Before Driving to Ehime's Autumn Leaves: Typical Peak Times at Omogo Gorge, Mt. Ishizuchi, Nametoko Gorge and Ozu, with Parking, Roads and Night Closures

As of October 14, 2026, no official page showed this year’s color reports

This page lists, for each destination, the typical peak times, parking and road information written on official pages, for autumn leaf spots in Ehime that you reach by car.

On October 14, 2026, I looked at the following pages.

• The news page of the Ishizuchi Tozan Ropeway (石鎚登山ロープウェイ) (the latest autumn leaves post is November 4, 2025)
• The events and traffic information of the Kumakogen Tourism Association (久万高原町観光協会)
• Saijo City’s “Flower report: autumn leaf conditions” (花だより　【紅葉の状況】) (Mt. Ishizuchi is not listed)
• The notices of Garyu Sanso (臥龍山荘) (the latest is March 30, 2026)
• The pages of Matsuno Town

None of these pages had a report on the 2026 colors or the peak. For this reason, all the peak times below are for a typical year. The blog post on the prefecture’s tourism site also says that the timing changes from year to year.

紅葉は自然の生き物ですので、その年の寒暖差によって時期が移ろいます。

Translation: “Autumn leaves are a living part of nature, so the timing shifts with the temperature differences of each year.”

Source: 【最新】愛媛の紅葉スポットおすすめ14選！地元民が選ぶ「絶景ランキング」と見頃・穴場情報｜ひめ旅録｜愛媛県の公式観光サイト【いよ観ネット】

Typical peak times, by destination

Destination	Typical peak	Page that says so
Near the summit of Mt. Ishizuchi (石鎚山)	Starts to change color in early October	西条市「秋の石鎚山系を登山する皆さまへ」
Near Jojusha (成就社) on Mt. Ishizuchi	Mid-October to around the 20th	西条市「秋の石鎚山系を登山する皆さまへ」
Nishinokawa area (西之川筋) at the foot of Mt. Ishizuchi	Late October to around mid-November	西条市「秋の石鎚山系を登山する皆さまへ」
Ishizuchi Skyline (石鎚スカイライン)	Mid to late October	久万高原町観光協会「秋の紅葉特集」
Omogo Gorge (面河渓)	Early to mid-November	久万高原町観光協会「秋の紅葉特集」
Furuiwaya (古岩屋)	Around mid-November	久万高原町観光協会「秋の紅葉特集」
Nametoko Gorge (滑床渓谷)	No town or prefecture page giving a typical peak time was found
Garyu Sanso (臥龍山荘)	Around mid to late November	いよ観ネットのブログ記事（紅葉14選）
Shirataki Park (白滝公園)	Mid to late November	大洲市「白滝公園」

Near the summit of Mt. Ishizuchi the colors start in early October, and at Omogo Gorge in early November, so the spots are about a month apart. If you visit more than one place in a day, each place has a different peak.

The original text of Saijo City is as follows.

石鎚山では10月上旬から山頂より紅葉が始まり、頂上周辺が10日頃、成就社近辺が10月中旬～20日前後、麓の西之川筋では10月下旬～11月中旬頃まで紅葉を楽しむことができます。

Translation: “On Mt. Ishizuchi, the autumn leaves start from the summit in early October. Around the summit it is about the 10th, near Jojusha it is from mid-October to around the 20th, and in the Nishinokawa area at the foot you can enjoy them from late October to around mid-November.”

Source: 秋の石鎚山系を登山する皆さまへ - 愛媛県西条市ホームページ

The update date of this page is September 22, 2025. The original “10日頃” (around the 10th) does not give a month.

For the actual conditions in 2025, the ropeway company posted the following on November 4.

現在、ロープウェイ山頂成就駅～成就社付近の紅葉が見頃を迎えております。

Translation: “Now, the autumn leaves from the ropeway’s Summit Joju Station to the area around Jojusha are at their peak.”

Source: 紅葉情報（R7.11.4） | 石鎚登山ロープウェイ株式会社

The date of this post (November 4) is later than the Saijo City time for Jojusha, “mid-October to around the 20th.”

Kumakogen: Ishizuchi Skyline, Omogo Gorge and Furuiwaya

The “Autumn Leaves Special” of the Kumakogen Tourism Association lists a “peak” for each spot. It is mid to late October for the Ishizuchi Skyline, early to mid-November for Omogo Gorge, and around mid-November for Furuiwaya. The description of the Ishizuchi Skyline is as follows.

西日本最高峰である石鎚山（1982ｍ）の南側にあり、面河渓入り口の関門から、土小屋遙拝殿のある土小屋まで一気に駆け上がるドライブルート。

Translation: “On the south side of Mt. Ishizuchi (1,982 m), the highest peak in western Japan, this is a drive route that climbs in one run from Kanmon, the entrance of Omogo Gorge, to Tsuchigoya, where the Tsuchigoya Yohaiden is.”

Source: 秋の紅葉特集｜久万高原町観光協会

The road to Omogo Gorge is in the article From Matsuyama Airport to Omogo Gorge. It does not enter the Ishizuchi Skyline, and it is the road up to the point before Kanmon (関門).

The Ishizuchi Skyline can be driven only from 7:00 to 18:00 in autumn

The page of the Kumakogen Public Works Office (久万高原土木事務所) of Ehime Prefecture gives the gate times of the Ishizuchi Skyline as follows.

Period	Gate opens	Gate closes
September 1 to November 30	7:00	18:00
December 1 to March 31 of the next year	Winter closure period

The prefecture’s page has a note about closing time.

閉門時刻までに関門（面河）ゲートから出ないと翌朝の開門時刻まで出られなくなりますので、時間に余裕をもって通行してください。

Translation: “If you do not leave through the Kanmon (Omogo) gate by closing time, you cannot leave until the gate opens the next morning, so please allow plenty of time.”

関門～土小屋間は約17.1kmあり、通過するには車で30分程度かかります。

Translation: “The distance between Kanmon and Tsuchigoya is about 17.1 km, and it takes about 30 minutes by car to pass through.”

Source: 石鎚スカイラインについて - 愛媛県庁公式ホームページ（久万高原土木事務所）

The same page says the toll is “無料です。” (free). The update date of the page is April 1, 2021, and it is not a notice that fixes the schedule for this season. No notice of an autumn road closure for 2026 was found on the pages of the prefecture or the tourism association. The criteria for the winter closure and for closures due to rainfall are in the winter mountain roads article and the heavy rain and typhoon article.

Parking at Omogo Gorge and Furuiwaya

The Iyokan Net (いよ観ネット) page “Omogo Gorge” says the parking lot has “about 50 spaces” and the parking fee is “free” (無料). For the parking lot of the Omogo Mountain Museum (面河山岳博物館), the Kumakogen Town page says “10 spaces.” The museum is closed every Monday and the day after a holiday (if Monday is a holiday, it is open and closed on Tuesday), among other days. The details are in the Omogo Gorge article.

For Furuiwaya, the blog post on the prefecture’s tourism site says the following.

標高が高いため、紅葉の見頃は例年１０月中旬～１１月中旬。

Translation: “Because of the high elevation, the autumn leaves are usually at their peak from mid-October to mid-November.”

Source: 車を降りると目の前に広がる紅葉の絶景！｜愛媛で気軽に立ち寄れる人気紅葉スポット（古岩屋・白滝公園・龍王公園）３選｜ひめ旅録｜愛媛県の公式観光サイト【いよ観ネット】

The parking column of the same post is “Yes (free).” This blog post is dated November 12, 2025, and it is worded differently from the tourism association’s “around mid-November.”

Buses and shuttles to Omogo

Public transport to Omogo has changed two years in a row.

• October 2025: A notice of the tourism association said the Omogo line of Iyotetsu Nanyo Bus would not run on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, and that “a free shuttle vehicle will run during the period through the end of November.” This is a notice for 2025.
• April 1, 2026: “Kumakuru Kumakogen” (くまくる 久万高原) started. It is a shared ride service that takes reservations, and the Omogo and Shinagawa service (面河・仕七川便) runs Monday to Saturday (not Sundays and holidays). You call the Kumakogen Dispatch Reservation Center (久万高原配車予約センター, 0892-56-0321) by 12:00 the day before. For people living outside the town, the fare is 1,500 yen one way.

A free shuttle for the 2026 autumn leaf season was not found on the pages of the tourism association and the town. There is also no official page on parking crowds or temporary parking for people who come by car.

Mt. Ishizuchi: the Saijo City side and the ropeway

The Saijo City side of Mt. Ishizuchi is reached by going up from the ropeway’s Sanroku-Shimotani Station (山麓下谷駅). The operating hours of the ropeway are given on the company’s page as follows.

Period	Hours
October to November 3	Weekdays 8:00-17:00, weekends and holidays 7:40-18:00
November 4 to December	Every day 8:40-17:00

The same page says “please understand that operating hours and intervals may change depending on the weather and other conditions.” The round-trip fare is 2,200 yen for an adult (junior high school and older) and 1,100 yen for a child (elementary school). The sightseeing lift’s business hours are 9:00-16:30, and its operating period is still listed as “Reiwa 5 (2023), late April to late November” (令和5年4月下旬～ 11月下旬).

The parking lot at Sanroku-Shimotani Station is not the ropeway company’s parking lot. It is a private paid parking lot along Prefectural Road 12. The fee and the number of spaces are in the article To the foot of Mt. Ishizuchi.

On crowds, the blog post on the prefecture’s tourism site says the following.

紅葉シーズンは登山愛好家だけでなく、県外ナンバーの車で駐車場が賑わいます。

Translation: “In the autumn leaf season, the parking lots are busy not only with mountain climbing fans but also with cars with out-of-prefecture plates.”

Source: 【最新】愛媛の紅葉スポットおすすめ14選！地元民が選ぶ「絶景ランキング」と見頃・穴場情報｜ひめ旅録｜愛媛県の公式観光サイト【いよ観ネット】

This is a blog post by its writer, and it has no numbers for the number of cars or the time of day. No page of Saijo City, the ropeway company or Ehime Prefecture was found that covers crowds in the autumn leaf season, private-car restrictions, temporary parking or shuttle buses.

The autumn climbing page of Saijo City has a note about sunset.

日没までに下山できそうになければ、山頂まで行かず途中で引き返すという選択も必要です。

Translation: “If it looks like you cannot get down before sunset, you also need to choose to turn back partway without going to the summit.”

Source: 秋の石鎚山系を登山する皆さまへ - 愛媛県西条市ホームページ

In Saijo City, the Saijo Festival is held from October 14 to 17. The road restrictions in the city are in the autumn festival traffic restrictions article.

Nametoko Gorge (Matsuno Town, Uwajima City)

No page of Matsuno Town or the prefecture was found that gives a typical peak time for Nametoko Gorge. On the official page of Matsuno Town there is an article by the mayor dated October 13, 2022, which gives that year’s expectation.

森の国の象徴、国立公園滑床渓谷の樹々も、これから徐々に色づいて、来月の中旬には鮮やかな紅葉となりそうです。

Translation: “The trees of Nametoko Gorge, a national park and a symbol of the Forest Country, will gradually change color from now, and by the middle of next month it looks like they will have vivid autumn colors.”

Source: 滑床渓谷「万年荘」改修（令和４年10月13日更新） - 松野町公式ホームページ

This is the expectation for the year 2022, and it is not written as a typical time.

For parking, the Iyokan Net page “Nametoko Gorge” says “Yes, about 150 spaces” and the parking fee “free” (無料). Nametoko Visitor Center Mannenso (滑床ビジターセンター万年荘), the rest area at the entrance, is open 9:00-17:00 and closed on Mondays (the next day if Monday is a holiday). It reopened after renovation in April 2025. The phone number is 0895-49-1535.

No page of the town or the prefecture was found on crowds, temporary parking or traffic restrictions in the autumn leaf season. The road is in the Nametoko Gorge article.

Ozu: Garyu Sanso and Shirataki Park

Garyu Sanso

The Ozu City page gives the viewing hours as “9:00-17:00,” the last admission as “16:30,” the closing days as “no closing days” (無休), and the admission fee as 550 yen for adults and 220 yen for children (junior high school and under). The page was updated on September 1, 2026. It does not give the autumn leaf peak or parking.

For the peak, the blog post on the prefecture’s tourism site (the 14 autumn leaf spots) puts it in the “mid to late November” column of its calendar of typical peak times. For parking, the castle town parking lots are in the article Ozu Castle and Garyu Sanso. The Ozu City page on parking in the castle town says the following about crowds.

大洲まちの駅あさもや、おおず赤煉瓦館周辺では、混雑解消に努めておりますが、時期や時間帯、気象状況等により大変混雑する場合があります。

Translation: “Around Ozu Machi-no-Eki Asamoya and the Ozu Red Brick Building, we are working to ease the crowding, but depending on the time of year, the time of day and the weather, it can be very crowded.”

Source: 大洲城下町へお越しの皆さんへ（駐車場のご案内） - 大洲市ホームページ

The update date of this page is October 11, 2021, and it is not limited to the autumn leaf season. The same page guides people who come by car to the Kanko Daiichi Parking Lot (観光第一駐車場) (47 regular cars, 4 buses, free, open 24 hours).

Shirataki Park

The Ozu City page “Shirataki Park” gives the peak as follows.

見頃は、１１月中旬から下旬になり、

Translation: “The peak is from mid to late November, and”

Source: 白滝公園 - 大洲市ホームページ

The update date of this page is January 11, 2019. The facilities column has a parking lot, but the number of spaces and the fee are not given.

For 2026, Ozu City has announced the following.

大洲市白滝の白滝公園で、11月8日から12月6日まで、白滝もみじフェスティバルを開催します。

Translation: “From November 8 to December 6, we will hold the Shirataki Momiji Festival at Shirataki Park in Shirataki, Ozu City.”

Source: 『白滝もみじフェスティバル』を開催します！ - 大洲市観光情報 - 大洲市ホームページ

The same page lists the “Taki Matsuri” (滝まつり) on Sunday, November 15, the “Ruri-hime Matsuri” (るり姫まつり) on Monday, November 23 (a holiday), sales at the tourist information office from 9:00 to 16:00, and the lights from 17:00 to 20:00. There was no note on parking or traffic restrictions during the festival.

Autumn night closures on the expressway

On the Matsuyama Expressway, which leads to Garyu Sanso and Nametoko Gorge in Nanyo (南予), NEXCO West Japan is holding night closures in autumn 2026. The hours are 19:00 to 6:00 the next morning every night. For Matsuyama IC to Ozu-kita IC, it started on the night of September 28 and runs through the morning of October 17.

Section	Schedule
Matsuyama IC to Ozu-kita IC (大洲北IC) (both directions)	From the night of Monday, September 28 to the morning of Saturday, October 17 (14 nights, excluding weekends and holidays). Reserve days are the night of Monday, October 19 to the morning of Friday, October 23
Ozu-minami IC (大洲南IC) to Seiyo-Uwa IC (西予宇和IC) (both directions)	From the night of Monday, October 26 to the morning of Saturday, October 31 (5 nights)

The detour is National Routes 33 and 56 for Matsuyama IC to Ozu-kita IC, and National Route 56 and Prefectural Road 29 for Ozu-minami IC to Seiyo-Uwa IC. If you use the expressway after 19:00 in October, check this table. The same notice says that the closure may move to a reserve day because of the weather. The November closures south of Seiyo-Uwa IC are in the Nametoko Gorge article.

What could not be confirmed this time

• The 2026 color reports. None of Mt. Ishizuchi, Omogo Gorge, Nametoko Gorge, Garyu Sanso and Shirataki Park had one on an official page.
• Crowds in the autumn leaf season, temporary parking, private-car restrictions and shuttle buses. No official page was found for Mt. Ishizuchi, Omogo Gorge, Nametoko Gorge and Garyu Sanso.
• A town or prefecture page giving the typical peak time of Nametoko Gorge.
• A city or facility page giving the peak time of Garyu Sanso. This page relies on a blog post on the prefecture’s tourism site.
• The number of parking spaces and the fee at Shirataki Park.
• Autumn leaf information for destinations not listed here, such as the Shikoku Karst.

About this page

I opened and checked the pages listed here on October 14, 2026. The blog posts on the prefecture’s tourism site are posts by their writers, and the peak times in them are a rough guide for a typical year. The update date of each page is written in the text. Road restrictions and facility hours can change, so check each page and the signs on site before you leave. Where to check road information is summarized in Where to check road information in Ehime before you leave.