/estimated from the map route.

Mt. Karamatsu (唐松岳) is a 2,696m famous peak in the Ushiro-Tateyama Range of the Northern Alps. Popular for the superb ridge scenery viewing the Hakuba Three Mountains and the Kaerazu-no-Ken, and for its relatively walkable route for the elevation. Using the Happo Alpenline (gondola + chairlift), you can climb to Happo-ike Sanso at about 1,830m elevation in one stretch, and enjoy the classic course of Happo-ike → Maruyama Cairn → Karamatsudake Chojo Sanso → Mt. Karamatsu.

How to take the shortest route to Mt. Karamatsu

Step 1. Reach Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal by various means of transport
Step 2. From the terminal, approach Happo-ike Sanso via the Happo Alpenline (Gondola “Adam” → Alpen & Grat quads)

Happo Alpenline (gondola & chairlift)
・From Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal it is about a 10-minute walk to the Gondola Happo Station.
・Operating period: in 2026, preview service on May 30–31, closed June 1–5, then running from June 6 to November 3 (see the official site for details).
・Operating hours: usually 8:00 AM – 4:50 PM; on the busiest days (mid-July to early August) it opens at 6:30 AM, on moderately busy days at 7:00 AM, and on autumn weekends at 7:30 AM. The last ride up is until 30 minutes before the Grat Quad Lift closes.
・Fares (Alpenline through ticket): round trip ¥3,500, one way ¥2,100
※ Details: Happo Alpenline

*Timetable last checked: September 7, 2026

How to access the trailheads

  1. [Outbound] Hakuba Station → Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal
  2. [Outbound] Nagano Station → Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal
  3. [Outbound] Shinjuku Station → Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal (highway bus)
  4. [Outbound] Osaka / Kyoto → Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal (highway bus)
  5. [Return] Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal → Hakuba Station
  6. [Return] Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal → Nagano Station
  7. [Return] Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal → Shinjuku Station (highway bus)
  8. [Return] Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal → Kyoto / Osaka

Hiking Course Details — Mt. Karamatsu

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Map & Recommended Route — Mt. Karamatsu

Watch the 3D flythrough — fly along the Mt. Karamatsu trail over 3D terrain, with color-coded gradients and course times at a glance.

Mt. Karamatsu — Reference Hiking Times

Standard pace; times rounded to 5 min
Segment Distance Ascent/Descent Out Back
Happoike Hut → Happo Pond 1.5 km +240 m / −10 m 0:50 0:40
Happo Pond → Karamatsu Hut 3.3 km +566 m / −13 m 2:05 1:50
Karamatsu Hut → Mount Karamatsu 0.4 km +75 m / −14 m 0:15 0:15
Round trip 10.5 km +917 m / −917 m 6:10

📥 Download GPX (reference route)

1. [Outbound] Hakuba Station → Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal

From JR Hakuba Station, take the Alpico Kotsu Happo Line / Tsugaike Line local bus and get off at Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal.
Fare: ¥180
Travel time: about 8 minutes
Operating period: April 1 – November 30, 2026
*From Hakuba Station to the bus terminal is 1.9 km, also about a 20-minute walk.

Bus TimetableHakuba Station → Happo Bus Terminal

Operating period: 2026/4/1 – 11/30 (Official PDF)
Hakuba Station Dep. Hakuba Happo BT Arr.
9:22 9:30
11:05 11:13
12:02 12:10
13:40※ 13:45
15:02 15:10
18:12 18:20
19:22 19:30
21:02 21:10

※ The Express (Kyūkō) buses run only from July 18 to August 16.

Reference: [Alpico Kotsu — Happo / Tsugaike Line (Official PDF)]

2. [Outbound] Nagano Station → Happo Bus Terminal

From the bus stop at JR Nagano Station East Exit, take the Alpico Kotsu Limited Express Bus “Nagano-Hakuba Line” and get off at Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal.
Travel time: about 70 minutes Fare: ¥2,900
Operating period: April 1 – November 30, 2026

Bus TimetableNagano Station → Happo Bus Terminal Bus Timetable

Operating period: 2026/4/1 – 11/30 (Official PDF)
Nagano Station East Exit Dep. Hakuba Happo BT Arr.
8:20 9:30
9:50 11:13
11:00 12:10
14:00 15:10
17:10 18:20
18:20 19:30
20:00 21:10

Reference: [Alpico Kotsu — Nagano-Hakuba Line (Official PDF)]

3. [Outbound] Shinjuku Station → Happo Bus Terminal (highway bus)

From Busta Shinjuku, take the Alpico Kotsu / Keio Bus Highway Bus “Shinjuku-Hakuba Line” and get off at Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal.
Travel time: about 5 hours Fare: ¥5,800–7,000 (varies by day of week / season)
※ Overnight buses cost an extra ¥2,000. This is a seasonal service, so check the operating days on the official site.
Operating period: April 1 – December 4, 2026
Seat search / reservation: Highway Bus dotcom Shinjuku-Hakuba Line

Bus TimetableShinjuku Station (Busta Shinjuku) → Happo Bus Terminal Bus Timetable

Details:

Busta Shinjuku Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal
7:35 12:48
23:05 5:44

Reference: [Alpico Kotsu]

4. [Outbound] Osaka / Kyoto → Happo Bus Terminal (highway bus)

For 2026 operating information, see the official site.

Reference: [Sawayaka Shinshu-go Osaka / Kyoto – Ogizawa / Hakuba]

5. [Return] Happo Bus Terminal → Hakuba Station

From Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal, take the Alpico Kotsu Happo Line / Tsugaike Line local bus and get off at Hakuba Station.
Fare: ¥180
Travel time: about 6 minutes
Operating period: April 1 – November 30, 2026
*From the bus terminal to Hakuba Station is 1.9 km, also about a 20-minute walk.

Bus TimetableHappo Bus Terminal → Hakuba Station Bus Timetable

Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal Hakuba Station
6:30 6:36
8:20 8:26
9:54※ 9:59
11:10 11:16
12:14※ 12:19
13:18※ 13:23
14:45 14:51
15:50 15:56
17:45 17:51

※ The Express (Kyūkō) buses run only from July 18 to August 16.

Reference: [Alpico Kotsu]

6. [Return] Happo Bus Terminal → Nagano Station

From Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal, take the Alpico Kotsu Limited Express Bus “Nagano-Hakuba Line” and get off at Nagano Station East Exit.
Travel time: about 70 minutes Fare: ¥2,900
Operating period: April 1 – November 30, 2026

Bus TimetableHappo Bus Terminal → Nagano Bus Timetable

Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal Nagano Station
6:30 7:50
8:20 9:40
11:10 12:30
14:45 16:14
15:50 17:10
17:45 19:05

Reference: [Alpico Kotsu official]

7. [Return] Happo Bus Terminal → Shinjuku Station (highway bus)

From Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal, take the Alpico Kotsu / Keio Bus Highway Bus “Shinjuku-Hakuba Line” and get off at the terminus, Busta Shinjuku.
Travel time: about 5 hours Fare: ¥5,800–7,000 (varies by day of week / season)
※ Overnight buses cost an extra ¥2,000. This is a seasonal service, so check the operating days on the official site.
Seat search / reservation: Highway Bus dotcom Shinjuku-Hakuba Line

Bus TimetableHappo Bus Terminal → Shinjuku Station Bus Timetable

Details:

Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal Busta Shinjuku
15:15 20:28
17:20 22:33

Reference: [Alpico Kotsu]

8. [Return] Happo Bus Terminal → Kyoto / Osaka

From Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal, take the Sawayaka Shinshu-go Osaka / Kyoto – Ogizawa / Hakuba.

For 2026 operating information, see the official site.

Reference: [Sawayaka Shinshu-go Osaka / Kyoto – Ogizawa / Hakuba]

Photo by tsuda

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