Hakusan National Park is a national park in the Chūbu region of Honshū, Japan. It was created in 1962 and covers parts of four prefectures: Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, and Toyama. The most important natural feature of the park is Mount Haku. In 1980, an area of 480 km² that covers the same area as the national park was named a UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Reserve.

History

The park was first named Hakusan Quasi-National Park ( 白山国定公園 , Hakusan Kokutei Kōen ) in 1955. It was given the status of a national park in 1962.

Flora and fauna

The vegetation in the park changes from warm temperate to alpine areas. At the base of the mountains, the area is covered with coniferous forests, mainly made up of firs, pines, and Japanese cedar. There are also deciduous forests and woodlands, mainly made up of Mongolian oak and Japanese beech. At higher elevations, the landscape becomes open and less forested.

Hakusan is home to the golden eagle, the mountain hawk-eagle, and several larger mammals that are common in Japan, including the Japanese macaque, Asiatic black bear, Japanese serow, and Sika deer.

Sites of interest

Mount Akausagi ( 赤兎山 ), Mount Haku, Heisen-ji Hakusan Jinja ( 平泉寺白山神社 ), Hyakuyojō falls ( 百四丈滝 ), Kyō Mountains ( 経ヶ岳 ), Shiramizu falls ( 白水滝 ).

Neighboring municipalities

Fukui Prefecture includes the cities of Ōno and Katsuyama.
Gifu Prefecture includes the cities of Gujō, Takayama, Shirakawa, and Gifu.
Ishikawa Prefecture includes the city of Hakusan.
Toyama Prefecture includes the city of Nanto.