Because the Tsurugi Super Forest Road includes over 80 km of unpaved terrain, riding it takes considerably more time than traveling the same distance on paved roads.
Along the route, there are several scenic viewpoints where you can stop, take photos, and simply enjoy the mountain landscape. I highly recommend taking your time rather than rushing through — appreciating the scenery is part of the experience.
For my ride, I based myself in Hiwasa (Minami Town), Tokushima Prefecture, and spent a full day exploring the super forest road.
I left Hiwasa at 8:00 AM, riding about 1.5 hours to reach the entrance of the forest road. On the way, I stopped at a roadside station (Michi-no-Eki) in Katsura Town to stock up on food and water, and then filled my tank at a nearby gas station before entering the mountains.
From the roadside station, I headed into the mountains and reached the entrance to the Tsurugi Super Forest Road just before 10:00 AM.
Around lunchtime, I stopped at a visitor center located inside the forest road for a light meal. Later, around 2:00 PM, I took a coffee break at the rest house “Yama-no-Ie.”
I reached the end of the forest road at around 3:00 PM.
From there, I followed National Route 195 back to Hiwasa, returning to my accommodation at around 5:00 PM.
Since this ride took place in November, the sun had already set by 5:30 PM, so this schedule felt like the practical limit for safely enjoying the entire route within daylight hours.
Fortunately, right near Michi-no-Eki Hiwasa is the Yakōji Onsen, a perfect hot spring where I relaxed and recovered after a long day on the bike.
