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Mount Akagi
Located just north of Maebashi in Gunma Prefecture, Mount Akagi is one of the “Three Famous Mountains of Gunma” (the other 2 being Mt. Haruna and Mt. Miyogi). It is an old stratovolcano with an elliptical crater that’s about 4 km across. The caldera (crater) is surrounded by several peaks, the tallest one named Mount Kurobi.
I began my ride from Maebashi Station and rode up Highway 4 which comes right down and intersects the station. It’s about 25 km from the train station to the top. The climb really begins after traveling 10 km out to the edge of town. After crossing Hwy 353 you immediately get into some thick forest. Be careful to have your water topped up before this point as there aren’t any places to do so until the top.
The grade averages 7.5% with a gain of about 1400 meters over 15km. The alternative is to take Hwy 16 from the SE which is somewhat steeper, averaging 7.9%. I chose that as my descent.
I took my trip near the end of October which gave me the opportunity to enjoy the autumn foliage. It was unseasonably warm this year (2024) with no change of color in town. As I climbed the color gradually faded into view and, by the time I made it to the top, the forest became streaked with beautiful autumn colors.
As you come over the top the landscape opens up. There is a tourist information center with a deck overlooking some pastureland with a beautiful tree line behind it. It’s a mixture of evergreen and deciduous trees. There is a mild descent down into the caldera. At the bottom is Onuma Lake. Akagi Shrine stands out on a small peninsula in the lake. It’s red bridge and buildings fit in nicely with the autumn foliage.
Within a kilometer of Onuma lies Kakumanbuchi Marshland. It’s circled by trails and a wooden footpath that winds through the rust-colored marsh grass. In autumn, the whole caldera has an orange, reddish hue which may be why it is named “The Red Castle” (the Japanese meaning of Akagi). There is a viewpoint called “Torii Toge” sitting at the far end above the marsh. It provides a beautiful view looking over the marsh and lake. You will want to stop and check it out.
Rt. 16 begins at the entrance to Torii Toge. It starts with a short climb up to Haccho Pass, then descends a bit and climbs a bit more up to Ushiishi Pass. From there it begins its long, curvey descent off the mountain. And it is curvey. There are exactly 100 curves, each labeled with its own sign, between the top and bottom. If I had one word to describe this ride it would be “curvey”. It could make a car passenger feel rather ill but it’s a paradise for a cyclist.
Rt. 16 is rougher and narrower than Rt. 4. I was glad I chose to ride my gravel bike with its wider, softer tires. It was cloudy the day of my ride. It can imagine this route would be especially nice on a blue-sky day.
The descent is pretty swift with lots of squeezing the brakes. Soon I came to Hwy 353 and headed west for 7 km until I intersected Rt. 4 and returned the way I came. The trip came in at 68 km with 1642m of elevation gain. I rolled into Maebashi satisfied and thankful to have been able to enjoy an autumn day in Gunma.
Mount Akagi Gallery
