Joshimath
Joshimath, Uttarakhand, India
Nearby attractions
Gorson Bugyal
Joshimath, Uttarakhand
The alpine meadow shelf above Auli at 11,000 ft — a 3-km oak-forest climb opening onto grass oceans beneath Nanda Devi and Dronagiri.
Auli
Joshimath, Uttarakhand
India's premier ski bowl at 9,500–10,500 ft, its meadows staring point-blank at Nanda Devi — reached by Asia's longest ropeway from Joshimath.
Kalpeshwar Temple
Chamoli, Uttarakhand
The only Panch Kedar open year-round — Shiva's matted hair worshipped in a cave shrine above the idyllic Urgam valley's apple terraces.
Hemkund Sahib
Chamoli, Uttarakhand
The world's highest gurudwara (15,197 ft) beside a glacial lake ringed by seven peaks, where Guru Gobind Singh meditated in a former life.
Valley of Flowers
Uttarakhand
A UNESCO alpine wonderland at 3,600 m that erupts each monsoon into miles of blue poppies, brahma kamal and 600 other species beneath Rataban's snows — reached by a lovely 17-km trek from Govindghat shared with Hemkund's pilgrims.
Badrinath Temple
Badrinath, Uttarakhand
The northern seat of Vishnu at 10,170 ft between the Nar and Narayana peaks — the crown of the Char Dham, framed by Neelkanth's pyramid.
Rudranath Temple
Chamoli, Uttarakhand
The hardest-won Panch Kedar — Shiva's face in a natural rock cave shrine amid rhododendron meadows at 11,800 ft, trekked via Sagar village.