Sapporo Moiwa (Ski Area Route: 2.5 km)

 Image: Sapporo Moiwa Ski Area - July 2026

There are five trekking routes on Mt. Moiwa in Sapporo.

Jikeikai Route (慈恵会ルート): 2.9 km

Ski Area Route (スキー場ルート): 2.5 km

Asahi-yama Route (旭山ルート): 3.1 km

Kobayashi Tohge Route (小林峠ルート): 4.5 km

Kitanosawa Route (北の沢ルート): 2.4 km

Mt. Moiwa is a wonderful mountain in that it provides us with a variety of route options for going up and down. In this article, I would like to introduce a enjoyable route for beginners, called the Ski Area Route.

Access to the trailhead   

From the city centre, the easiest way is to take Route 230 (Ishiyama Dohri: 石山通り) southwards by bus or car. Turn right when you reach the intercetion of Minami 35 jo and 36 jo towards Mt. Moiwa. There is a free car park near the trailhead of the Ski Area Route and it has enough space for visitors' cars. 

Map: Free Car Park for Ski Area Route 

Image: Parking No.1

Image: Enough space in Parking No.2 

You will find a guide signboard on your right as you walk towards the ski slope. After turning right, there is a short incline that leads to the trailhead. 

Image: Guide Sign board

Image: Trailhead

Trekking

On this day, we were supposed to go up Mt. Haruka (春香山), but when we reached the trailhead, we realised that the gate was closed due to a recent bear sighting in the area. Thus, we had to returned from Jozankei area (定山渓地区) and decided to climb Mt. Moiwa in Sapporo. As a result, we began our ascent of Mt. Moiwa at around 10:00, which was relatively late.

This route can be divided into three segments. The first part is a long and steep section that ascends through the forest. Although the path is not as wide as the Jikeikai Route, many hikers can be expected on this route. The second part may be the most challenging section but, in return, trekkers are offered wooden stairs and a wide open view. This section is short. After passing this part, you will get to the ropeway station, which is equipped with facilities such as toilets and shops. The third part is also short, but it is steeper. Approximately one hour is required to complete the route from the car park to the summit. 

In the first section, you might feel it is a bit hard to continue. However, this section is not so difficult and you will need to keep trekking for about 35 minutes with a few short hydration breaks. You will find marked yongo-me (四合目), gogo-me (五合目) and so on, which serve as indicators of trail progress. (Range from 1 to 10)

Image: Gogo-me (五合目) sign

After that section, an open area suddenly shows up in front of you. This is one of the ski slopes, called 'Usagi-daira'(うさぎ平). As you pass through this section, you will notice a beautiful view if you look back. However, there is steep stairs, so you may want to stop depending on how hard you are breathing.

Image: Usagi-daira (うさぎ平) - July 2026 

After you complete the Usagi-daira section, you will fortunately see the ropeway station called Chufuku-eki (中腹駅). If you want to take a break or to go to the toilet, you can spend a comfortable time here. (It opens at 10:30)

Image: Chufuku-eki (中腹駅) - July 2026

If you want to proceed, all you have to do is go up the stairs right next to the entrance of the building. Then you will see another steep stairs. This may look tough for a tired body but, no worries, you are given another option. There is an alternative route, and it is easier to walk. If you prefer the easier one, take the left path.

A five-minute walk from there takes you to the observation deck on the summit of Mt. Moiwa.

We did not have anything in particular to do on the deck, so we left after taking some pictures and using the toilet. 

Image: Sapporo from Mt. Moiwa - July 2026

We began descending at 11:15 and reached the car park at around 12:00. The return route takes less time than the ascent to the summit. 

This course offers trekkers distinct sections, which keep them from getting bored. On top of that, the presence of Chufuku-eki can give them a sense of reassurance.