Kedarkantha trek summit located within Govind Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttarkashi is an isolated even one of the most pre-possessing peaks in Uttarakhand . With snow adorned with the tip of dry Rhododendron plants , astonishing 360 degree vista of snow-capped Himalayas . It boasts of spectacular mountain scenery , vibrant colours of nature , some tranquil lakes and plenty of adventure opportunities which makes it the perfect winter trek .
Even though it is classified as an easy-moderate trek, it really tests your fitness and your ability to adapt physically as the snow at some places is enough to cover you from your waist down. You gain about 2,000 ft. every day, also the obvious fact that temperature sometimes goes below -10 to -12 degrees . I learned it the hard way the fact that it is not in the nature of mountains to be forgiving. They show you what you really are, gives you time for introspection and to accept the truth. Everyone experience those few moments in life when you instinctively know that something is about to change. Those incisive experiences that when reminiscing later in life makes you say “Yup, that’s when it all changed”. Trekking to the Kedarkantha trek summit became one such experience for me.
Kedarkantha Trek Itinerary
Day-1 :- Dehradun to Sankri Village
Distance – 196 km
Journey duration – 8-9 hours
Route – Dehradun-Vikasnagar-Nuagaon-Purola-Mori-Naitwar-Sankri.
Sankri is one of the major stations from where you can start your Kedarkantha trek. Another station is Naitwar but its better off to start from sankri as the trail is easy to find. You can reach Sankri or Naitwar via bus which departs at 8:30 sharp from Dehradun railway station or you can hire shared taxi but taxi doesn’t go directly to Sankri from Dehradun . A checkpoint is allocated at Naitwar where you will be charged a few bucks as entrance fees for visiting Govind National Park . You can also find hotels on the mori-Sankri road to stay overnight or just find a place to setup your campsite . There is also a GMVN guest house at Sankri .
Day-2 :- Sankri to Kedarkantha Trek base
Distance- 11 km
Time – 8-10 Hrs
We started our trek from Sankri the next day to Kedarkantha base. After a few hours into the trek having revolved around the thick woods of colossal pine trees and been exhausted treading the whole time. This lake came to our rescue after almost 6 kms into the journey. We reached Juda ka Talaab with the most scenic view of immaculately poised pine trees around. The lake itself makes for a perfect campsite at a height of 2500 m. Kedarkantha base is 5 km from Juda Ka Talaab at a height of 3200 m . We rested for a while and continued our journey. The slopes gets steeper after Juda ka Talaab , three hours or so later we reached Kedarkantha base .
Day-3 :- Kedarkantha Trek Summit and back to base
Distance- 14 kms
Time- 8-9 hrs
The difficulty of this part of the trek depends on the season or weather you are trekking in. Since it’s a winter trek and in order to witness every glorifying detail of the Himalayas, the best time is to trek in the month of December or January , However the snow clad lasts till the end of April .
As we approached the summit , the trail became more steep and inclined to the point it was almost at an angle of 60 degree with snow enough to cover my knees . We finally reached the summit and i can still feel the moment as i sit here and write this blog . It was beyond my wildest dreams , it was relieving , all the efforts . After we had our moment , we started our descent for the KK base .
Day-4 :- Kedarkantha Trek Base to Sankri
Distance – 11 kms
Time – 4-6 hours
Be reckful as you backtrack your way to Sankri as the trail is much slippery when you descent . Also if you’re willing to rest or stay in the nature’s bed for a day or two Juda ka Talab and hargaon is the place to be .
Day- 5 :- Sankri to Dehradun
Reach the Sankri bus stand before 8:00 as the bus for Dehradun leaves at 8:30 sharp and it is the only bus for the day . In case, you miss your bus then you can hire a taxi but then you’ll have to break your journey as there is no direct taxi from Sankri for Dehradun .
With a rejuvenated mind and our soul at peace , we left for Dehradun .
“Goodluck, Keep Exploring!”
Also read:- Gomukh Trek