Jigokudani Nature Trail

The Jigokudani Nature Trail connects the Kanbayashi Onsen bus stop to Jigokudani Yaen-koen, the snow monkey park, in Yamanouchi, Nagano. Access is by Nagano Dentetsu rail line to Yudanaka station, then a short bus ride to Kanbayashi Onsen, from which the trail begins on a forest path along a narrow valley. The walk covers about 3.2 km round trip with roughly 100 m of total elevation change spread across gentle undulation, taking around 30 minutes each way at a steady pace. The surface is packed dirt and gravel through cedar and mixed forest, with sections that turn muddy after rain or snowmelt and require waterproof footwear. The trail follows the Yokoyu River valley, passing steam vents and small geothermal pools that give the area its name, meaning hell valley, before reaching the entrance to the monkey park where wild Japanese macaques bathe in a hot spring pool. There are no water sources along the trail itself, though the park entrance has restrooms and a small shop. In winter, snow and ice can make the path slippery, and many visitors use the trail specifically to see the monkeys bathing in the snow-ringed hot spring, the site's signature image. The forest offers partial shade throughout, though the trail is exposed to weather in open valley sections.