Finally we have been experiencing a sunny weather period in Kanazawa! Despite being very busy with our work, we try to use every free day for some outdoor adventure as it’s so rare that there is no rain. There are so many beautiful flowers everywhere, turning the whole area from grey and dull into a beautiful paradise. On one particular warm and sunny Saturday, we decided to finally go to the mountainside and cycle on the famous Tedorigawa Canyon Road.
Tedori River - the great river of Hakusan National Park
About the Canyon Road
This cycling road starts in the town of Tsurugi[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsurugi,_Ishikawa] which is about 25 minutes by car away from our home and runs alongside of Tedorigawa. Tsurugi is the entrance to Hakusan National Park and famous for the Shirayama Hime Shrine. Also, you can watch many paraglider sailing through the air as the Shishiku mountain is a famous spot for them to start their adventure.
Starting point is in Tsurugi
You’ll pass many beautiful nature sites
The distance of the canyon road is about 20 km until you reach the end point at [Micho no Eki, a former train station of Hakusan area. The cyclinc path was constructed on the pathway of the old Hokruiku Rail Road’s Kinmei Line that ran between Ichinomiya Station (Tsurugi) and Hakusanshita Station. The railroad was abandoned in 1987 and has now been repurposed for visitors to enjoy the bautiful nature of the Tedorigawa Valley.
The road is fully asphalted and only used by bicycles, therefore you can drive really relaxed without worrying about cars or pedestrians. The whole way is mostly flat, there is only a slight grade on the road, therefore it’s easy to go there even if you are not that experienced in long distance cycling.
You can find the map of the Canyon Road here. Bikes can be rented at the City Hall of Tsurugi (E-bikes are also available) and the fee is between 500 and 1000 Yen per day.
Our experience
We were really lucky with the weather on the day we decided to visit this road. It was about 16 degrees, very sunny with only a slight breeze. We drove to Tsurugi by car and rented the bikes at the City Hall, which was really easy. The friendly staff helped us to choose the right bike and gave us a map for the cycling road, highlighting all the interesting scenery spots we might come across.
The first two bikes in the front are our chosen bikes
Due to ongoing shoulder pain which has been annyoning me for the past weeks, I couldn’t choose a good mountainbike for the ride as the seating position hurt too much, so I had to take a small city bike that was not really suited for longer distance. Therefore, we didn’t cycle all the way to the ending point but chose to take our time and cycle in a leisurly pace so that we would have enough time to stop in between, have a look at the nature and take pictures.
Great water color!
The cycling experience was really great! Although my bike was a little slow and didn’t have a fancy gear, we managed to cycle about 12 km before making a stop at a nice café where we sat outside and enjoyed a sandwich and coffee while having a great view of Mount Hakusan (still covered in snow).
Lucky for us there weren’t many customers. However, it took forever for our food to arrive…
My favorite view!
The way led us among lots of rice fields where we could hear a lot of loud frogs.
Farmers have just begun to plant the rice, therefore you can mainly see the water at the moment
We also cycled through small villages where people relaxed outside there homes, were gardening or playing with their children. Such a peaceful atmosphere!
We passed several mysterious shrines, deep forests with high cedar trees and interesting bridges.
I love Japanese mountain forests!
The water of the Tedori river was really beautiful on that day and it was shining in the sunlight. The more we entered the moutnain park, the deeper the gorge became. At Tsurugi, the Tedori river is already really broad and the valley is very flat but deep in the mountains, the river runs through steep gorges and looks really wild!
It was interesting to see the transofrmation of the nature while cycling along. There were also many signs explaining the various sites of the Geopark.
At the end of our trip we were making a brief stop at the starting point in Tsurugi to have a look at the river. While staying there, we met two friends of us who had also been cycling the road on that day! What a small world.
I can only recommend this to anyone who enjoys nature, enjoys bike riding and wants to get away from the city for a while. The road takes you through many beautiful and different landscapes, we really enjoyed it and want to come back as soon as possible to discover the rest of the road that we didn’t see on that day.
Up Next
Read about our spring in Kanazawa, our busy lives and what else we were up to! In the meantime, follow us on Instagram or Facebook for more pictures and insights. Take care and stay safe!