Chiiwa Gorge (Aichi)

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Chiiwa Gorge is a beautiful valley hike along the Chiiwa river with interesting rock formations and caves to climb at the end. It's accessible year-round but best visited in spring or fall before it gets too hot. This hike is great as a quick escape from the city like Nagoya or Hamamatsu.

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⏲︎	Time: 2h
✎	Kanji: 乳岩峡
⚲ 	Location: Aichi
↔	Distance: 5.5km
✮	Difficulty: Easy
ᨒ	Elevation Gain: 300m
☀	Dayhike
☉	Hiking Season: year-round
	

Access

Public transportation

Take the train to Mikawa-Kawai Station and walk about 30min to the trailhead.

Car

Park at the free parking lot or private parking lot right in front of the road to the trailhead (only open in summer/weekends).

While google shows that you can still drive to the trailhead, that's not possible anymore and it's been closed for cars for a while.

If the free parking lot is full, there are a couple more spots 10min up the road towards the dam.

Trail description

The hike to Chiwa Gorge begins with a short walk along a paved road leading to the trailhead, where toilets are available.

From the trailhead, the path follows the Chiiwa River for about 15 minutes, passing small streams and waterfalls, before reaching a set of signposts. Here, the trail turns right and begins a steeper ascent. Continuing straight instead of turning leads to the peaks behind the valley, which can be done as an 8–10 hour full-day hike.

After the turn, the trail climbs more sharply with stairs and ladders as it loops around the massive Chiiwa Rock. The rock itself is a distinctive landmark with unique formations and small caves along its base. Along this section, hikers pass a natural rock arch and a cave containing several Buddha statues, which often have small offerings and flowers.

After passing the cave and arch, the trail gradually descends back to the river path and returns to the trailhead along the same route.

Additional Information:

The area is home to Japanese mountain leeches (yamabiru), which are active from early summer until fall. They often attach to clothing or exposed skin along the humid river sections. In summer bring salt to remove leeches and wear thick socks over pants to prevent bites.

Elevation Profile & Map

Gallery