The hike to the top of Mt. Gassan and across to Mt. Yudono is a relaxed full-day hike, thought it should be approached with due respect. Obtain a map of the area from any nearby tourist office before you set out and take heed of weather conditions. With a forecast of rain and without proper rain gear, hiking to the peak cannot only be extremely uncomfortable (you will get soaked) but dangerous as well with high speed wind gusts, slippery rocks, and very cool temperatures near the top.
Buses deposit passengers at Gassan Eighth Station (月山八合目, Gassan Hachigōme, ~1400m), from where it's a fairly easy two and a half-hour hike 500m vertically up the mountain through rolling plains often shrouded in mist.
The peak of Gassan (月山頂上, 1984m) features the simple Gassan Shrine (月山神社). Entry costs �500 but includes quick purification by the resident Shintō priest.
If you continue the trail across the peak and down, keeping to the right when the trail splits, you will after 45 minutes encounter a last split where one trail continues up to the peak of Mt. Yudono (~1500m).
The real fun starts on the other trail to the right, which climbs down to Mt. Yudono Shrine (湯殿山神社 yudonosan jinja), which is considerably steeper and in places equipped with steel ladders to climb down, though most of these were recently rebuilt. The time down from the trail split is one hour 20 minutes.
The reward for your efforts is Mt. Yudono Shrine (湯殿山神社 yudonosan jinja), the holiest shrine of the three. Photography is prohibited and so is telling outsiders what you have witnessed - so Wikitravel shall not spoil the surprise!
The Mt. Yudono parking area and bus stop with a variety or eateries is only a short walk from the shrine.
Note that buses departing Mt. Gassan and Mt. Yudono are few and far between, so plan your day accordingly. The last bus back to Tsuruoka train station leaves Mt. Gassan at 4:00pm and Mt. Yudono at 4:30pm.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Dewa Sanzan
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Dewa Sanzan Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
