The Peak of Mt. Adatara
Mt. Adatara’s peak is a rugged, windswept plateau with a mass of rock rising from the center. Although the summit is technically 1,699.7 meters above sea level, the signage rounds the figure to 1,700. When skies are clear, there are views of Mt. Osho to the south, Mt. Bandai and the Iide Range to the west, and the Azuma Range to the north. On especially clear days, climbers may even see as far as Mt. Aizu-Komagatake at the southwest end of Fukushima Prefecture.
The rocky ground of the peak is the accumulated result of hundreds of thousands of years of volcanic activity. This makes the individual rocks found there highly diverse in color, mineral content, and composition. Some rock formations show lines indicating multiple strata of magma laid down over the millennia.
The path up the central mass of rock to the very top of the mountain is one-way, with a separate trail for the descent to the plateau. This is the most challenging part of the climb, and requires caution, but metal ladders bolted to the rock assist in making the ascent safer and easier. There is a small shrine beside the summit marker, and another shrine to the deity of the mountain nestled beneath a ridge on the way down.