Sometimes a geography lesson is the only way in, and Uttarakhand is one of those places where the geography is doing something genuinely extraordinary. The state sits in the western Himalayan arc, bordered by Tibet to the north and Nepal to the east, with the Garhwal and Kumaon ranges rising through it like the spine of something enormous. When winter arrives — properly arrives, from December through March — the higher reaches of Uttarakhand receive some of the most dramatic snowfall in the Indian subcontinent. And the places where that snow falls best, and stays longest, and transforms an already beautiful landscape into something that makes sensible adults book flights impulsively — those are what this guide is about.
Think of Uttarakhand in winter like a box of exquisite handmade chocolates. You would not try to eat them all at once. You would read the box, understand what each one offers, pick the one that suits your mood and your company and your appetite for altitude. Because Auli and Munsiyari and Chopta and Chakrata are not different versions of the same winter experience. Each one has its own character, its own snow story, its own reason to exist on this list. The question is which one you are in the mood for.
ON MY FIRST WINTER IN UTTARAKHAND I WENT STRAIGHT FOR AULI BECAUSE EVERYONE SAID IT WAS THE BEST. THEY WERE RIGHT — BUT IT WAS ONLY WHEN I CAME BACK AND MOVED THROUGH THE OTHER DESTINATIONS THAT I UNDERSTOOD WHAT BEST REALLY MEANT IN THIS CONTEXT. IT MEANS BEST FOR SKIING. FOR THE SNOW EXPERIENCE MORE BROADLY, UTTARAKHAND HAS A WHOLE BOX TO OFFER.
This guide covers the finest snowfall destinations in Uttarakhand — what each offers, when to go, who it suits best, and why Auli, for all its competition, still sits at the top.
1. Auli — The one that earns the top spot…
Auli sits at 8,200 to 9,843 feet in the Chamoli district, connected to Joshimath below by one of Asia’s longest cable cars. It is India’s best ski resort — not by a small margin, but by the combination of reliable snowfall, well-maintained slopes, lift infrastructure that actually works, and a backdrop of Nanda Devi at 7,816 metres that no other ski area in the country can match. When people ask where to go for snow in Uttarakhand, Auli is the answer that comes first because it earns it.
The snow arrives reliably from December. The skiing season runs January to mid-March, with January and February offering the best combination of snow quality and slope conditions. The GMVN ski infrastructure — gondola from Joshimath, chairlift, drag lifts, rental and a ski school — is supplemented now by private operators with better equipment and instruction. And for non-skiers, the snow experience at Auli is extraordinary in its own right — the cable car through snow-covered pines, the frozen artificial lake, the meadow walks at altitude with Nanda Devi framed at the end of every view.
| Altitude | 8,200 to 9,843 feet |
| Best for | Skiing · snowfall experience · Himalayan panorama |
| Snow season | December to March — best skiing January to February |
| How to reach | Joshimath by road from Rishikesh (8–10 hrs) · cable car to Auli (25 min) |
| What sets it apart | India’s best ski infrastructure · Nanda Devi backdrop · reliable snowfall · cable car access |
2. Chopta — The one the Himalayas kept quiet…
Chopta is Uttarakhand’s best kept secret, which is a phrase that gets overused and in this case happens to be true. Sitting at 8,790 feet in the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary in the Rudraprayag district, Chopta is a tiny settlement — more a clearing in the forest than a town — that transforms in winter into one of the most serene snow landscapes in the Garhwal Himalayas. No ski infrastructure. No cable car. No crowds of any significance. Just forest, snow, silence, and a view of Trishul, Nanda Devi and Chaukhamba that arrives like a surprise on a clear morning.
Chopta is also the base for the Tungnath trek — the highest Shiva temple in the world, sitting at 12,073 feet — and in winter the trail to Tungnath and beyond to Chandrashila peak offers some of the finest snow trekking in Uttarakhand. The forest of rhododendron and oak on the approach trail is heavy with snow, the path is quiet, and the summit views on a clear January day are the kind that cause people to go very silent and stay there for a long time.
| Altitude | 8,790 feet (Chopta base) · 12,073 feet (Tungnath) |
| Best for | Snow trekking · solitude · forest landscapes · Tungnath visit |
| Snow season | December to March |
| How to reach | Rudraprayag to Ukhimath to Chopta — approximately 5 hrs from Rishikesh |
| What sets it apart | No crowds · extraordinary forest · Tungnath snow trek · raw Himalayan winter |
3. Munsiyari — The one at the end of the road…
Munsiyari sits at 7,200 feet in the Kumaon Himalayas, at the edge of the road and the beginning of the high mountains, and it has a reputation among serious Himalayan travellers that its more famous neighbours have not managed to displace. The Panchachuli peaks — five summits rising above 6,900 metres — sit directly behind the town in a wall of ice and rock that dominates every view and every thought. In winter, when the snow comes down and the valley below disappears into cloud and Munsiyari floats above it all in its own private alpine world, it is as beautiful as anywhere in the Indian Himalayas.
This is not a ski destination. There are no slopes or lifts. What Munsiyari offers in winter is the snow experience in its purest form — walks through snow-covered meadows, views of the Panchachuli range in morning light, the town itself quiet and genuine and uncrowded, and the sense of being at a real mountain edge rather than a resort. It is the difference between a Mars Bar and a single-origin dark chocolate. Both are good. One requires considerably more attention.
| Altitude | 7,200 feet |
| Best for | Snow landscape · Panchachuli views · genuine mountain town · winter trekking |
| Snow season | December to February |
| How to reach | Almora or Pithoragarh to Munsiyari — a long and beautiful road journey from Delhi (approximately 16 hrs) |
| What sets it apart | Panchachuli backdrop · uncrowded · authentic Kumaoni mountain town feel |
4. Chakrata — The one closest to Delhi…
Chakrata has a particular value that the others on this list do not: it is the closest major snowfall destination to Delhi, sitting at 7,000 feet in the Dehradun district approximately 90 kilometres from Dehradun city. For families and travellers who want a snow experience without the commitment of a two-day journey, Chakrata offers a genuine Himalayan winter landscape within reach of a weekend. Tiger Falls, frozen in winter into a spectacular ice formation, is one of the finest natural sights in the lower Garhwal Himalayas.
Chakrata is a cantonment town with a calm, orderly character — clean, green, and genuinely cold in winter. The surrounding villages and forest trails offer good snow walks, the views of Bandarpoonch and the Chakrata range are excellent on clear days, and the sense of genuine winter altitude — snow on the rooftops, fire in the evening, the specific quality of cold mountain air — is the real thing rather than a simulation. It is not Auli. It is not trying to be.
| Altitude | 7,000 feet |
| Best for | Weekend snow trips from Delhi · families · Tiger Falls · accessible winter Himalayas |
| Snow season | December to February |
| How to reach | Dehradun to Chakrata — approximately 90 km, 3 hrs by road |
| What sets it apart | Closest snow destination to Delhi · cantonment town character · Tiger Falls · no crowds |
5. Dayara Bugyal — The one for the snow meadow lovers…
Dayara Bugyal is one of Uttarakhand’s most beautiful high-altitude meadows, sitting at 10,000 to 12,000 feet in the Uttarkashi district, and in winter it becomes something that most people who see it find very difficult to describe without resorting to superlatives. A vast bowl of unbroken snow, ringed by peaks, with Bandarpoonch and Jaonli dominant on the horizon and the silence of a high-altitude winter so complete that you can hear your own heartbeat. In January and February, organised snow treks to Dayara Bugyal are one of the finest winter trekking experiences in India.
This is not a casual day trip. The trek from Barsu village — the access point near Uttarkashi — takes two days with a camp on the meadow and requires proper winter trekking gear and an experienced guide. But for those who go, Dayara Bugyal in winter is the kind of experience that moves into a different category from a holiday. It is the kind of thing people come back from slightly changed.
| Altitude | 10,000 to 12,000 feet (meadow) |
| Best for | Winter snow trekking · high-altitude meadow landscapes · serious snow experience |
| Snow season | December to March — trekking best January to February |
| How to reach | Uttarkashi to Barsu village — approximately 26 km, then 2-day trek to meadow |
| What sets it apart | Vast unbroken snow meadow · serious winter trekking · extraordinary silence and scale |
Why Auli Still Tops the List…
With five extraordinary destinations on this list, the question is fair: why does Auli come first? The answer is not that Auli is the most beautiful — Munsiyari’s Panchachuli backdrop and Chopta’s forest silence are both contenders for that. And it is not that Auli is the most dramatic — Dayara Bugyal at 12,000 feet in full winter snow is a more extreme version of the mountain winter experience. Auli tops the list because it offers the most complete winter package.
You can ski here — properly ski, on real slopes with working lifts, in a ski resort that has been operating for decades and improving steadily. You can reach it without a two-day journey or specialist knowledge. You can bring children who have never seen snow and give them a full snow experience — cable car, slopes, snowball fights in the meadow, Nanda Devi above everything. And you can do all of this with the finest Himalayan panorama in accessible India as your permanent backdrop. No other destination on this list offers all of those things simultaneously.
AULI IS NOT THE MOST REMOTE OR THE MOST EXTREME OF UTTARAKHAND’S WINTER DESTINATIONS. IT IS THE ONE THAT GIVES THE MOST PEOPLE THE MOST COMPLETE VERSION OF WHAT A HIMALAYAN WINTER SHOULD FEEL LIKE. THAT IS WHY IT TOPS THE LIST.
Things to do across Uttarakhand’s snow destinations…
Ski at Auli — the 10 kilometres of slopes, the gondola from Joshimath, the chairlift to the upper slopes, the GMVN ski school for beginners and the private instructors for those who want better tuition. January and February are the months. Book accommodation four to six weeks ahead in peak season.
Trek to Tungnath in winter from Chopta — the highest Shiva temple in the world, at 12,073 feet, buried in snow from December to March and accessible on a trail that passes through a forest so heavily laden with snow that the branches create tunnels overhead. One of the finest short winter treks in India, and one of the most quietly spiritual experiences in the Garhwal Himalayas.
Watch the Panchachuli sunrise from Munsiyari — five peaks rising above 6,900 metres, lit in the first light of a clear January morning from a vantage point in the town. Bring a warm jacket, a cup of chai, and patience for the fifteen minutes it takes for the light to move from pale gold to full sunrise orange across the ice. It is the kind of moment that renders conversation unnecessary.
Walk to Tiger Falls from Chakrata in winter — the 312 foot waterfall, partially or fully frozen in cold winters, is one of those sights that photographs do not adequately convey. The walk from Chakrata through snow-covered forest is itself worth the trip, and arriving at the frozen falls is a destination moment in the genuine sense.
Things not to do on a Uttarakhand winter trip…
Leave road and weather conditions to chance. Winter road closures in Uttarakhand are not rare events — they are a routine part of mountain travel from December to March. Always check conditions before you travel, always carry a buffer day in your itinerary, and always have the phone number of your accommodation so you can coordinate if the road ahead changes. The mountains are patient. Your itinerary needs to be patient too.
Underestimate the altitude, even at the lower destinations. Chakrata at 7,000 feet, Auli at 8,200 feet, Chopta at 8,790 feet, Munsiyari at 7,200 feet — none of these is sea level, and all of them demand at least one night of adjustment before you start pushing into the snow. A headache on the first night is your body doing its job. Give it the night it needs.
Pack for Delhi winter rather than Himalayan winter. Delhi in January is cold. Auli in January is a different category of cold, with wind chill on the slopes and sub-zero nights. Proper thermal base layers, a serious insulated jacket, warm waterproof gloves, and goggles for the slopes are the difference between a great trip and a miserable one. Pack for where you are going, not where you are leaving from.
Try to do all five destinations in one trip. This is the chocolate box temptation — to cram them all in at once. It does not work in Uttarakhand in winter. The roads between these destinations are long, the weather is variable, and rushing from Auli to Chopta to Munsiyari in four days leaves you exhausted and having properly experienced none of them. Pick one or two, stay long enough to settle in, and come back for the others. The mountains are patient. They will be there next winter.
OVERRATED
The December school holiday rush. The period between December 20 and January 2 sees Auli at its most crowded and its least snowy simultaneously. The slopes are busy with families on holiday, the accommodation is fully booked at peak prices, and the snowpack is still building to its January best. If you are going for skiing specifically, wait for late January or February. Better snow, more elbow room, and the same extraordinary backdrop at a fraction of the pressure.
Day trips to any of these destinations from Dehradun or Rishikesh. Auli is 8 to 10 hours from Rishikesh. Chopta is 5 to 6 hours. Munsiyari is a full day’s drive each way. None of these is a day trip. They are destinations — places that require overnight stays to experience properly. The journey is part of the picture, and the mountains in winter reveal themselves slowly. Give them at least two nights. Three is better. And you will wish you had stayed longer regardless.
Staying at Blackberry Cottages & Resort for Auli…
Blackberry Cottages & Resort is at Auli Laga, Joshimath — the closest property to the Auli cable car base station and the natural base for anyone visiting Auli in winter for skiing or the snow experience. Joshimath at 6,150 feet is the smarter acclimatization altitude than staying on the slopes at 8,200 feet — better sleep, full town facilities, and the cable car to Auli in twenty-five minutes whenever you are ready.
We offer ski and stay packages for the 2026 winter season with accommodation, hot meals, early breakfast, gondola pass arrangement and equipment guidance. We are also your base for summer trekking — Kuari Pass, Pangarchulla, Valley of Flowers — when the snow retreats and the meadows and the trekking trails take over from the slopes. The mountains here have something to give in every season. We are where you come to receive it.
UTTARAKHAND IN WINTER IS ONE OF THE FINEST SNOW EXPERIENCES IN ASIA. AULI IS WHERE IT IS BEST ORGANISED, MOST ACCESSIBLE, AND MOST COMPLETELY ITSELF. COME AND SEE WHAT THE FUSS IS ABOUT.
Check 2026 winter availability and packages at blackberrycottagesauli.com or reach us on WhatsApp.
