With the summer tourist season having begun in the hill State, it is also time for trekking enthusiasts to head for Uttarakhand and go up to the higher reaches, to cooler climes.
Several popular treks are found in the region, promising breathtaking views at every turn a trekker takes. Garhwal has been described as “the most beautiful land in the mountains of the Asian sub-continent” by T longstaff, renowned mountaineer and trekker. Treks are available throughout the year. Among the most popular are the Nagtibba Trek which takes one from Rishikesh to Mussoorie, Kedarnath-Vasukital Trek, Valley of Flowers Trek and Devi Darshan Trek.
Not very long ago, treks upto Mussoorie and to places around this famous hill station were extremely popular among adventure seekers. Even school students used to come up here from Doon through the old trek routes, the most popular being the one from Rajpur village.
However, the trend faded away over the last few decades. There have been some efforts to revive this and some other routes but facilities are still few and far between. Complete revamping of facilities on these routes can add a new dimension to adventure tourism in the State.
These routes include the ones between Sartali and Bhadraj Temple and Dudhli and Bhadraj Temple.
Efforts are also being made to repopularise the treks from Rajpur to Mussoorie and Raipur to Suakholi. Amenities for trekkers and “Hawaghars” need to be set up on the trek routes as also rest houses on these routes for trekkers to stay at night.
A Masterplan was prepared by the Uttarakhand Tourism Development for promoting trekking in the hill state when the state was created. After Nepal, Uttarakhand has the potential to emerge as a major world class trekking destination. Trekkers from all parts of the country and abroad come in large numbers to Uttarakhand. Many tourist rest houses of the Gahwal Mandal Vikas Nigam and Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam have been renovated for the convenience of trekkers and other visitors to the State.
The Pauri-Khirsu -lansdowne trekking circuit in Garhwal and the Pithoragarh-Munsyari circuit in Kumaon are spectacular.
In and around Mussoorie itself, there are 21 kilometres of trekking routes. Mussoorie is a ‘Trekker’s Delight’. Students of schools from Dehra Dunand Mussoorie can be seen trekking and camping on these routes during their “mid-term” breaks.
Suakholi which lies between Mussoorie and Dhanaulti and is 12 kilometres from Mussoorie, is a pristine destination,affording campers the delight of experiencing nature in its purest form.
These camps have none of the trappings of a professional resort .They are raw camps with hikes and walks, and panoramic views of the Himalayas.All aspects of environment awareness and outdoor skills are taken care of at the camps and the students come back well-informed. Walks and treks starting from Mussoorie are the walk from Mussoorie to landour, the walk from Mussoorie to Kempty and walk to Clouds End.
The walk from Mussoorie to landour begins from “Picture Palace” point and passes through the mile-long landour Bazaar known for its quaint shops of selling antiques. The four kilometers walk takes one past the old churches of the hill station and offers magnificent views of the Doon Valley and the splendid Himalayan range.When one reaches the St.Paul’s Church near the popular “Char Dukaan”, one can take the road going up to Sisters Bazaar which is also part of the cantonment.
Around fourteen kilometers from the library Point (Gandhi Chowk), which is one of the ends of the Mall Road is Kempty Falls at an altitude of 4,500 feet on the Mussoorie-Chakrata Road. The walk to this picnic spot is a long one but tourists usually like to walk upto Kempty, taking a few tea breaks on the way which has many little tea and “bun-makhan’ joints. The walk from Mussoorie to Clouds End is an eight kilometres’ picturesque walk from the library Point. The bungalow built at Clouds End by the British in 1835 is among the first four buildings of Mussoorie. It is now a resort.
The trek from Mussoorie to Suakholi is 11 km long and passes through rhododendron forests .The view of theHimalayas is breathtaking along this route. The Mussoorie-Nagtibba Trek is also very popular. The Nagtibba Trek begins from Thatyur which is thirty kilometers from Mussoorie while Nag Tibba is 20 kilometres ahead of Thatyur. The trek to Nag Tibba (9990 feet) is very steep. One can view Banderpoonchh, Gangotri peaks, Nanda Devi and Chaukhamba.
Fifteen kilometers from Mussoorie is Bhadraj.The Bhadraj temple is dedicated to Bal Bhadra. Bhadraj offers a commanding view of the Doon valley. The temple is located on the top of a hill. The trek goes through Clouds End and Dudhli village.