Route library · Outstation · Camping
Delhi to Sankri & Kedarkantha (camping)
Kedarkantha, at about 3,800 m, is the best-known winter snow trek in the country — a gentle climb through pine and oak to open camps and a broad summit ridge with a 360-degree view of the Swargarohini, Bandarpoonch and Gangotri peaks. It all starts from Sankri, a village at the edge of the Govind Pashu Vihar National Park that is also the roadhead for Har Ki Dun and Bali Pass. You ride to Sankri; you walk and camp from there.
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At a glance
- Round trip
- About 950–1,050 km on the bike, plus roughly 20 km of trekking
- Riding + trek days
- 1.5–2 days each way on the bike; 3–4 days on foot for the summit and back
- Nights
- Nights: 2–3 on the road, 2–3 camping on the trek
- Start point
- Delhi (via Dehradun, Mussoorie and Purola)
- Highest point
- About 3,800 m at the Kedarkantha summit; camps at 2,900–3,400 m
- Difficulty
- Challenging. A long winding hill ride, then a high camping trek in cold and, in season, deep snow.
- Surface
- Dehradun–Mussoorie–Nowgaon is good; Purola–Mori–Sankri is a narrow hill road, patchy and landslide-prone, with ice in winter
- Best season
- December to April is the snow-trek window (coldest, most gear needed). May–June is green and mild. The monsoon (Jul–Sep) makes the road and trail slide-prone and is best avoided.
The ride
Delhi → Dehradun → Mussoorie → Nowgaon → Purola → Mori → Sankri, following the Tons river for the last stretch. It is a long two-day ride on a road that narrows and roughens past Purola. Park the bikes at a Sankri guesthouse that will lock and cover them.
From Sankri the trek climbs to Juda Ka Talab, a frozen lake in winter, then to the base camp meadows and the summit ridge for sunrise. Three to four days on foot, all of it camping. The same roadhead serves the longer Har Ki Dun valley trek if you have more time.
Day by day
Delhi to Purola or Mori
Delhi → Dehradun → Mussoorie → Nowgaon → Purola (9–10 hours). Sleep at Purola or push the last hour to Mori.
Purola to Sankri
The rough, pretty last leg along the Tons to Sankri at ~1,950 m (2–3 hours). Secure the bikes, meet the trek team, sort permits and gear.
Trek to Juda Ka Talab
Walk about 4 km through pine forest to the Juda Ka Talab camp at ~2,700 m. First night in the tent.
Trek to base camp
A short climb to the Kedarkantha base meadows at ~3,400 m. Acclimatise, watch the sunset on Swargarohini.
Summit and descend
Pre-dawn start for the 3,800 m summit and sunrise, then down past base camp all the way to Sankri. Collect the bikes.
Sankri to Purola / Mussoorie
Ride back out. Overnight near Mussoorie or Dehradun.
Back to Delhi
The last highway leg. Leave early.
Fuel & services
- Fuel is easy to Dehradun and Mussoorie, and there is a pump at Nowgaon and Purola.
- Purola has the last dependable pump — Mori's is unreliable. From Purola to Sankri and back is roughly 100 km with nothing you can count on. Fill at Purola and carry a 3–5 litre spare.
- Sankri has GMVN and many private guesthouses used to storing bikes for trekkers, plus trek operators who arrange the forest permit, camping gear, guide, porters and food. Book the trek and the bike parking together, ahead of time. No ATMs past Purola — carry cash.
Road & conditions
Dehradun to Mussoorie is a good, busy hill road. The descent to Nowgaon and the run through Purola to Mori is quieter and rougher, mostly sealed with broken patches. Mori to Sankri along the Tons is the roughest part — narrow, landslide-scarred, and iced in winter. None of it is technical on a bike, but ride it in daylight, and in the December–April season fit or carry something for the icy stretches near Sankri.
Bike, fuel & getting help
- Suggested bike
- Easier with more torque and travel — a 250cc-plus or a small ADV. A confident rider can do it on a commuter.
- Fuel gap
- One long stretch without a pump — fill up before it and top off where you can.
- Spare fuel
- Carry 3–5 litres of spare fuel.
- Emergency & logistics
- The nearest well-equipped hospital is the valley/district town, one to two hours off; signal is patchy above the bazaar; carry the group lead's number and an emergency card.
Permits & local rules
The Kedarkantha and Har Ki Dun treks lie inside the Govind Pashu Vihar National Park, so a forest entry permit and camping fee are required. These are arranged at the forest office in Sankri, in practice through the trek operator, who also handles the guide requirement. Carry photo ID for the permit and the road checkposts.
Best time to ride
Mid-December to mid-April is the snow-trek window — deep snow at the camps and summit, temperatures well below zero at night, full winter gear needed. Late April to June is green, milder and still has patches of snow high up. Avoid July to September: the road is slide-prone and the trail is wet and leech-ridden.
What to add to your kit
Beyond the standard ride kit: this is a winter camping trek, so a trekking rucksack, a sleeping bag rated to at least −10 °C (colder for deep winter), an insulated jacket, waterproof trekking boots, gaiters, microspikes for the summit push, thermals, warm gloves and socks, a headlamp, sunglasses and sunscreen for snow glare, and a way to lock and cover the bikes at Sankri. Most of the camping gear can be hired from the operator.
Ride this with a group
We run Kedarkantha as a ride-and-camp expedition over six or seven days — the long road to Sankri paced and split, bikes secured at the roadhead, forest permit and winter gear sorted, and a campsite clean-up as the service action.