Bannosawa-dake 盤ノ沢岳（ばんのさわだけ）is a minor peak on the southern outskirts of Sapporo rising to 939 m.a.s.l. This is a great 3 hour hike that can be done and dusted by mid-morning giving you a chance to explore the beautiful forest in the Toyotaki/Bannosawa valley below. This feature is the remnants of a crater rim that makes up the Jozankei volcanic area with other peaks such as Kamui-dake to the west. This is why Jozankei still has geothermal activity with its many onsen. This valley seems to have a higher population of Higuma (Hokkaido Brown Bear) and Shika (deer) than other valleys in the region, as every time I come here, I see bear sign. But there is no need to worry if you follow the correct bear awareness protocol. There are many mineral rich springs in this valley, so the mineral licks that are found around them provide much needed nutrients for the wildlife.

  The summer route starts at the same forestry road as the Sapporo-dake north route. After about 600 metres on this trail, we take a left and follow a logging trail that windings itself around the lower bluff and link up with the winter route trail that comes up from the Bannosawa spring temple further down the valley. Rhododendrons are prolific in this forest and late spring/early summer is alive with them. Sakhalin firs (Abies sachalinensis, トドマツ) can be found all through the area here and attract a wide variety of birdlife.

  As we head off the logging track and onto the trail itself, we start to gain the altitude quite rapidly before reaching a small saddle after around 15 minutes. the next section is quite steep, and you'll be using the roots of the trees to help you climb in places. There is also a section of the trail that passes over the top of a land slip where the terrain to the left is vertical and care must be taken. This section leads us up to the top of the ridgeline and on top of the old crater rim that was a part of a series of volcanoes many thousands of years ago. We follow this razorback ridge the whole length for approx. 500m before reaching our goal.

Take in the peaks of Sapporo-dake, Soranuma-dake, and the snow-capped Muine-dake to the southwest. There are also great views of the south suburbs of Sapporo as well as the Ishikari plain.

Once a snack is consumed we return in the same trail back to finish off with an onsen visit.

Difficulty-3/10.