This is the highest mountain in Hyogo Prefecture.
The hiking trails are well-maintained and very easy to climb.
There are a wide range of courses to choose from, suitable for beginners to experienced hikers.
Bears are occasionally sighted, but there are so many hikers that it's probably safer than other mountains.
I climbed both the Hyonokoshi and Odangadaira courses, which are suitable for beginner hikers, but personally, I recommend the Hyonokoshi course.
The Hyonokoshi course has a large parking lot, and the road is very easy to drive on.
The Odangadaira course is very easy and beginner-friendly, as it's close to the summit, but on the other hand, the road to the parking lot is incredibly narrow and in poor condition.
If you go early in the morning, the ascent is fine, but on the return trip, you're almost guaranteed to encounter other vehicles.
There are few places to pull over, so one of you will have to back up in a space that's barely wide enough for one car.
(It's basically a valley where if you fall in, it's over.)
So, it might be good for people who are confident in their driving skills.
The day after the first snow fell, I climbed the Koonokoshi course from the Hibiki no Mori parking lot. It seems to be the shortest of the several hiking trails to Mt. Hyonose.
From the summit, there was a spectacular 360-degree view, with the white peak of Mt. Daisen in the distance and Mt. Oginoyama nearby, both of which were impressive.
〈Early November 2025〉
We climbed from Hyonoyama Campers Village. The hiking trail was well-maintained and easy to climb. It took us about two hours to reach the top. There are clean toilets at the summit, so women can use them with peace of mind. There are some rocky areas at times, so I recommend wearing hiking boots.
It's the highest peak in Hyogo Prefecture, one of Japan's 200 Famous Mountains, the New 100 Famous Mountains of Japan, one of Hyogo's 50 Hometown Mountains, one of the 100 Famous Mountains of Kansai, and one of the 100 Famous Mountains of Chugoku. Despite its impressive 1,510m elevation, the Odan-ga-daira Course is actually a breeze, with a 430m elevation gain and a 3-hour round-trip climb. ❤️
While the climb is easy, the trailhead is at a high altitude, making the narrow 13km road from the "Intermediate Post Office on Prefectural Route 48" to the "Odan-ga-daira Trailhead Parking Lot" quite challenging. 💦
If the weather's clear, you can see the distant mountains and ski slopes. 📸 On this day, the summit was shrouded in drifting clouds due to strong winds, but we could only see a glimpse of it through gaps in the clouds. 💨⛷️⛰️💨
This is a habitat for Asiatic black bears, so a bear bell is essential. Unfortunately, I came across a group of people biking up the narrow mountain path from Sannomaru, which was a bit scary! 🚳😣
Also, I was soothed by the sounds of cicadas, warblers, and frogs! 🐸😊
We started our climb from Odangadaira. Apparently, this is a family-friendly course, and it was easy to climb. However, it rained and there was thunder on the day we climbed, so we took our time and stopped at a shelter along the way.
