Another trail head is easily accessible from the Roadside Station Hakone Touge (Hakone Pass). Compared to Mizugatsuka Park however, the facility itself is small andΒ parking is very limited. You may need to be dropped off or run from nearby to start from the trail at Hakone Pass.
We opted to run on the west of Lake Ashi – the Shizuoka Prefecture side – mostly tracing the Ashinoko Skyline on the left amidst the trails. Across Lake Ashi on the eastside, we enjoyed crystal clear views of Hakone, part of Kanagawa Prefecture.
From Hakone Pass, we traversed past Yamabushi Pass featuring countless stairs of varying depth, followed by a stroll through Mt. Mikuni (of Olympic road cycling fame) and then a stop at Kojiri Pass, right before the vehicle-only entrance to the Hakone Skyline. If Hakone Pass proves tricky, Kojiri Pass provides just enough parking for those in the know to set off into the trails surrounding Lake Ashi.
From Kojiri Pass, it’s a fast road race for approximately 8km, descending about 600 meters back to Hotel Coonel Inn.