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Mt. Iwate and Morioka

Volcano·JapanJapan

Mount Iwate

2,038m

Ou Mountains

Summit weather

yisris from Morioka, Japan · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Elevation
2,038m
Prominence
1,745m
Relief
1,531mabove the lowest point within 5 km
Steepest slope
33°within 1 km of the summit
Snow at the summit
Oct–JunSee month by month ↓
Summit
39.8525°N, 141.0008°E

Mountain in Iwate Prefecture, Japan

Mount Iwate is a volcano in the Ou Mountains (Japan). Its summit stands 2,038 m above sea level. Its prominence — how far it rises above the highest saddle linking it to a taller summit — is 1,745 m.

From the lowest point within 5 km (507 m), it rises 1,531 m. The steepest side is the north-east face: 28° on average over the first kilometre.

The nearest town is Hachimantai, 12 km away at 228 m: 1,810 m below the summit.

Read more on Wikipedia

Scores

Mount Iwate for skiers and climbers

Two scores out of 10, built only from open data — every part is shown. They describe what the mountain offers, not how safe it is.

Hiking & mountaineering

5.5/10

Difficulty to the top

Mountain walk

Estimated from the slope: OpenStreetMap has no graded paths near the top.

Indicative only — never a safety assessment. Conditions change: ask local guides and check the forecast.

  • 0.8/2.52 waymarked routes and 0 path sections nearby
  • 0.0/1.50 huts and shelters
  • 1.8/21,810 m of ascent from the valley
  • 1.4/1.51,745 m of prominence
  • 1.5/1.58 months with summit afternoons above −5 °C
  • 0.0/1via ferratas, climbing and glaciers

Ski score

6.9/10

  • 2.8/457 km of downhill runs
  • 1.0/1.528 ski lifts
  • 0.0/1.5lift station heights not mapped
  • 3.0/35 months of snow at about 728 m

Runs by difficulty

  • Easy 24 km
  • Intermediate 23 km
  • Difficult 9 km

Snow season on the slopes (estimate)

Around 728 m, in the middle of the ski area: snow from December to April (some years from November to April).

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec
  • Snow on the ground all month
  • Snow some of the time
  • No snow
  • This month

28 lifts · 0 km cross-country

How these scores are made

Ski (where OpenStreetMap has skiing within 12 km): up to 4 points for the length of downhill runs (300 km or more = 4), 1.5 for the number of lifts (40+), 1.5 for the vertical between lift stations (1,500 m) and 3 for the snow season — a month counts when the estimated mean temperature at the height of the ski area is −1 °C or lower and snow falls or lies there (NASA POWER, 2001–2020). Hiking & mountaineering: up to 2.5 for waymarked routes and paths, 1.5 for huts, 2 for the ascent from the valley (2,000 m), 1.5 for prominence (3,000 m), 1.5 for the season (months with summit afternoons above −5 °C) and 1 for via ferratas, climbing and glaciers. OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: where few things are mapped, a score can be lower than reality.

Plan your visit

Stay, climb and get there

Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.

Snow

When there is snow on Mount Iwate

At the summit, snow from October to June. Month by month below, at different heights on the way up.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Summit2,038 msnow from October to June
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthNo snowNo snowNo snowSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all month
Halfway up1,133 msnow from November to May
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all month
Hachimantai228 msnow from December to April
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowSnow on the ground all month
  • Snow on the ground all month
  • Snow some of the time
  • No snow
  • This month

Estimate for a normal year: average temperature and precipitation from NASA POWER, carried to each height, in a simple model of snow building up and melting. In a given year snow can come earlier or stay longer. It does not replace the local snow and avalanche bulletin.

Summit weather

Mount Iwate, month by month

Not a forecast: long-term averages (1991–2020), carried up to the summit. The orange line is where an average afternoon reaches 0 °C; above the dashed blue line it freezes even at dawn.

On an average August afternoon the summit reaches about 16 °C; on February nights it falls to about -19 °C. In 5 months of the year it stays below freezing at the top even in the afternoon. In August the 0 °C line climbs to about 4,480 m, above the summit: the top thaws on an average afternoon. Across the region, February is the driest month (58 mm) and July the wettest (168 mm).

0 m1,000 m2,000 m3,000 m4,000 mSUMMIT · 2,038 mHACHIMANTAI · 228 mJanuary: 90 mFebruary: 230 mMarch: 940 mApril: 2,090 mMay: 3,120 mJune: 3,800 mJuly: 4,310 mAugust: 4,480 mSeptember: 3,780 mOctober: 2,750 mNovember: 1,650 mDecember: 540 mJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0 °C on an average afternoon 0 °C at dawn the summit
MonthSummit high °CSummit low °CHachimantai high °C0 °C line (m)Rain & snow (mm)Wet daysSun h/day
January-13-19-19078182.7
February-12-19023058153.5
March-7-15594082154.8
April0-10122,09090125.7
May7-4193,12093125.8
June121233,800102125.1
July156264,310168163.8
August167284,480161164.3
September112233,780145154.7
October5-4162,750130144.4
November-2-1091,65097163.4
December-10-162540102182.5

Estimate: the NASA POWER climate of a ~55 km cell (average height 477 m), adjusted to the summit by −6.5 °C per 1,000 m. Rain, wet days and sunshine are those of the region. Mountain weather changes fast — always check a local forecast. ★ = mildest months at the top.

Relief

The mountain in profile

Two cuts through the summit, 16 km long, from the 30 m Copernicus elevation model. Heights drawn 2× taller than lengths, so the shape can be seen.

West – east
2,038 m355 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmWE
South – north
2,038 m385 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmSN
Steepness by direction
30°N: 27°NNE: 28°NEE: 24°ESE: 16°SES: 10°SSW: 18°SWW: 26°WNW: 24°NW

Average slope of the first kilometre from the summit. The orange petal is the steepest side.

Around the mountain

Huts, lifts and trails around Mount Iwate

Counted around the summit in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. The satellite plate shows 14 × 14 km.

Mount Iwate seen from above (Sentinel-2) N 5 km

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 14 × 14 km, north up. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.

  • —mountain huts and shelters
  • 24cable cars, gondolas, chairlifts and rack railways

    第1リフトB, 第3リフト, 第2リフト, 第1リフトA and 20 more

  • 5ski areas

    網張温泉スキー場, 八幡平リゾート, 雫石スキー場, 岩手高原スノーパーク and 1 more

  • 2waymarked hiking routes

    Mount Iwate Yanagisawa Trail (New), Mount Iwate Yanagisawa Trail (Old)

  • —via ferratas
  • —climbing crags and routes
  • —named glaciers
  • —viewpoints
  • 4campsites

    相の沢キャンプ場, 妻の神広場キャンプ場, 網張温泉キャンプ場 林間サイト, 網張温泉キャンプ場 芝生サイト

  • 6hotels, B&Bs and chalets

    Hachimandai Royal Hotel, なかやま荘, Kyuonso, 八幡平マウンテンホテル and 2 more

  • 6restaurants and cafés

Towns at the foot

  • Hachimantai12 km · 228 m
  • Takizawa13 km · 262 m
  • Shizukuishi18 km · 192 m
  • Morioka21 km · 138 m
  • Numakunai22 km · 257 m

OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: a low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. Places © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Photos

Seen by climbers and visitors

姫神山からの岩手山
Koda6029 · CC BY-SA 4.0
姫神山から岩手山(左)と八幡平(右)を望む2
Koda6029 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Recent years

How each month compared at the summit

Afternoon high at the summit (estimate). The first row is the reference, the 1991–2020 average in °C; the years show only the difference.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
1991–2020 average-13-12-707121516115-2-10
2020+2.0+1.7+2.8−2.3+0.1+0.9−1.6+1.1+0.5−0.8+0.6−1.0
2021−0.6+1.1+3.7+0.7±0.0+1.4+1.9−0.9−0.7+0.2+1.5+0.8
2022−0.4−1.1+0.7+2.3+0.9−0.6+1.6−1.0+1.4−0.1+2.2−0.5
2023+0.1+0.3+5.4+2.0−0.3+0.4+1.7+3.2+2.7+0.6+1.8+0.8
2024+2.4+2.4−0.8+4.3+1.1+1.6+1.5+1.8+2.0+2.4+0.9−0.9
2025+1.7−0.3+0.9+0.7−0.2+2.4+3.5+1.8+1.4−0.4+0.1+1.0

+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual

About these numbers

Names, elevation, prominenceWikidata (Q713836) · CC0
Relief, 3D view, profilesCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
ClimateNASA POWER, 1991–2020 · CC BY 4.0
Around the mountain© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons

Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.

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