In order to ease traffic congestion during the peak season for mountain-climbing, ensure safety, and protect nature, restrictions on the use of private vehicles on weekends are implemented between Ichinose and Betto-Deai (approx. 6 km) from mid-July to mid-October; shuttle buses provided as alternative transportation (charges apply).
Hakusan National Park was designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1980 as a model for regions aiming to preserve rich ecosystems and biodiversity and to achieve sustainable development.
Encompassing the entire Katsuyama City area, the geopark was designated as a Japanese geopark in October in 2009. The park's main theme is "Dinosaurs and Dinosaur fossils," and it has two sub-themes, also: "Volcanoes and Volcanic Activity" and "Topographical/Geological Heritages and their Relation to People's Everyday Living".
The entire area of Hakusan City, from Mt. Hakusan to the mouth of the Tedori River, was designated as a Japanese geopark in September 2011; the theme of the park is "A journey of water nurturing lives, from the mountains, through rivers and seas, and through snow".