Nagisodake (南木曽岳) is a hidden secret tucked away behind Magome (馬籠宿) and Tsumago (妻籠宿), probably the two most famous towns on the Nakasendo (中山道) in southwest Nagano.

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At 1667m and a total distance of just under 7kms it’s not a particularly long hike but it was definitely tough in places. Plenty of rickety steep ladders to traverse – fine at this time of year, but in the humidity of summer or after rain? No thank you. I’m glad I waited until now. There are wonderful views of the Chuo Alps and Mt. Ontake at the top and also a small evacuation shelter that you can sleep in. It might be worth spending the night there sometime in the future to do some night sky photography and to maybe catch sunset over Mt. Ontake.

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Nagisodake is about 90 minutes away from Nagoya by car just north of Nakatsugawa and now is probably the best time of year to visit as the autumn colours are wonderful. The start of the trail can be found here as well as a parking area.

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You can find the hike info on my Yamap account here.

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