Though the autumn provides a bounty of colors throughout the gorge (see below), visiting any time of year offers beautiful views and a delightful feeling of isolation. It was mainly due to the rugged inclines of this area which prevented road access into the main Iya Valley until the early/mid 20th century. Though the original road built through here (Rt 32) is still open, nowadays the primary access route for Iya has become instead Rt 45 from Oboke, which bypasses the gorge and is completely two-laned into Nishi-Iya. Therefore, the gorge's twisting single-laned road is often devoid of traffic and usually allows for peaceful solitude. Tour buses mostly do not drive on this road due to insurance restrictions, but a few daily public buses go into the upper gorge area, linking it to either JR Oboke Station or the Kazurabashi vine bridge. Also, daily buses travel a few times a day between Ikeda and Deai (at the lower end of the gorge). See "Access by Bus" below for details.