戸隠キャンプ場で秋キャンプ
「戸隠」と言えば、今はパワースポットでブームになっていて、おそばと忍者にも有名です。しかし、戸隠の魅力はそこで終わらない。このブームが始まる前から戸隠が我が家族の冒険コース人気＃１。「戸隠」の穴場的な楽しみを紹介したいと思います。
まずは、戸隠キャンプ場。
上山田小学校は今日、休みでしたから息子達を連れて、車にテントや寝袋を積んで、戸隠キャンプ場へ出かけました。高速を信濃町I.C.まで乗って、黒姫山を眺めながら戸隠高原は裏から上がりました。夏はこのキャンプ場が賑やかそうですが、秋の平日だったせいか、ほとんど貸切状態でした。広い芝生のどこでテントを張ろうかなと悩んだ。結局、紅葉している一本の木の下を選びました。夜になって、星の空（木星と海王星がちょうど重なるところだった）を楽しみながら、親子三人でぐっすり眠りました。起きたら、朝日出回りを見て、戸隠山がこんなに近かったか吃驚しました。
戸隠キャンプ場はテントの場所以外に、コテージと白樺の林の中のバンガローもあり、近くに川遊び場と牧場もある。夏に戻って、その二つを楽しみたいと思った。
アクセスはもちろん車が楽ですが、キャンプ場の入口にバス停があります。長野駅から約６０分。冬期以外は川中島バスが一日約１０本。キャンプ場でテントなど道具を借りれますのでこんなに気楽な、なおかつパワー（？）自然の中のキャンプ場は他にない！
Togakushi is experiencing a boom in popularity due to its recognition as a 'power spot'. Long before this boom, Togakushi has been our family's favorite destination to get out and enjoy nature. Besides its spirituality, Togakushi is also famous for soba and ninjas. For this blog series, I'd like to put the spotlight on some of Togakushi's lesser known attractions. First up:
Togakushi Campground
Our kids had a day off from school, so I piled the two boys in the car, loaded up the tent and sleeping bags, and we hit the highway bound for Togakushi. We took the freeway all the way around to Shinanomachi IC and approached the campground from the backside, enjoying views of Kurohime Mountain along the way.
Togakushi campground is pretty popular in the summertime, but on this weekday in the fall, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. The hardest part was deciding which part of the wide grassy field to choose to put up our tent. We ended up selecting a spot underneath a lone tree showing off its brilliant fall colors. At night, we were treated to a gallactic show of stars, and two planets, Neptune and Mars, who appeared practically one on top of another. In the morning's light, we were delighted to see just how close Togakushi Mountain was.
Besides the tent area, the campground has 2 cottages and about 60 bungalows in a birch tree setting. Next to the campground is a river play area as well as the Togakushi Bokujyo Ranch, which we intend to come back and enjoy in the summer.
Access to Togakushi Campground is most convenient by car, but there is also easy access by bus. Kawanakajima Bus has about 10 runs a day from Nagano Station to the bus stop right in front of the campground. (Approx. 60 minutes, no service in winter.) Tent and gear rental is available, so it is possible to literally catch a train from Tokyo, change at Nagano Station to the bus, and reach the campground all by public transport.
戸隠キャンプ場の詳しくはこちらClick here for Togakushi Campground's website
