Deoria Tal - Chopta - Chandrashila Trek

trekModerateSari, Sari

Three separate walks stitched into one five-day trip: a lakeside stroll, a long forest-ridge traverse, and a steep pilgrim path to a summit above the world's highest Shiva temple.

Trip details

This is not one trek but three, and the single headline distance and grade hide that. The first piece is Deoria Tal: a 2.5 to 3.5 km walk up a stone-paved path from Sari to a still lake at about 8,000 ft that reflects Chaukhamba on a calm morning, and which most people could do in flip-flops. The second is the traverse from Deoria Tal to Chopta via Rohini Bugyal, a 14 to 18 km day on a forest ridge through oak and rhododendron with very little water after Jhandi Dhar; it is the longest day of the trip by a wide margin and the one that catches people out. The third is the summit itself: from Chopta at 8,556 ft a stone-stepped pilgrim path climbs roughly 3.5 km to the Tungnath temple, the highest Shiva shrine in the Panch Kedar, and then another 1 to 1.5 km of steeper, rougher ground to the Chandrashila top. That last piece gains around 1,000 m from Chopta and is a real climb, done in a single day from a road head. In April and May it doubles as a pilgrim route and is busy; in January and February the road above Duggalbitta may be shut by snow and the Rohini traverse is often not run at all.

Safety details & FAQ

Is the Deoria Tal Chandrashila trek really Easy, even in winter?

No — Easy describes the trek only in the snow-free months. The honest grade is Easy-Moderate, and Moderate in the December-to-March window: the Chopta-to-Tungnath section gains about 1,000 m in 3.5 km, and above Tungnath the trail and summit cone carry hard refrozen snow that steepens toward the top. Every source that discusses winter conditions says microspikes are needed then, even the ones that call the trek Easy overall.

When's the best time for the Chandrashila trek — bloom, snow, or clear views?

Depends what you want. Mid-March to May is the rhododendron window with residual snow up high; September to November gives the sharpest post-monsoon visibility across the multi-peak panorama; December to February turns it into a genuine snow trek with microspikes and, in a heavy year, an ice axe. Avoid July-August: the approach roads close repeatedly for landslides and the peaks are in cloud anyway.

Do I need a permit for Deoria Tal and Chandrashila?

Yes. Chopta and Tungnath sit inside the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, so entry permission from the Uttarakhand Forest Department applies, arranged by your operator, with original photo ID required. Camping directly on the Deoria Tal shore has also been restricted by court order — ask your operator to confirm exactly where you'll sleep, since the statewide meadow-camping rules changed again in July 2026.

Will I get altitude sickness on this trek?

Unlikely, but not impossible. You sleep no higher than about 2,600-2,700 m at Chopta and only touch 3,683 m for a few hours on summit day, so serious AMS is rare here compared with other Garhwal treks. The real risk is skipping the Sari acclimatisation night and driving straight from Dehradun to Chopta in one push — sleep the first night at Sari (2,000 m) rather than shortcutting it.

What do people forget to pack for Chandrashila?

Microspikes for December-March, when they're not optional on the summit cone's hard, refrozen snow — carry them even if your dates fall just outside that window, since an unseasonal snowfall can hit the ridge any time. Also broken-in boots for the long, hard-surfaced descent from Tungnath, and motion-sickness tablets for the nine-hour, hairpin-heavy road day from Dehradun.

How do I get to the Deoria Tal Chandrashila trailhead?

Fly or train to Dehradun, Rishikesh or Haridwar, then it's a 190-220 km road transfer to Sari village, roughly 7-9 hours via Devprayag, Srinagar, Rudraprayag and Ukhimath. Sleep at Sari on arrival night rather than pushing straight to Chopta — that first night at 2,000 m is doing real acclimatisation work for the summit day ahead.

Is the Deoria Tal to Chopta leg actually walked, or driven?

It depends on the operator, and it's the single biggest reason quoted trek distances for this route swing from 20 to 30 km. The walking version crosses ridge forest and the small meadows of Rohini Bugyal in about 7-8 hours; some operators quietly replace it with a road transfer instead. Ask directly whether your departure walks or drives this leg before you book.

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Safety, verified

Safety details last verified 21 Aug 2026 by Madclub.

  • Known hazards

    Stone steps for the entire 3.5 km from Chopta to Tungnath, which are hard on knees going up and genuinely slippery when wet, iced or covered in fresh snow. This is the most likely place on the trek to be injured; The final 1 to 1.5 km above Tungnath to the summit, which is rougher, steeper and, on hard snow in winter, the one section that needs microspikes; The summit itself is a small open top with drop-offs on the far side and no shelter; in wind and cloud it is easy to lose the line back down; A 14 to 18 km forest-ridge traverse with scarce water, where the hazard is exhaustion, dehydration and arriving at camp after dark rather than any single obstacle; Leeches and slick roots on the Rohini ridge in and immediately after the monsoon; Landslide-prone approach roads through Rudraprayag and Ukhimath, especially in monsoon; Winter road closure above Duggalbitta and Baniyakund after heavy snow, which turns a drive into an unplanned walk with luggage

  • Best season

    March to early June is the strongest window. The rhododendron below Chopta is out from late March into April, the Tungnath temple reopens for the season in late April or early May (22 April is the reported 2026 opening, with some sources saying 2 May), and the Rohini Bugyal traverse is walkable and snow-free. September to November, after the monsoon withdraws, gives the sharpest Himalayan visibility of the year from Chandrashila, with Nanda Devi, Trishul, Chaukhamba and Bandarpunch all in view, at the cost of cold nights and a temple that closes in the first days of November. December to February is a real but different trek: the summit day is a snow climb and the lake freezes, but the Chopta road can close after heavy snowfall and the Rohini traverse is frequently snowbound and dropped from the itinerary, which is not always made clear at booking.

  • Maximum altitude

    12110 ft / 3690 m — Chandrashila summit, directly above the Tungnath temple. This figure is disputed and the dispute matters: see the flags. Wikipedia gives 3,690 m (12,110 ft); Indiahikes GPS-surveyed the summit in April 2014 and publishes 12,083 ft (3,680 m), explicitly presenting the widely repeated 13,000 ft figure as a myth. Against that, euttaranchal and Uttarakhand government tourism material give 4,000 m / about 13,000 ft, Himalaya Destination gives 3,925 m (12,800 ft) and Uttarakhand Trip Trek gives 4,130 m. An independent check against the ASTER GDEM v3 elevation model at the OpenStreetMap summit node (30.48644 N, 79.22121 E) returns 3,627 m, and a 144-point grid over the summit block peaks at 3,618 m, which is consistent with a true height near 3,680 to 3,690 m once smoothing is allowed for, and is not consistent with 4,000 m. The 12,110 ft figure is used here.

  • Getting there

    Railhead Rishikesh (RKSH) is the closest railhead at roughly 200 to 215 km from Sari. Haridwar (HW), which is the operator's pickup point, is about 220 km and 7 to 8 hours; Dehradun (DDN) is about 226 to 231 km and 7 to 8 hours. All three are used by different operators on this route.; airport Jolly Grant, Dehradun (DED), approximately 190 to 230 km from Sari depending on route, 6 to 8 hours by road

  • Difficulty

    The Deoria Tal section is genuinely easy. The summit day is a short but steep 8 to 9 km round trip with about 1,000 m of gain on a stone-stepped path, which is hard work but hard to get lost on and never technical. The day that sets the real grade is the Deoria Tal to Chopta traverse: 14 to 18 km on a rolling forest ridge, 7 to 8 hours, with water scarce after Jhandi Dhar and a recommendation from more than one source to carry 3 litres. Independent grades: Easy-Moderate from Himalaya Shelter, Trekmunk and Uttarakhand Trip Trek; Easy from Himalaya Destination and from euttaranchal, which calls Chandrashila one of the easiest 4,000 m summits. The operator grades it Easy, which is the softest label available and does not describe the traverse day.

  • Safety equipment

    50 to 60 litre backpack with a padded hip belt and a rain cover if you carry your own load, or a 20 to 30 litre daypack if you offload; Sleeping bag rated to a comfort temperature of about minus 10 C for the December and March windows. Confirm the operator's rating rather than assuming; Sleeping mat with an R-value of 3 or better if you supply your own; 2 x trekking poles. On this trek they earn their place twice: on the 16 km Rohini traverse and on the stone-step descent from Tungnath, which is where knees give out; Headlamp with fresh batteries and a spare set; Microspikes for the section above Tungnath in December to March. This is the only part of the route where they are genuinely needed; confirm whether the operator supplies them

  • Guide requirement

    [{'name': 'Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary entry and trekking permit', 'issued_by': 'Uttarakhand Forest Department, Kedarnath Wildlife Division; permission from the Chief Wildlife Warden or DFO of the sanctuary', 'where': 'Forest check posts on the relevant route. For Deoria Tal, permission for an overnight stay is taken from forest officials at the lake itself. Guided groups have this handled in advance by the operator', 'who_arranges': 'operator', 'notes': 'Reported fees are approximately INR 150 per Indian national and INR 600 per foreign national. Two independent sources describe the sanctuary fee as charged per person per day, and note that multi-day treks need documentation covering each day. Camping charges are levied separately per tent per day (reported around INR 50 to 100 for Indians and INR 100 to 200 for foreigners per tent), with still-camera fees of roughly INR 500 upward and video fees far higher. Drones are reported as prohibited across the sanctuary and confiscated at checkpoints. Campfires and single-use plastics are banned. The official Kedarnath Wildlife Division permit FAQ page could not be retrieved (it returned an HTTP error), so all fee figures here come from secondary sources and should be confirmed.', 'source': 'https://mountainiax.com/kedarnath-wildlife-sanctuary-panch-kedar/'}, {'name': 'Camping restrictions at Deoria Tal and on the Chopta meadows', 'issued_by': 'Uttarakhand High Court orders, enforced by the Uttarakhand Forest Department and DFO Rudraprayag; three directions of the 2018 statewide order were set aside by the Supreme Court on 20 July 2026', 'where': 'Deoria Tal lake shore; the alpine meadows around Chopta and Tungnath', 'who_arranges': 'operator', 'notes': "Two distinct restrictions apply and they are often conflated in marketing. At Deoria Tal, camping directly beside the lake is prohibited and tents are pitched roughly 100 to 200 m back with forest permission; Wikipedia goes further and states camping at the lake is no longer permitted at all, with only day-time tea shops operating. Around Chopta, camping on the protected bugyals has been prohibited under court orders reported as dating from 2019, with legal camps operating instead at Baniyakund and Duggalbitta outside the meadow zone. The Supreme Court's 20 July 2026 order set aside the statewide overnight-camping prohibition and the 200-visitor cap, but no source confirms what the Kedarnath Wildlife Division has done in response. Ask your operator exactly where tents will be pitched on nights two and three.", 'source': 'https://www.euttaranchal.com/tourism/camping-in-chopta.php'}, {'name': 'Tungnath temple seasonal opening', 'issued_by': 'Temple committee (Panch Kedar / Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee)', 'where': 'Tungnath', 'who_arranges': 'n/a', 'notes': 'Not a permit, but it changes the trip. The temple kapat opens for the season in late April or early May (reported as 22 April 2026, with some sources saying 2 May) and closes in the first days of November, after which the deity is moved to its winter seat at Makkumath, about 29 km away. The trail and the Chandrashila summit remain open year-round. A departure between November and April will find the shrine shuttered, which some bookers care about and most itineraries do not mention.', 'source': 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tungnath'}]

  • Emergency evacuation

    This is the easiest of the four treks in this batch to get off. From Chandrashila the road head at Chopta is about 4.5 to 5 km and roughly 1,000 m of descent, realistically 2 to 3 hours for a walking casualty. From Deoria Tal, Sari is 3 km downhill. The trail spends most of its length within a few hours of a motorable road. The nearest medical facility is the government primary health centre at Ukhimath, about 30 km and an hour from Chopta, with an OPD that runs roughly 08:00 to 14:00 and accepts emergencies outside those hours; serious cases are referred to the District Hospital at Rudraprayag, about 44 km and an hour beyond Ukhimath. Base Hospital Srinagar Garhwal is the nearest larger referral centre and Dehradun is the nearest full trauma capability. The state ambulance line is 108. Private helicopter ambulance services operate in Uttarakhand but are weather- and daylight-dependent and require payment or a guarantee up front. Buy insurance that covers trekking and evacuation, and note that the practical constraint on this route is the road, not the trail.

  • Fitness prerequisite

    Build for four to six weeks, and train for one long day rather than for altitude. A workable target is a 12 to 15 km walk on undulating ground, completed comfortably, plus 5 km of jogging in 35 to 40 minutes three times a week. Add stair or hill repeats with a 6 to 8 kg pack, because the two things this trek asks of you are a 16 km traverse and a 1,000 m climb-and-descent on steps. Anyone who has never walked 15 km in a day should train specifically for that before booking, or book the 6-day version that splits the traverse.

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