（click on map to enlarge）
The Venus Line
The Venus Line is the name of Hwy 40 which runs from Chino, Nagano Prefecture up through Kirigamine Highlands and up through the Shirakaba Highlands. It’s a beautiful route offering magnificent views around every bend as it winds through alpine meadows with an average elevation of around 1400 meters and reaching almost 1900 meters.
I began my ride from JR Kamisuwa Station (Suwa Lake) on the Chuo Line. The road starts rising immediately at the edge of town with a long constant grade all the way to the highland about 12 km ahead. The first part was the steepest but then, after entering the forest, the grade lessens a bit and remains constant but bearable.
The air gets cooler as you gain altitude and the scenery gets prettier and prettier. The trees began to thin out and soon beautiful mountain meadows began to appear as you enter onto the Kirigamine plateau.
It is such a picturesque place with sweeping views down the valley. The road winds through lots of green grass set against the blue sky. I pulled over and took a short hike through some grasslands. The white puffy clouds seemed to hang low at this higher elevation.
The ride featured here was not a long one. I came down through Shirakaba Lake and descended back around to Chino; the total ride being about 55 km. There are many possibilities for riding here. You could turn northwest on Hwy 194 and ride all the way up to Utsukushi Highlands, an even higher place, or follow Hwy 40 northeast through the Tateshina area. This is a popular place and you will need to share the road with cars and buses but the road is wide enough. I pulled over quite often and took several photos some of which are featured in the gallery below. Check them out.
Venus Line Gallery
