Mt Kunimi Loop

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みやこ町, 福岡県, JP

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Route Overview

Ian Dagnall

Keichiku Rides

30 mi.

2,661 ft.

少し砂利のある短いループ、いくつかの林道、登り、そしてまともな景色

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Route Details

This route takes you on a loop from Shin Toyotsu station through the Keichiku countryside, up gravel and paved logging roads to the summit of @photo[Mt Kunimi](6786771) and then back down to the station through farming @photo[hamlets](6786778) and rice fields.  The route is best suited to a gravel or CX bike and should be ridable most of the year, but I would advise against riding the route if there is heavy rain forecast or for a couple of days after heavy rain.  The logging roads are in use so watch out for vehicles.  There's also a good chance of coming across deer so watch out on the descents.

The route starts at Shin Toyotsu station (free parking).  Turn right out of the car park and there's a short climb to get the legs warmed up. Over the top of the hill you drop down into the Harai River valley before another short climb over a ridge to the Kii River valley.

The road follows the river as it climbs gently through rice fields and farming villages with Mt Hiko and Inugatake looming in the distance.  If you're running low on liquids, fill up from on of the vending machines before the turn off onto the logging road.

@photo[After about 7 km](6786792) following the river the route turns off for a gravel climb up through the woods to the valley ridge.  The road is an active logging road so a bit of care is needed.  The surface is a mix of @photo[concrete](6786790) on the steepest sections, @photo[loose](6786793) gravel, and @photo[packed](6786789) gravel.  Where there's logging taking place, watch out for debris, and all along the road there can be rocks dotted around.

The climb is about 3km long and at the @photo[top](6786791) bear right to joins the Iwamuraone Rindo (Rindo is a forestry road) which takes you along the valley ridge to Mt Kunimi. This @photo[road](6786783) is tarmacked but again there can be rocks and logging debris so a bit of care is needed.  The first 2.5km are relatively flat then it @photo[kicks](6786781) up to 12.5% for for 1.5km - depending on the season you get some good views back down the climb, though.

At the end of the road turn right to join the Sinnyouji Rindo.  About 1km or so along they're builing a new rindo so watch out for works vehicles.  At 24km follow the road round to the right to take you up to the summit.  The @photo[path](6786787) to the summit used to be concrete but they've recently put a new mobile phone mast up there and it's now a gravel path.  There's a couple of steep sections and the gravel is still (early 2020) quite loose in places.

At the @photo[top](6786794) of the @photo[climb](6786770) there's a viewing platform and a small shelter, but mainly there's great @photo[views](6786772) out over Chikujo and @photo[Buzen](6786785), and on a clear day you can see Mt @photo[Yufu](6786784) in the distance.

On the way down, keep right at the junction and on your right there's a small @photo[shrine](6786788) at the source of the Shinnyouji River.  The road continues down through an abandoned camp site and from here the road down is steep, the surface isn't great, and there's a section of really tight @photo[swichbacks](6786775).  It's always worth keeping the speed down on this part of the descent.  At the first hamlet follow the road on the left side of the valley.  It's @photo[narrow](6786779) but the surface is generally okay.  As you get lower down the road opens out a bit and it's a blast of a descent down to Route 58.

Turn right onto Route 58 and then turn off just before the 7/11.  The next bit takes you through some narrow back roads to join Route 238.  Route 238 goes through some nice countryside and jsut before you turn off the road there's a pagaoda that's worth having a look at, and from there it's a short hop back to the station.

**Reminders**
While you'll never be that far from civilisation, some of the roads aren't very well used so make sure you've got spare tubes etc.

It's not a long ride but there's a good section of the ride with nowhere to get water so make sure you've got enough before you start the climbs (especially in summer).

Watch out for wildlife on the descents.

Mt Kunimi Loop

Route Overview

Route Details

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