Trekking Places in Himachal: 20 Best Treks by Difficulty & Region (2026)

Skim the table first. Each of the 20 treks is grouped by difficulty, with its top altitude, how many days to keep aside, where it starts and the best months to walk it. Full detail on every trek follows below.

Himachal gives you three mountain worlds in one state. The Dhauladhar rises straight off the Kangra plains, so you gain height fast and stand above the clouds within a day. Behind it, the Pir Panjal holds the classic meadow-and-pass treks around Manali. Cross into Lahaul, Spiti and Kinnaur and the green stops abruptly at a cold high-altitude desert of ochre cliffs and whitewashed monasteries. Few regions in India let you walk between such different landscapes on trails this well established.

Season decides which trails are open and which are still under snow. The low walks such as Triund, Prashar and Dainkund are good from March, while the high passes only clear from June. Monsoon rain in July and August makes forest trails slippery and closes in the views, though the rain-shadow crossings toward Spiti stay drier. For firm ground and the sharpest peaks, aim for September and October.

For the wider picture on seasons across the state, see our guide to the best time to visit Himachal.

If your dates are fixed, work backwards from the season to a trek that is actually open and at its best. Here is the quick version of the table above, read by month.

• Spring, March to June: Triund, Prashar Lake, Kareri Lake, Bhrigu Lake and the meadow treks around Manali are at their greenest, with wildflowers out and comfortable days.
• Monsoon, July to mid-September: Stick to the rain-shadow crossings toward Spiti and Kinnaur such as Pin Bhaba and Pin Parvati, or the drier high passes; forest trails like Sar Pass and Kheerganga turn slippery and views close in.
• Autumn, mid-September to November: The clearest window of the year for the long treks. Hampta Pass, Indrahar, Deo Tibba, Kanamo Peak and Friendship Peak all get firm ground and sharp peaks.
• Winter, December to February: Most high passes are shut. Prashar Lake, Kareri and short Dhauladhar walks turn into short snow treks for prepared, guided groups only.

Which trek suits you often comes down to which corner of Himachal you can reach. Here is how the best trekking places split across the state, so you can build a trip around one base.

• Dharamshala and the Dhauladhar: Triund, Kareri Lake and the tough Indrahar Pass all start within reach of McLeod Ganj, climbing the sharp Dhauladhar wall above the Kangra Valley.
• Manali and the Kullu Valley: Beas Kund, Bhrigu Lake, Hampta Pass, Chandrakhani Pass, Deo Tibba and Friendship Peak fan out from Manali and Naggar, the busiest trekking hub in the state.
• Parvati Valley and Kasol: Kheerganga, Sar Pass, Malana and the big Pin Parvati crossing all launch from around Kasol and Barshaini, the backpacker heart of Himachal.
• Shimla and the Pabbar Valley: The tough Buran Ghati crossing, with its ice-wall descent, starts from Janglik near Rohru in the state’s south-east, a quieter corner most trekkers overlook.
• Spiti and Kinnaur: Chandratal, Kanamo Peak, the Pin Bhaba Pass and the far end of Pin Parvati drop you into the cold high desert of Spiti and Kinnaur, the most remote trekking places in Himachal.
• Dalhousie and Chamba: Dainkund is the gentle half-day walk above Dalhousie, an easy first trek if you are based in Chamba district.

Short on time or new to the hills? Several of these trails need only a day or a weekend, sit under 3,000 m and start close to a road-head. They are the right first taste of trekking in Himachal before you commit to a high pass. If you have two or three days, you can string a couple together.

• Half day: Bijli Mahadev near Kullu and Dainkund above Dalhousie are both ridge-top climbs you can finish in a morning.
• 2 days: Triund above McLeod Ganj is the classic overnight, an easy climb to a ridge with the Dhauladhar at your back.
• 1 to 2 days: Prashar Lake near Mandi, Kheerganga in the Parvati Valley and Malana from Jari all fit a relaxed weekend.
• 3 days: Kareri Lake (3 days), Beas Kund (2 to 3 days), Bhrigu Lake (3 days) and Chandrakhani Pass (3 days) are the best short high-altitude treks once you have the fitness.

Some of the state’s best-loved trails end at water rather than a pass. If a high alpine lake is the goal, these are the ones to plan around, from an easy weekend to a full high-altitude camp.

• Prashar Lake: The gentlest, at 2,730 m near Mandi, a small lake with an old pagoda temple you can reach over a weekend.
• Kareri Lake: A clear glacial lake at 2,934 m below the Dhauladhar, a comfortable three-day step up from Triund.
• Bhrigu Lake: An alpine lake at 4,300 m reached in three days from Gulaba, walking on grass most of the way to the water.
• Chandratal: The moon-shaped lake at 4,300 m on the Spiti side of Kunzum, the finish of many a Hampta Pass crossing.

Beas Kund near Manali belongs here too, a glacial pool at 3,700 m where the Beas river is born rather than a still lake, and an easy first high-camp along the way.