Meakandake 1499m is an easy dayhike reachable from Lake Akan. The color of the rocks is amazing and you can look directly into the crater. Meakan is an active volcano, so check beforehand if there are any restrictions in place.
⏲︎ Time: 4-5h
✎ Kanji: 雌阿寒岳
⚲ Location: Hokkaido
↔ Distance: 9.2km
✮ Difficulty: Easy
ᨒ Elevation Gain: 783m
☀ Dayhike
☉ Hiking Season: July to
early October
Access
We did this hike as a through hike and were dropped off by friends and picked up on the other side.
If thats not an option you can either park at the Akan side or on the Onneto Lake side. The road up to the Akan side trailhead is not paved/one lane, so drive slow on the way up.
There is no public transportation access but you can walk it as a loop from Lake Ankan or take a taxi to the trailhead. Could also try hitchhiking to the Onneto side. The Ankan side trailhead is so small and not used much hitchhiking would be impossible I think.
Trail description
The first part of the hike from the Akan side is through the forest. Once you get a bit higher you'll have beautiful views of the area and the lakes. The hike is well marked and pretty easy. The ascent from the Akan side is more gradual. Once you're above the treeline you'll be on the ridge of the volcano. The trail is sandy but easy to walk. It took us 2h to the crater and then 1:30h back down the other side.
The trail to the Onneto side is more steep with boulders and roots. It was more busy than the Akan side trail. There is also an Onsen at the trailhead. On this side is also a really cool orange lake. Keep walking down the road to the lake and it will be on your left.
If you can, I really recomend starting from the Akan side, you'll see way more of the volcano than just from the Onneto side.
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