GPS routes, still images of each point, etc. Climbing data is posted on the mountain posting site YAMAP "Wagamichi"
yamap.com/activities/35749949
〇Recommended points
1. Diamond Trail is a 45km long nature trail that spans Osaka, Nara and Wakayama. It is commonly known as "Dai-Tre." In spring and autumn, mountain climbing and trail running competitions are held, and it is famous for its steep slopes and steep steps.
The guidebook recommends that the standard time for ordinary hikers is two nights and three days, but
2. Is it a bit difficult to get to the starting point of Daitrail? There is a small free parking lot right next to the starting point of Daitrail, but the sign says that it is for Donzurumine only. There is a well-maintained toilet that you can use. It takes about 50 minutes to walk from Kintetsu Ueno-Taishi Station, so it is something to consider if you want to conserve your energy🤔. (There are several paid parking lots at the station.)
For example, you can reserve a taxi at Ueno-Taishi Station the day before and have it take you there in the morning. Also, the road from the Daitre start point to the Daitre North Entrance is famous for being a very busy road, so please be careful if you are walking.
3. From the Daitre North Entrance to near Mt. Nijo, there are many ups and downs, as is typical of the race course.
After this, I left the Daitre course for a while, but I stopped by Mt. Odake and Mt. Me-dake on Mt. Nijo.
At the summit of Mt. Odake, you can find the 26th sutra mound of En no Gyoja, as well as the grave of Prince Otsu, the tragic prince.
The square at the summit of Mt. Me-dake is a sundial, and offers a great view of Osaka and Nara.
If you go down a little from the summit, the Daitre course, with the mountains of Kongo Mountains and Izumi Mountains, will spread out before you.
Descend Mt. Me-dake, cross the road of Takenouchi Kaido, and proceed to Takenouchi Pass and Mt. Takenouchi. Takenouchi Kaido was built in 613AD and is Japan's first official road, a national highway. After Mt. Takeuchi, the road gradually becomes rough with ups and downs.
4. Next is Hiraishi Pass, where En no Gyoja's 24th sutra mound is located. Then, the rough road continues to Mt. Iwahashi and Iwahashi Pass.
If you continue on, you will come across the difficult final boss staircase 60 minutes before the finish line at Mt. Yamato Katsuragi. This staircase appears many times during the 60 minutes to the summit. It is the Last boss of the first 15km. It will be hard on your legs, so take it easy and take breaks.
5. Mt. Yamato Katsuragi, the finish line, is famous for its beautiful pampas grass this season.
Furthermore, to fully enjoy the beautiful view of Katsuragi Plateau, we recommend staying overnight at Katsuragi Plateau Lodge. You can enjoy the sunset, sunset, and the next morning sunrise without worrying about time.
6. The last ropeway down is at 5pm, and I arrived at the summit at 4:45pm?! 😵 I was late because I was filming for UA-cam, but please be careful about your time allocation.
After enjoying the view of Nara on the ropeway down, take a comfortable bus to Kintetsu Gose Station. It's only a few stops from Kintetsu Gose Station to Ueno-Taishi Station.
〇Disappointing points
The first Mt. Nijo and the last Mt. Yamato Katsuragi have good views, but the rest of the mountain paths are through reforestation and there are no views.
Unlike normal fun mountain climbing or hiking, it's a challenge to walk the tough trail course! If you don't think of it that way, you might not enjoy it. 😅