Hakuundai Lookout
This small visitor center is the ideal vantage point from which to take in the full expanse of Sado Island. It also offers access to the hiking trails of the Ōsado mountain range. The facility, situated about 850 meters above sea level, consists of an observation deck and a building where visitors can buy souvenirs and snacks. Vehicle access via the Ōsado Skyline Road is open only during the warmer months, when the roads are clear.
Few spots on Sado are better than the Hakuundai Lookout for taking in the island’s distinctive geography. Sado’s two parallel mountain ranges, Ōsado and Kosado, emerged from the sea as neighboring islands some three million years ago before being slowly connected by sediment that accumulated between them. From Hakuundai, visitors can see the whole Kuninaka Plain, including Ryotsu Port and Lake Kamo, as well as the mountains of the Kosado range beyond them and the Ogi Peninsula to the far southwest.
Hakuundai anchors one of Sado’s most popular trekking trails, the 13.6-kilometer Donden Highland to Hakuundai Traverse Route. The roughly seven-hour route alternates between woodlands and open ridges, passing under Sado’s highest peak, Mt. Kinpoku (1,172 m), which is also visible from the lookout.