Kanatal: walking country in the Tehri hills
Kanatal is not a trekking destination in the way that Kedarkantha or Har Ki Dun are. It is a small roadside hamlet at around 2,590 metres on the old Chamba–Mussoorie road, named for a lake, a tal, that dried up generations ago. What it has, and what most visitors who come only for a resort weekend miss, is a network of quiet forest and village paths through the surrounding deodar and oak — the Kodia reserve forest — that adds up to two easy, rewarding days of walking. This trek uses those paths: forest trails to ridge viewpoints, tracks through apple-orchard villages, and a short walk to a seasonal waterfall.
It is graded easy, needs no experience, and is designed for people who want time on foot in the hills without a hard climb or a night in a tent on a cold mountain. It pairs naturally with Surkanda Devi, ten kilometres away, and with Dhanaulti and the Tehri Lake. For the area, see our guides to Dehradun to Kanatal and Dehradun to Dhanaulti. The full range of treks is on our treks page.
Why do this trek
The case for Kanatal is quiet and low-effort. The Kodia forest is one of the better-preserved stands of deodar in the accessible Garhwal hills, dim and cool and full of birdsong, and the paths through it are gentle enough that you can pay attention to the forest rather than your legs. The villages on the walk — Kaudia, Kanatal itself, the orchard hamlets on the ridge — are working farming settlements where apple, stone fruit and rajma are grown, and where the traditional slate-roofed Garhwali house is still the norm. And the ridge viewpoints deliver a genuine Himalayan skyline to the north and the broad blue sheet of the Tehri reservoir to the south, without a summit push.
It suits families with young children, older travellers, groups who want a mix of walking and relaxing, and anyone using Kanatal or Dhanaulti as a weekend base who wants to do more than sit in a resort. Because the walking is light, it also works as a recovery trip after a harder trek, or as a gentle first outing before something bigger like Nag Tibba.
Best time to go
Kanatal is a year-round destination. October to February brings the clearest views of the snow peaks, cold crisp air, and, from late December, snow on the higher paths and in the forest — the walks still run, with warm clothing, and the snow is a large part of the winter appeal. April is apple-blossom season in the orchard villages, and March to June generally is mild and green, though the Himalayan skyline is often hazy until rain clears it. The monsoon, July to mid-September, makes the forest trails muddy and slippery and brings out leeches, and the views are usually lost in cloud, though the waterfall is at its fullest and the forest at its greenest.
For the mountain views and, in winter, the snow, come between October and February. For the orchards and mild walking weather, come in April and May.
How hard are the Kanatal walks?
Easy. The routes are gentle forest and village paths with modest ups and downs, no exposure, and no technical ground. Over two days you cover perhaps 10 to 14 kilometres in total, split into an afternoon walk and a morning walk, with the pace set for the group. The highest point on the walks is around 2,750 metres, so altitude is not a factor. The only real considerations are footwear — the forest paths can be muddy or, in winter, snowy, so shoes with grip matter — and the cold at the ridge viewpoints in the colder months.
Anyone who can walk for three to four hours on undulating ground with breaks can do this trek. Children who are used to walking and older visitors manage it comfortably. Because the exact route is chosen on the day by the guide, based on the weather, the ground conditions and the group's pace, it can be made easier or slightly longer to suit who is walking.
The story of the vanished lake
Kanatal takes its name from a lake — kana meaning one-eyed or a corruption of an older name, tal meaning lake — that local accounts say existed on the site generations ago and drained away, possibly through an earthquake or a shift in the springs that fed it. All that remains now is the name and a marshy dip in the ground that a guide can point out. It is a small thing, but it fits the character of the place: Kanatal is a village that has quietly reinvented itself, from a farming and grazing hamlet on a trade road to a weekend hill destination, without ever having a single big attraction to build that identity around. The walking country is what was always here.
Adventure activities and the resorts
Kanatal has developed a cluster of adventure camps offering zip lines, a climbing wall, rappelling, valley crossings, Burma bridges and archery, mostly aimed at corporate groups and families. These are not part of this trek, but they are easy to add on either side of it if you are staying two or three nights, and several resorts bundle them. If a quiet forest walk is what you want, choose accommodation a little away from the activity camps, which can be noisy in the afternoon. The eco parks at Dhanaulti, a short drive away, are a gentler alternative for an extra half-day.
The walks
The Kodia forest and ridge viewpoint
The first walk climbs gently from Kanatal into the Kodia reserve forest, following old paths under tall deodar and oak to a break in the trees on the ridge, from where the Gangotri and Bandarpoonch peaks are visible on a clear afternoon. This is the best stretch for birdwatching and for the atmosphere of the forest itself.
The village and waterfall trail
The second walk contours through the orchard villages on the slopes around Kanatal, on tracks between apple trees, terraced fields and farmhouses, with a detour to the small waterfall that runs strongly after rain and in the snowmelt season and is reduced to a trickle in the dry months. It is an easy, sociable walk with plenty to look at.
Photography around Kanatal
Kanatal does not have one signature shot; it has a series of quieter ones. The deodar forest in low morning light, with mist between the trunks, is the strongest. The orchard villages photograph well in April when the apple trees are in blossom, and again in late summer when the fruit is on. From the ridge viewpoints the Gangotri and Bandarpoonch peaks sit above layers of forested foothills, best in the clear light after sunrise or before sunset. The Tehri reservoir, seen from the higher points, is a broad blue shape folded into brown hills. In winter the whole area under snow simplifies to white forest and grey sky. Carry a spare battery in the cold, and use the soft light at the ends of the day rather than harsh midday sun.
Getting to Kanatal
Kanatal is about 75 kilometres from Mussoorie and roughly 100 from Dehradun, a drive of two and a half to three and a half hours on the Mussoorie–Suwakholi–Dhanaulti–Chamba road. Dhanaulti is around 12 kilometres away and Surkanda Devi's roadhead at Kaddukhal about ten. The nearest airport is Dehradun's Jolly Grant and the nearest railhead is Dehradun. The road is paved and scenic but winding, climbing through Mussoorie and the Suwakholi ridge before dropping toward Chamba, so allow extra time and take a travel-sickness tablet beforehand if you are prone to it. Delhi-based visitors usually drive via Rishikesh and Narendra Nagar instead, which avoids Mussoorie's traffic. Our guide to Dehradun to Kanatal covers the route in detail.
Where you stay
Kanatal has grown a large cluster of resorts, tented camps and homestays, ranging from adventure-focused camps with zip lines and climbing walls to quiet forest-edge cottages. For this trek, a resort or homestay on the forest side rather than right on the road makes the walking more pleasant and the nights quieter. A homestay in one of the orchard villages, where available, gives a home-cooked Garhwali meal and a genuine feel of village life. There is no accommodation on the trails themselves; this is a based trek, not a camping one. Weekends and public holidays are busy across the whole Kanatal–Dhanaulti belt, with traffic on the approach road and higher room rates, so a midweek trip is quieter and better value if your schedule allows it.
What to carry
A light daypack is enough. Carry comfortable walking shoes with grip, a warm layer and a windproof or light rain jacket, sunglasses, sunscreen and a cap, a one-litre water bottle and some snacks, and any personal medication. Add a hat and gloves in winter, and grippy footwear or light traction devices if there is snow on the paths. Binoculars are worth bringing for the birdwatching in the Kodia forest, along with a field guide or a bird app if that interests you. A camera or phone for the viewpoints and the orchards, and a light rain layer even on a clear forecast, since afternoon cloud builds quickly in these hills.
Birdlife and the Kodia forest
The mid-altitude deodar and oak forest around Kanatal is good, underrated birding country. Regular sightings include Himalayan bulbuls, various tits and warblers, spotted and slaty-backed forktails along the streams, great barbets, and several woodpecker species, with the chance of a khalij pheasant or a Himalayan monal higher up in the early morning. Raptors, including black eagles and Himalayan buzzards, work the ridge. The forest also holds barking deer and, rarely seen, leopard, so the usual advice applies: keep food packed away and do not wander off alone at dusk. Walking the forest section slowly and quietly in the first two hours of daylight is the way to see the most.
Combining Kanatal with the Tehri hills
Kanatal is well placed for a short circuit of the Tehri hills. From here the short, steep Surkanda Devi temple trek is a half-day trip, the Tehri Lake is an easy drive down for the water sports and the dam viewpoint, and Dhanaulti's eco parks and viewpoints are close by. For a step up to a proper Himalayan summit, the Nag Tibba trek starts from Pantwari, reachable via Mussoorie. Mussoorie itself, with its promenade, waterfalls and colonial-era sights, is on the way in or out — see our Mussoorie guide. The full range is on our treks page and in the Uttarakhand trekking guide.
Who this trek suits
The Kanatal nature trek is for people who want gentle time on foot in the hills: families with young children, older walkers, mixed-ability groups, birdwatchers, and anyone on a Kanatal or Dhanaulti weekend who wants to see the forest and the villages rather than only the resort. It is not for trekkers seeking distance, altitude or challenge, who should look at Dayara Bugyal, Har Ki Dun or the routes in our Uttarakhand trekking guide.
Practicalities and responsible trekking
No trekking permit is needed for the Kanatal village and forest walks, though sections pass through reserve forest where a local entry fee and a guide may apply, and a nature guide adds a great deal to what you see. Kanatal has become a busy weekend destination, and the pressure of visitors on the forest and the villages is real: carry out all your waste, do not pick fruit from the orchards or flowers from the forest, keep noise down on the trails and near homes, ask before photographing people, and buy tea, snacks or a meal from village households where you can. Stay on established paths rather than cutting through fields or forest. If you book a guided trip, our guide on choosing a trekking operator in Uttarakhand is worth a read, and basic travel insurance is sensible even for an easy trip — see our travel insurance guide.
