(惣岳山) Mt. Sogaku Hike

This hike was basically a loop of three mountains, with the trail similar to the rest of the Okutama hikes. It was a quick one though, where I was done by lunch, but the 1,000 meter elevation gain makes it for a nice stretch.

Budget: JPY1,640 (~USD15)

• JPY820. Train, Nakano Station to Mitake Station.
• JPY820. Train, Ikusabata Station to Nakano Station.

Hike Date / Difficulty (Elevation: 756m / 2,480ft)

• July 5, 2020
• Difficulty: 3 out of 5. That was a nice exercise.
• Route below is around 9.4kilometers, with an elevation change of ▲1,053m/ ▽1,047m
• PDF Map Link

When to Go
Throughout the year, doubt you'll even need spikes for winter.

Special Notes

• Trailhead. You can start from Mitake Station or Ikusabata Station. I chose Mitake Station mainly because going to the trailhead from Ikusabata Station requires a 20mins-ish walk on the road, and I'd rather do that at the end.
• Mitake Station. Here's the google maps pin. Once exit Mitake Station, you'll be seeing a bridge in front of you. Don't go there. Just go down the stairs and turn left, and within 10 meters or so you'll see some cemented stairs about a meter wide. Go up there. You'll have to cross the train tracks, but you'll see the signs for the Mt. Sogaku and Mt. Iwatake.
• Ikusabata Station. Here's the google maps pin. Once you exit, turn left and you'll have to cross the train tracks. Once you go to the main road, turn left and keep going until you reach the trailhead. Google maps works well so jut follow it.
• The trails are well marked, with most of them with English translations taped into it. I would still recommend getting that PDF on your phone, for safety purposes.
• This hike will pass through the following mountains:
• Mt. Sogaku (Sogakusan・惣岳山), 756m
• Mt. Iwatake (Iwatakeishiyama・岩茸石山), 793m
• Mt. Takamizu (Takamizuyama・高水山), 759m

Itinerary

• 06:50am. Depart from Nakano Station to Okutama Station, platform 6. This specific train (called Holiday Rapid) literally splits at Haijima Station, where only cars 1 to 6 go to Okutama Station. Cars 7 to 10 go to Musashi-Itsukaichi Station. Be sure you are at cars 1 to 6.
• 08:07am. Arrive at Mitake Station.
• 08:30am. Start hike. It will be a quick steep "welcome to the mountains!" but remained generally gentle, except for when one is about 100-200 meters below a summit.
• 10:20am. ETA: Mt. Sogaku (Sogakusan・惣岳山), 756m. After summiting, the next 5-8 minutes have a steep rock/tree scramble, where you will need to use your hands. Because of this, as much as I don't want to, I might have to consider this hike a tad technical. Just a bit.
• 11:00am. ETA: Mt. Iwatake (Iwatakeishiyama・岩茸石山), 793m
• 11:35am. ETA: Mt. Takamizu (Takamizuyama・高水山), 759m. About 5-10 minutes from this summit, you'll see a shrine and a road leading up to it. Don't go to the shrine, and just keep on following the trail so you can avoid having to hike down the main road. I got into the main road around 12;20pm.
• 12:50pm. ETA: Ikusabata Station (軍畑駅). Trains around this time come twice in an hour, so I checked my time once I left the trail to see if I can take it slow, or if I have to run.
• 12:56pm. Train back to Tokyo. 

From Mitake Station, take the stairs to go up the trailhead.  This is the view from the top of it. 

There are plenty of options to skip one summit or another. Just follow the map above and the sequence in there. Or you know, do you. 

Oh, Okutama. I don't think any Okutama hike is complete without this view. 

This is the best possible camp spot (not official) I could find. I saw it while I was on my way up to Mt. Iwatakeishi, and the summit was less than 5 minutes away.