Kanazawa Countryside by E-Bike: A Waterfall Ride Through the Hakusan Foothills
Enjoy the beautiful nature and waterfalls of the Hakusan Geopark.
Overview
At the foot of Mount Hakusan, one of Japan’s three sacred mountains and the heart of a UNESCO Global Geopark, a quiet world of plunging waterfalls and emerald gorges waits to be discovered by bicycle. This guided ride trades the crowds of the city for the rural countryside few travellers ever reach, where the Tedori River has carved dramatic cliffs over millions of years.
Riding a comfortable e-bike, you glide effortlessly between cascades, rice terraces and centuries-old shrines, pausing wherever the scenery invites you to linger. The electric assist flattens every slope, so the focus stays on the landscape rather than the effort, making this a relaxed day out for riders of all levels.
From the foaming Watarigataki Waterfall, whose spray is said to resemble drifting cotton, to the serene grounds of Shirayamahime Shrine, this is a chance to feel the unhurried rhythm of rural Japan and the natural beauty of the Hakusan Geopark up close.
Details
❖ Meet at e-CRUTTTO, Tsurugi Station
09:30 - 09:50 (20 min)
Your guide greets you at e-CRUTTTO, the bicycle base beside Tsurugi Station. After a friendly briefing and a quick fit of your comfortable e-bike and helmet, you set off into the foothills of Mount Hakusan.
❖ Tedori Canyon Road
10:00 - 10:50 (50 min)
Setting out from Tsurugi Station, you ride along the Tedori Canyon Road. Tedori Canyon is a narrow gorge along an 8-kilometre stretch of the Tedori River, with 20 to 30-metre-high cliffs rising on each side. The road threads through forest and rock with the turquoise river glinting below, a constant companion as you pedal deeper into the Geopark.
❖ Watarigataki Waterfall
10:50 - 11:30 (40 min)
Watarigataki Waterfall is named after the word for cotton, ‘wata’, because the foaming water is said to look like fluttering cotton. The water falls a dramatic 32 metres, surrounded on all sides by cliffs. A lookout is available east of the waterfall, but the best view is from down in the gorge, reached by a staircase. You will also stop at a local sweets store close to the waterfall.
❖ Lunch break
11:50 - 12:30 (40 min)
Pause to rest and refuel with lunch (at your own expense) before continuing the ride through the countryside.
❖ Ride along the rice fields to Utaura Waterfall
12:40 - 13:20 (40 min)
The route now winds past open rice fields toward Utaura Waterfall. Rice fields are a beautiful and ingenious use of the country’s rural landscape, one you can fully enjoy during this stretch of the tour. Depending on the season, you may also catch seasonal flowers in bloom along the way.
❖ Shirayamahime Shrine and Biwa Falls
13:20 - 13:45 (25 min)
Said to have been originally built over 2,100 years ago, Shirayamahime Shrine sits in the southern part of Tsurugi, raised high on the river terrace to overlook the Tedori River. It is a very quiet and serene place, with several smaller shrines scattered throughout the grounds, and the nearby Biwa Falls completing the scene.
❖ Fudo Waterfall at Kinkengu Shrine
13:45 - 14:00 (15 min)
This 15-metre-high waterfall sits on the cliff of a river terrace beside the grounds of Kinkengu Shrine. It offers a relaxing place to sit and take in nature on your way to and from the shrine, a fitting final flourish before the ride home.
❖ Return to Tsurugi Station
14:00 - 14:30 (30 min)
You cycle back to Tsurugi Station, returning your e-bike where the day began, with the waterfalls and quiet country roads of the Hakusan Geopark fresh in memory.
OPTIONS
Notes
This is an active cycling experience: you ride a comfortable e-bike along rural roads, canyon paths and riverside terraces, so a basic level of fitness and comfort on a bicycle is required.
For safety, the tour is not recommended for pregnant travellers or for guests with heart conditions or other serious medical concerns.
The tour takes place almost entirely outdoors. In the event of poor weather, the schedule may be adjusted or the tour rearranged, and your guide will confirm the arrangements with you.
A lunch break is included in the itinerary, but food and drinks are at your own expense.
The meeting point is in the countryside at Tsurugi Station. Hotel pick-up and drop-off are not included, but a round-trip private taxi transfer from Kanazawa can be added.
This is a private tour for your group only, for 1 to 5 participants.
The tour runs once a day with a single fixed start at 09:30, lasting approximately five hours.
Infants are not permitted on this tour.
Meeting Point
What's included:
Guide
E-bike and helmet rental fee
Insurance premium
Photos of tour participants
Local tax
What's not included:
Hotel pick-up and drop-off
Food and drinks
Free cancellation up to 8 days before the experience starts (local time)
Private experience
1
-
5
Participants
Kanazawa
From ¥13,000 /person
5 hours
Traveler Photos
From ¥13,000 /person
5 hours
Kanazawa