Churdhar Trek
Churdhar is a 2-day trek in Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh, topping out at 3,629 m. On TrekBaba's normalized scale — the same formula applied to every trek in this catalogue — it scores 28.3/100, which puts it in the Easy band: a first Himalayan trek is realistic here if you can walk for several hours a day. With a high point of 3,629 m, acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a real possibility on the summit or pass day — ascend steadily and watch for headaches.
Photo: Ashish Gupta from Noida, India · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Explore the route
Scrub the trail — satellite view, live altitude. 11.1 km
Route drawn from real OpenStreetMap geometry (1,259 sampled points simplified to 68), elevations from the Copernicus DEM. Imagery © Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics | Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Why Churdhar is graded Easy
- Max altitude 3,629 m — altitude is weighted 35% and non-linearly, because AMS risk climbs steeply above ~3,500 m.
- Total ascent 1,185 m over 2 days — how much climbing your legs actually do.
- Longest day 7.5 km — one brutal day makes a trek harder than the average does.
- Trail type: rocky — exposure (snow, scree, ice, pass crossings) is weighted 35%, the same as altitude.
Score 28.3/100. Bands: Easy <40 · Moderate <64 · Difficult <85 · Very Difficult ≥85. How the formula works. Next step up: Beas Kund.
Best time to do Churdhar
The best months for Churdhar are March–June and September–November. February and December are shoulder season — doable, with more weather risk. July–August are risky (The SW monsoon (Jul–Aug) brings landslides, leeches and washed-out views across the Garhwal / Kumaon / HP approaches — best avoided). The route is effectively closed in January. Expect snow on the trail in December–February. Reanalysis climate data for the route's own altitude puts the coldest camp night at about -10 °C in January, and the warmest daytime high near 14 °C in June.
The SW monsoon (Jul–Aug) brings landslides, leeches and washed-out views across the Garhwal / Kumaon / HP approaches — best avoided.
Best-season estimated from the trek's region and altitude — verify locally before committing to dates.
What the thermometer actually does up there
Computed from 10 years of Open-Meteo ERA5 reanalysis (2016–2025), with every sample point lapse-rate-downscaled to its true altitude — this is Churdhar high point at 3,629 m, not the valley town. Temperatures are downscaled to the point; wet and snow days come back at the reanalysis grid scale (~10 km), so read them as weather over the area. A climate estimate, not a forecast.
Churdhar trek cost — operators compared
Churdhar costs ₹5,000–₹11,000 per person with an organised operator (4 of 6 listed operators publish a price; the cheapest captured is Himalaya Shelter). That works out to roughly ₹2,750 per trek day. Fees typically cover meals, tents and guides from the base village; transport from the railhead, gear rental and permits vary — see the inclusion grid below. Prices are read from each operator's own page (latest capture 2026-09-22) and link straight to it.
- ₹5,000as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 2
- They grade it
- Easy to Moderate
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹7,500as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 3
- They grade it
- Easy to Moderate
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹8,499as of 2026-09-22flat
- Days
- 3
- They grade it
- Moderate-Difficult
- ✓Transport
- ✓Meals
- ✓Stay
- ✓Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹11,000as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 4
- They grade it
- Easy to Moderate
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- Days
- 2
- They grade it
- Easy
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- Days
- 3
- They grade it
- —
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
Operators self-declare difficulty. TrekBaba grades every trek by one formula — normalized: Easy. We link out to each operator; we never copy their words or photos. Prices were read from each operator's own page on the date shown — confirm with the operator before booking. Where we have read a price more than once, the sparkline is our own dated capture log, not the operator's.
Not affiliated with any operator. Prices are dated facts read from each operator's own page; confirm before paying. See every operator on the operators index.
How to reach Churdhar & staying safe
To reach Churdhar, the nearest railhead is Salogra (~31 km, OSM) and the nearest airport is Shimla Airport (~45 km, OSM). The road ends at Nohradhar, which is where the walking starts. Withdraw cash before Punjab National Bank (~28 km, OSM) — it is the last dependable ATM. The last reliable shop is at Kirana Shop (~32 km, OSM).
No dedicated acclimatization day is needed at this altitude, but a steady first day still helps. At its most remote point the route is about 4.0 hours from the nearest drivable road (near Churdhar high point) — a floor for any evacuation, not a promise. The nearest hospital is Hospital, Haripurdhar (~11 km, OSM), 11.2 km from the trailhead. Water: water (~1 km, OSM).
How far you are from a road
Computed against our own route line and the OpenStreetMap drivable road network over Copernicus GLO-30 elevations: hours = (crowfly_km x 1.4) / 4.0 + max(0, elev_point - elev_road) / 600 [terrain factor 1.4, 4 km/h walking, 600 m/h descent]. It is a floor, not a promise — a real evacuation with a casualty is slower, and a crow-fly line ignores what stands between you and the road. Read it as relative remoteness: which part of this trek commits you. Nearest drivable ways: Churdhar Road, unnamed unclassified, unnamed track.
Estimated, not measured. Remoteness is computed from our own route geometry against the OpenStreetMap drivable road network (motorway-track) and Copernicus GLO-30 elevations; mobile coverage is a terrain line-of-sight estimate, not a carrier guarantee. Treat both as planning aids.
OSM-mapped masts only, carrier unknown — a mast-in-sight proxy, not a coverage guarantee. Carrier-by-carrier coverage needs a cell-tower dump; no open, no-signup one exists today, so we publish nothing rather than guess.
Churdhar permits & restrictions
Permit required: Yes · HP Forest Dept — Churdhar Wildlife Sanctuary
A ₹200 per-visitor user charge was introduced in early May 2025 and SUSPENDED on 28 May 2025 pending review; residents of nearby districts and Chureshwar Mahadev devotees were exempted. No fee confirmed for 2026.
Entry is regulated by the sanctuary; the visitor user charge introduced in May 2025 is currently suspended, so no fee counter is operating
Crowding, and where to go instead
When the interest arrives, relative to this trek's own busiest month (June).
A percentile of trailing-12-month English Wikipedia pageviews for Churdhar_Sanctuary (44 months observed)— measured within TrekBaba's own catalogue, bots excluded. It is a proxy for attention, not headcount. Read with care: counted on the wildlife sanctuary article, a wider area than the peak.
Churdhar trek FAQ
How difficult is the Churdhar trek?
Churdhar is graded Easy (28.3/100) on TrekBaba's normalized scale, which weighs max altitude (3,629 m), total ascent (1,185 m), the longest day (7.5 km) and terrain exposure identically for every trek.
What is the best time to do Churdhar?
March–June and September–November. February and December are shoulder season — doable, with more weather risk. July–August are risky (The SW monsoon (Jul–Aug) brings landslides, leeches and washed-out views across the Garhwal / Kumaon / HP approaches — best avoided). The route is effectively closed in January. Expect snow on the trail in December–February. Reanalysis climate data for the route's own altitude puts the coldest camp night at about -10 °C in January, and the warmest daytime high near 14 °C in June.
How much does the Churdhar trek cost?
Between ₹5,000 and ₹11,000 per person with an operator, based on 4 published prices captured from operator pages (latest 2026-09-22). The cheapest listed is Himalaya Shelter.
How many days does Churdhar take?
2 days is the standard itinerary; operators run it as 2/3/4 days including travel from the base town. The longest walking day is 7.5 km.
What is the maximum altitude of Churdhar?
3,629 m (11,905 ft), which TrekBaba rates as moderate AMS risk.
Is a permit required for Churdhar?
Yes — issued by HP Forest Dept — Churdhar Wildlife Sanctuary. A ₹200 per-visitor user charge was introduced in early May 2025 and SUSPENDED on 28 May 2025 pending review; residents of nearby districts and Chureshwar Mahadev devotees were exempted. No fee confirmed for 2026..
Which operators run Churdhar?
Himalaya Shelter, Himalayan Hikers, Trekos, Thrillophilia, Bikat Adventures, Universal Adventures list Churdhar. Each is linked to its own trek page above with the captured price, days and inclusions.
How do I reach the Churdhar trailhead?
To reach Churdhar, the nearest railhead is Salogra (~31 km, OSM) and the nearest airport is Shimla Airport (~45 km, OSM). The road ends at Nohradhar, which is where the walking starts. Withdraw cash before Punjab National Bank (~28 km, OSM) — it is the last dependable ATM. The last reliable shop is at Kirana Shop (~32 km, OSM).
Is Churdhar suitable for beginners?
Yes. Churdhar is in the Easy band and is a sensible first Himalayan trek, provided you can walk 7.5 km in a day with a daypack.
Treks like Churdhar
- EasyHimachal Pradesh
Deo Tibba Trail (Jagatsukh)
Kullu
2 days↑ 3,087 mfrom ₹12,800Mar–Jun and Sep–Nov 
EasyHimachal PradeshKheerganga
Parvati Valley, Kullu
2 days↑ 2,768 mfrom ₹1,099Mar–Jun and Sep–Nov
EasyHimachal PradeshBeas Kund
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EasyHimachal PradeshTriund
Dhauladhar, Kangra
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This trek's altitude, ascent and exposure are computed from OpenStreetMap route data (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL) over the Copernicus DEM — its difficulty grade is provisional, pending field verification.
Difficulty grade, peak horizon, per-camp climate, remoteness, sun alignment and the crowding index are all computed — the moats — and every one of them is an estimate, labelled as such where it appears. Found-fact and operator values are public approximations pending field + source verification, not citations.