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The main attraction of Shirakami Sanchi are the various hiking trails that lead through the forests to waterfalls, mountain peaks and lakes. The most popular hike leads to the Anmon Falls on the north eastern side of Shirakami Sanchi. The Anmon Falls are a set of three waterfalls that lie about 90 minutes into the valley from the trailhead (not accessible from late November to late April).

Another popular destination are the Juniko ("twelve lakes"), a series of small lakes and ponds connected by hiking trails, on the north western side of Shirakami Sanchi along the coast of the Sea of Japan. The area offers scenic day hiking, fishing, boating and camping around its lakes and ponds, one of which, Aoike, has enchanted looking, almost unnaturally blue water. There is also a small visitor center, the Juniko Eco-Museum Center Kokyokan, that explains about the area's beech forests.

Also be sure to check out the Nihon Canyon, Japan's miniature version of the Grand Canyon, with walls of colorful brown and grey rock found near the entrance to the Juniko. A walking trail connects the canyon with the Juniko's lakes and ponds.

Lastly, there are a few visitor centers around Shirakami Sanchi. The most informative of them are the World Heritage Conservation Center in Fujisato, Akita, which has a museum about the forests, and the larger Shirakami Sanchi Visitor Center between Hirosaki and the Anmon Falls which has an excellent museum with English information and an IMAX theater showing a 30 minute movie on the beech forests.