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Cycling in Yuzawa and Minamu-Unonuma.

Cycling is a great way to stay fit and to train those leg muscles we love to push when we get back on our skies or snowboards.

Here in Yuzawa and Minami-Uonuma, you can escape from congestions, annoying traffic lights, dangerous taxi doors and aggressive delivery trucks.  Add some fresh cool mountain air and a breathtaking alpine backdrop and it's not hard to see why more TwinTippers are becoming passionate cyclers during the green season. Adventure awaits.

What kind of a bicycle do I need?

The roads in Yuzawa and Minami-Uonuma are paved and in pretty good shape, so you will be fine with any kind of a bicycle. However, it is hard not to come across parts with gravel, holes and other rough surfaces, so if you’re on a road bike we recommend you get some strong tires. A road bike will take you very far, but if you want to explore deeper into the rivers and the back-lands, you need a mountain or a gravel bikes as you will be riding on dirt roads. 

When can I ride?

You can start riding as early as April when the snow and ice is cleared from the roads, and continue through to November. September is particularly nice when the rice fields are all golden. 

Daigenta loop

The Daigental loop is a  popular 25k ride that takes you up to the beautiful Daigenta Lake and back to TwinTips. On the way, you will see mountains, rivers, waterfalls, forests and rice fields. 

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From TwinTips, head left at the Kokudo 17 towards Yuzawa. To avoid the tunnel we recommend going down the old Ishiuchi road along the railroad track.

Ride across town and turn left when you see the Subaru sign and continue up past the Yuzawa Central Park along the river. At the top of the park, turn left again and cross the bridge. Follow the road towards the Daigenta river.

You can go on either side of the river, but we reckoned the right side until you come to the second bridge as you can enjoy more of the river and see a few smaller waterfalls.

At the second bridge you can either continue straight, or do a nice detour through some rice fields on the other side of the bridge.

At the third bridge you must go back to the main road for until you see the third bridge on your right hand side. Cross this bridge, and make sure you see the waterfall. You may want to stop here as this is were the climbing starts. 

Cycle through the rice fields and the village before you enter the forest. It is remarkably cooler in the forest. When you reach the top, you will see the waterfall and Daigenta lake. Continue up to the main road and make a left turn.

This is were the thrilling decent begins. There are some steep turns, so be careful. The golden rule is to slow down ahead of every left turns. You can go faster in the right turns.

At the bottom, when you see a climb in front of you, turn right and go back above the bridge. Take the first left after the bridge and follow the narrow paved path. This is a fun ride as the road is narrow, but you can keep a good speed. Continue back to the Chuo park, and make your way back to TwinTips from there.

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Twin Rivers Ride

The Twin Rivers Ride is a 35k loop that covers most of the sights in Yuzawa. You go up the Daigenta river and then cross over to the next valledy. You then continue up the Uona river, before retuning to TwinTips.

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The first part of the Twin River ride is identical to the Daigenta loop. You cycle up to the Daigenta lake. However, after the decent you continue straight up the hill instead of crossing the Daigenta river to your right.

Stay on the road, but make left turns towards the Nakazato ski resort. There are multiple ways to get across, but we reccomend cycling through the rice fields. Continue under the Kanetsu highway and take the bride across the Uono river. After the bridge follow the road to the left.

You can continue to ride straight, but we reccomed a fun de-tour to the "secret park". Take left when you go under the railroad track and ride through the forest until you come to more rice paddie field. The secret park will emerge on your right. Here you can find toilets if needed.

Continue to ride up. If you have a mountain bike or a gravel bike, you can take the side road along the river and enjoy the waterfalls. Road racers should stick to the tarmac.

The road will take you back up to the main road where you can stop to see the see the impressive Kedosawa waterfall. This is the end of the tour. Heading back we reccomend siticking to the main road as you will be going fast.

EXTENSION 1: If you have a mountain bike / gravel bike you can take the road up on the left side of the waterfall. The road will take you up to the historical Kedosawa Kyoryo railroad bridge. The bride was built in the in the early 1920s. You can conue to cycle up along the river through the forest.

EXTENSION 2: Road racers should stay on the main road and continue to follow the Uono river up to the base of the Mt. Mantaro and Mt. Tanigawa climbing area. Returning to TwinTips, you should return to the left side of the Uono river. The road on the right side was destroyed by a landslide in 2019 and has not yet been repaired.

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