Nikko

I’ve taken another ride through Nikko in the summer which is featured on the Gunma page as I rode through to Numata.

You get to Nikko by riding either the JR or Tobu train lines that bring you into the town of Nikko. You ride Hwy 122 out of town past the Shinkyo Bridge to the turn off to Hwy 120 which climbs up to Chuzenji Lake. It’s 8 km from the station to the turn off. You experience a pretty smooth even grade that continues for about 10 km and then descends down into the lake area. It’s a somewhat touristy place, the most famous attraction being Kegon Falls just below the east end of the lake. The falls are indeed impressive and worth stopping to see, even if you have to tolerate the crowds gathering there to see it.

In about the middle of Lake Chuzenji the road turns north and heads up past Ryuzu Falls and into Senjogahara, an area of forest and marshlands. In the fall these turn to a reddish yellow spotted by yellow larch trees. This is where the route takes on more of a natural feel. After coming out of Senjogahara you come to the turn off to Yudaki Falls which are viewable from the bottom and the top. The bottom viewpoint is down in the trees a short distance off the road and the top view point is right after the river comes out of Yuno Lake.

Lake Yuno is a quiet little lake surrounded by trees set against a beautiful backdrop of mountain tops that reflect in the water. I was blessed with a dark blue sky that provided a vivid contrast.

After Lake Yuno the road becomes steeper as it curves west climbing up to Kosei Pass. The landscape becomes pretty remote back here with far fewer people than in the lower areas. The view looking back towards Mt. Nantai, is especially nice.

Konsei Pass sits at 1690 meters on the border of Tochigi and Gunma. It lies in a tunnel through Mt. Konsei. On the day featured on the map I turned around and headed back through the park, enjoying the scenery from a different angle. Hwy 120 is a one-way road forming a loop which helps handle the onslaught of traffic in the fall and provides enough room for bikes to ride along it. I was very thankful to be able to experience the autumn beauty of Nikko by bike.

Nikko in Autumn Gallery