Take a Quick Trip! Aburayama Forest Park– Natural beauty less than an hour outside the city
2017.01.19Fukuoka has the convenience of the city with a rich natural environment, and you can find a lot of nature to enjoy all around you.
One such place is Aburayama Forest Park, which is accessible in an hour by car or bus from Tenjin and Hakata. It is an expansive natural area for enjoying outdoor activities. The park has campgrounds and a hands-on dairy farm known to the locals as “Moo Moo Land”. Located in the foothills of Mt. Aburayama (597 meters), it is a great place for enjoying nature year-round.
Standing before Shiranami falls in Aburayama Forest Park
When I was waiting for the bus to Aburayama, I met two Chinese women who live in the town. They were also on their way to visit Aburayama for the first time. Sensing fate, we decided to explore the park together.
After about 40 minutes by bus, we arrived in front of the offices of Aburayama Forest Park. Pick up a map here and check out the routes.
There is a resting and picnic area in front of the park office.
They were planning to see Mizunomori (forest of waters) and a suspension bridge, so we chose a route that will start with “Course C” that includes Mizunomori, then go up the top of Mt. Aburayama, and then take “Course B” with the suspension bridge. The whole route takes about 3 hours.
We followed the map and numbered signs, which brought us to the Mizunomori area. The negative ions in the air created by the many waterfalls was very refreshing. Then we went on up to the top of the mountain.
Although the walking paths are well developed, good walking shoes are recommended for the hike.
The mountain trail has helpful stair steps made from logs. You can take in seasonal flowers and landscapes, and feel a natural, cool breeze during the hike. We made it to the top of the mounftain in about an hour.
Walking among a spectrum of greenery in the woods
You can find unusual plants and wild flowers here.
Greeting people as you pass them is good trails manners and makes the hike a shared experience.
We made it! You can relax on a bench at the summit.
You can see Nokonoshima Island off in the distance. You can also see Fukuoka Tower and Fukuoka Dome off to the right.
From the summit, you can look over downtown Fukuoka and beyond to islands such as Nokonoshima and Shikanoshima. When you see a city from high above and take it all in, you might fall in love with it at first sight. As a Fukuoka local, I would be happy if Fukuoka becomes one of your favorite places to visit.
After taking some rest on the bench, we went on to the park’s “Course B”. At the concrete suspension bridge on the way down the mountain, the view is magnificent.
The vivid red suspension bridge is 52 meters long and 30 meters above the ground. The suspension bridge shakes a little as you cross it. But, it doesn’t stop us from taking a picture!
The surrounding forest as seen from the suspension bridge
If you have time, you can see dairy cows get milked and enjoy soft serve ice cream at Momoland Aburayama Farm. Aburayama Forest Park is a great place for relaxing in Fukuoka.
