Zengoro Falls is a famous waterfall located on the Norikura Highlands in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture. Zengoro Falls is beautiful throughout the year. However, in winter, the appearance of the waterfall changes completely. This time, we will introduce in detail about Zengoro Falls, a winter feature of Nagano Prefecture’s Zengoro Falls and Norikura Highlands, “Zengoro Falls Ice Falls.”
①【Zengoro Falls】A spot famous for its icefall!!
Zengoro Falls is a waterfall located in Azumi Suzuran, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture. It is located at Norikura Kougen in Matsumoto City. Zengoro Falls is one of Norikura’s three famous waterfalls.
② Spot where you can see the winter feature “Icefall”
Zengoro Falls is a spot where you can see the winter tradition of icefall. Icefall refers to a frozen waterfall or a frozen waterfall. When it becomes an icefall, the water from the waterfall appears to stop midway, making it look like ice art. At Zengoro Falls, you can observe the ice fall during the winter. The icefall at Zengoro Falls is characterized by its pale blue color.
The reason is that it doesn’t freeze all at once, but rather slowly over time. Therefore, the color of the ice is not colorless and transparent, but a pale blue. Also, all the basins of the waterfall are frozen, soYou can walk right up to the bottom of the waterfall, but the freezing conditions vary depending on the temperature of the year and the time of year you visit. There is also a chance that the ice may crack and fall into the river, so please be careful where you step.
▲When I visited, the ice on the left side of the waterfall was gone. If you go near the basin of a waterfall, please be careful not to fall.
▲When visiting the icefall, you will need equipment such as snowshoes and trekking poles. Normally, it takes about 10 minutes to get there from the parking lot, but it takes about twice as long to walk on snowy roads as it is difficult to walk and takes more energy than I expected.
③ Zengoro Falls parking lot.
There are two parking lots near Zengoro Falls. I will introduce each of them.
❶ Zengoro Falls entrance parking lot
The Zengoro Falls Entrance Parking Lot is a parking lot located along Prefectural Route 84. It is about a 15 minute walk from the Zengoro Falls entrance parking lot to the Zengoro Falls viewing platform. Details of the Zengoro Falls entrance parking lot are as follows.
① Number of parking spaces: 15 (normal cars)
②Parking fee: Free
③Toilet: None
❷Norikura Kogen Third Parking Lot (Yamaboushi Parking Lot)
Norikura Kogen Parking Lot 3 is a parking lot for sightseeing in Norikura Kogen. It is located in front of Suzuran Bridge, which is along Prefectural Route 84 and about 2 to 3 minutes by car from the Zengoro Falls entrance parking lot. It is about a 7-minute walk from the Norikura Kogen Third Parking Lot to the viewing platform of Zengoro Falls. Details of Norikura Kogen Third Parking Lot are as follows.
① Number of parking spaces: 400 (regular cars)
②Parking fee: Free
③Toilet: Available
④Business period: Open all year round
Norikura Kogen Parking Lot 3 is open all year round, and the parking lot is not closed during the winter. If you want to see the ice fall of Zengoro Falls in winter, we recommend parking at Norikura Kogen Parking Lot No. 3.
➂Access information to Zengoro Falls.
Here you will find detailed information about access to Zengoro Falls. The address of Zengoro Falls is “Azumi Suzuran, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture.”
❶Route by car from Matsumoto City Hall to Zengoro Falls parking lot
Matsumoto City Hall (3-7 Marunouchi, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture) ⇒ Matsumoto City Road 1064 ⇒ Matsumoto City Road 1517 ⇒ Prefectural Road 320 ⇒ Matsumoto Bypass ⇒ National Route 19 ⇒ National Route 158 ⇒ Prefectural Route 84 ⇒ Zengoro Falls Parking car lot
The total travel distance is approximately 44.0 km, and the travel time is approximately 1 hour and 12 minutes.
Summary【Zengoro Falls】
This time, we introduced Zengoro Falls, Nagano Prefecture, and the winter tradition of Zengoro Falls and the Norikura Highlands, ″Zengoro Falls Ice Falls.” Zengoro Falls in Nagano Prefecture has a large amount of water, is wide, and has a direct waterfall, so you can see an impressive sight.
Also, in winter, you can admire the ice art that makes it seem as if time has stopped. When you visit Nagano Prefecture, we highly recommend that you stop by Zengoro Falls.
▲Official site
More information about Zengoro Falls!!
Below is information about Zengoro Falls.
❶The origin of the name Zengoro Falls.
The origin of the name Zengoro Falls is the name of a woodcutter who lived in the village of Onogawa long ago. A long time ago, there lived a woodcutter named Zengoro in the village of Onogawa. Zengoro goes fishing in the Ono River. Then, a large char caught on the hook and was about to be pulled into the basin of the waterfall. Zengoro barely manages to escape and return to the village. Jingoro told the villagers about what happened at the waterfall, and from then on the waterfall became known as ″Zengoro Falls.”
❷What kind of waterfall is Zengoro Falls?
Zengoro Falls has a height of 21.5m, a width of 8m, and is a “straight waterfall” waterfall. It is located at an altitude of 1525m in the Norikura Highlands. When viewed from the front, the water spreads out across the width of the waterfall mouth and falls neatly down to the basin. This waterfall has a smooth flow overall. The waterfall faces east, so when the sun rises in the morning, the sunlight hits the water from the waterfall and sometimes a rainbow appears. Zengoro Falls was created by lava flows caused by volcanic activity on Mt. Norikura.
❸What is Norikura Sanmei Falls?
Zengoro Falls is one of Norikura’s three famous waterfalls. Norikura Sanmei Falls is a waterfall that flows into the Koono River, whose water source is Mt. Norikura. From the upstream, the waterfalls are Sanbon Falls, Zengoro Falls, and Bandokoro Falls.
❹Viewed from the waterfall viewing platform.
There is a waterfall viewing platform at Zengoro Falls. There are several waterfall viewing platforms along the promenade. The “landing” and “top of the bridge” on the promenade are waterfall viewing platforms. You can see Zengoro Falls from quite a few different angles. There are benches, it’s mostly shaded by trees, and the Koono River runs through it, so it’s cool even in the summer.
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