Driving from Sapporo to Rusutsu in winter: notes on Route 230, section by section

Plenty of people drive from Sapporo to Rusutsu in winter. 西西, our vice principal, once wrote a section-by-section account of where things tend to go wrong on this road. This post collects that experience for anyone driving Hokkaido snow roads for the first time.

This post is for you if you:

• plan to drive yourself from Sapporo to Rusutsu to hit the slopes
• are driving in a Hokkaido winter for the first time
• want to know how the day-visitor parking works once you reach Rusutsu

Two things up front. First, what follows is 西西’s personal experience — not official road information, and certainly not a promise that doing exactly this keeps you safe. Second, conditions are different every day: before you set off, check that day’s road conditions and weather, and follow local traffic rules.

Know the road first

According to 西西’s post, cars come to Rusutsu from three main directions: Sapporo, Chitose Airport and Hakodate. The busiest of the three is the Sapporo–Rusutsu route.

西西 writes that working at Rusutsu has meant driving this 80 km road, there and back, more than 200 times. That is 西西’s own account; we pass it on as stated.

西西 splits the road into three sections: Sapporo to Jōzankei, Jōzankei to Nakayama Pass (Nakayama-tōge), and Nakayama Pass to Rusutsu. The most dangerous stretches, by 西西’s account, are concentrated in the last one.

Sapporo to Jōzankei

西西’s observation is that this section is busy, and that this actually makes accidents less likely: the cars in front hold your speed down.

After Jōzankei, 西西’s advice is to keep left and leave the passing lane to local drivers. Locals know the road, and there are almost no speed cameras on this stretch, so traffic gets faster.

According to 西西, the speeding starts at Hōheikyō Onsen. Past that point the four-lane road narrows to two, and local drivers who see you going slowly will speed up and overtake right there.

Key point: after Jōzankei, keep left and leave the passing lane to people who know the road.

Jōzankei to Nakayama Pass

This section climbs the whole way and reaches its highest point at Nakayama Pass. 西西’s suggestion for the climb: a light touch on the accelerator to keep your speed steady.

The danger is the bridges. Some bridge decks are exposed to strong wind, and these are where ice forms most easily. 西西 writes that when taking a bend on a bridge, you must never stamp on the accelerator or the brake: the bridges are very narrow, and drifting even slightly can put you into an oncoming car.

Key point: bridge decks are the most likely to ice. On a bridge, no hard accelerator, no hard braking.

Nakayama Pass to Rusutsu

西西 says the most dangerous sections are all concentrated here.

For the stretch after Nakayama Pass, 西西 repeated this several times in the original post, marked with eye-catching symbols:

For the next 20 km you won't need the accelerator. Brake only on the straights, never in a bend.

西西

西西’s reason: from here it is downhill all the way, through one hairpin after another. If your speed is not under control before a bend, once you are in it you will find no chance to brake at all.

西西 flags two more places:

1. Tunnels: do not give in to the urge to speed up as you enter a tunnel. The bends inside are tight, and even on a dry surface the car can push wide at the front or slide out at the rear.
2. The narrow bridge: one bridge is only 20 m long but very narrow. The road, wider until then, suddenly pinches in, and large trucks squeeze across from the oncoming lane. Oncoming drivers know the route and usually do not slow down. If you do not know the bridge is there and arrive at full speed, you will find the road suddenly narrowing in front of you.

西西’s advice: stay watchful at all times, and read the road well ahead.

Key point: after Nakayama Pass come downhill hairpins. Get your speed down before each bend, and brake on the straights.

At Rusutsu: parking

Rusutsu’s day-visitor car parks are free in winter. SnowWind checked the West and East day-visitor car parks against the by-car information page on Rusutsu’s official site: both are free in winter. Only the summer peak season is paid.

There is also a members-only car park that non-member day visitors cannot use. Avoid it when you set your navigation.

For the latest parking information, go by the by-car page on Rusutsu’s official site.

Taking lessons at Rusutsu

SnowWind runs lessons at Rusutsu. For lesson content and details, see the Rusutsu resort page (in Chinese); for course levels, see Courses.

To compare Rusutsu with Niseko, see Niseko or Rusutsu?. If you are staying in Sapporo and want a resort closer in, see Choosing a resort near Sapporo.

This post is compiled from 西西's section-by-section account; all driving advice in it is 西西's personal experience. The original post also makes a claim about snowfall in a particular year; SnowWind has not verified it, so this post does not cite it. Parking information checked on 5 July 2026.