Kedarkantha is a wonderful trek in the Himalayas, and a perfect summit trek for beginners. The perfect time to do Kedarkantha trek is definitely in winter. Trekking through the virgin snow with a pretty campsite and a clear view of snow covered alpine forests is an absolutely unearthly experience.
Trekking Till April– The best thing about Kedarkantha trek is that the winter snow stays till April. Usually snow sets at the beginning of December and usually lasts till the third week of April. You can find snow once after you cross 10,000 ft. altitude. After that you can get a clear view of snow patched forests and after walking for a day you can reach a snow covered meadow gleaming in sunlight. The advantages of doing the trek in winter or why it is considered best to do the trek in winter because of the following reasons.
1) Most Beautiful campsites– Kedarkantha offers such beautiful campsites that very few treks are able to offer. These are unique in a true sense. For example the Juda-Ka-Talab campsite is ornate with frosted evergreen pine forests, a beautiful combo of lush green and bright white. The Kedarkantha base camp is situated on an open meadow and in winter it seems that it is covered with a blanket of ice and is surrounded with so many snowy peaks. The Hargaon camp is all surrounded by green Pine and Oak trees and you can clearly experience this change of landscape while trekking. This trail is spectacular as it passes through deep Oak forests, abandoned shepherd huts and frozen streams.
2) Drive through Himalayan roads in winter– To reach the starting point of the trek, you can have a road trip through Mussoorie, Purola, Mori and Natwar and trust us you can have such a memorable experience. At the beginning of winter most of the leaves fall, and you can have a deserted feel in the town of Mussoorie. A journey from Dehradun by Tons river is marked with lush Pine forests. The stream that flows through Purola looks beautiful in winter and the road from Purola to a rustic village, Sankri, is a treat to the eyes.
3) The picturesque basecamp– You can get to walk on the carpet of fallen leaves and snow patches near the basecamp. With the dry woods, sunlight trickling down the almost brown trees, and the first ray falling on snow make the place truly picturesque. At the beginning of the winter or at the end of Autumn the green forests turn into auburn hues of dry leaves.
4) Snowy peaks all around the trek– This is a high altitude and summit trek so snowy treks can be seen all around the hike. You can have a 360 degree view of the mountain peaks and it’s a jaw dropping scenario. The main perk of this trek is the summit. When you are able to reach the summit you will feel as if it is just a finger away from touching the sky. You can cover a wide range of snow covered peaks like Bandar Poonch, Swarga Rohini, Kala Nag and Ranglana. Also the star studded midnight sky is an unearthly experience.
Kedarkantha is one of the very few treks in India that are accessible in winter, so it is a rare experience in itself. A summit of 12,500 ft that is too totally snow covered is a bliss to the eyes. The majestic peaks all around you seem as if crowned with molten gold in sunrise, the clouds in the horizon all in a harmony seems to be a natural water color painting. You will be at awe and loss of words at the same time. Â
One of the disadvantages of this trek in winter, that it is comparatively tough. Though it is not considered best, but you can attempt this trek in summer and spring too. In these seasons the weather and scenery of the trek is very pleasant too. At the end of April you can witness the snow melting and spring flowers blooming at the same time and the lush green pastures in lower altitudes. In summer and spring when harvesting starts, the remote village dotted with mountains has so many shades of colors, that it’s a delight to the eyes. In spring all the trees start to bloom, and red maple trees in green meadows can seem like a picture postcard. Although this trek is adorned in its natural beauty in all seasons, but nothing can be compared with the beauty of the snow ladened Kedarkantha trek, in winter.
