Lake Hakusui
Lake Hakusui is located nearly 1,300 meters above sea level in Hakusan National Park, some 45 minutes by car from the historic village of Ogimachi. The lake was formed in 1963 by the building of the Oshirakawa Dam, which stands next to the parking lot serving as the entrance to this part of the national park. Lake Hakusui is famous for its emerald-green water, which gets its color from hot spring minerals released into the lake beneath the nearby Mt. Haku (Hakusan), a dormant volcano. In summer, visitors can observe the lake up close by renting a rowboat or stand-up paddleboard, or while soaking in the Oshirakawa open-air hot spring bath by the shore. Also nearby is a campsite where visitors can stay the night in a tent underneath the branches of beech and oak trees, some of which are hundreds of years old. The campsite is open from July to September, and its closing is usually followed closely by autumn, when the foliage of the surrounding hills begins to turn. In a typical year, the autumn foliage is at its best until late October. The road up to the lake is closed to traffic from the end of October to the end of May.