As the 2025 trekking season moves through the monsoon window, many of you are short-listing Himalayan routes again—naturally, Uttarakhand draws the eye. Before you lock plans, remember there’s a standing High Court order that prohibits overnight camping on alpine meadows (bugyals) across the state. Factor this into your route and campsite choices so you don’t run into last-minute permit or on-trail compliance issues.
So what is the Uttarakhand High court order?
In response to a PIL filed in Uttarakhand High Court, the division bench laid out certain rules and issued certain directions. In attempt to conserve the fragile Himalayan ecosystem the court ruled that “the overnight stay in the Alpine meadows/Subalpine meadows/Bugyals is banned“. Read full order here.
This is certainly a catastrophic setback for people of Uttarakhand who are directly or indirectly related to trekking and tourism. What may have triggered such an aggressive order from high court needs our attention and introspection. Though,it is currently out of scope for this update.
The above order impacted some popular trekking trails within the state of Uttarakhand. In accord with the court order, Forest Department of Uttarakhand issued restrictions on camping to places, on trek route basis. To understand the implications more, give us a call or drop an email.
Here is an attempt to summarise the impact and current status of some popular trails.
Impact of the bugyal/meadow camping ban — popular Uttarakhand treks
| Trek | Restriction / Forest Dept. note | Impact & status |
|---|---|---|
| Roopkund | No camping at Ali–Bedni Bugyal, Patar Nachuni, Baguabasa | Severe — Practically infeasible as a standard itinerary; reaching and returning from permitted camps (e.g., Abin Kharak/Gahroli Patal) in one day replaces a former 3-day section. |
| Pangarchulla Peak | No camping above Khullara | High — Summit day becomes very long/strenuous from Khullara and back (expect ~12 h for fit, acclimatised teams). |
| Deoriatal–Chopta–Chandrashila | No camping at Deoriatal, Chopta, Tunganath | Medium — Camp near Baniyakund; visit Chandrashila and return the same day (no sunrise/sunset halt at Tunganath; no camping inside Kedarnath WLS meadows). |
| Winter Kuari Pass | High camp at Khullara | Low — On snow, a moderate day to Kuari Pass and back to Khullara. |
| Satopanth Tal | No camps above Chakrateerth; no camping at the lake | Low — Day trip from Chakrateerth over moraine and back. |
| Kedartal | High camp at Kedar Kharak; no camping at the lake | Low — Day trip from Kedar Kharak and back. |
| Har ki Dun | Highest camp at Simatra; no camping at HKD meadow/valley | Low — Treat HKD as a day visit/return from permitted camps outside meadow zones. |
| Dayara Bugyal | Highest camp inside forest at Tilapra; no camping on the meadows | Low — Day visit/return. |
| Bali Pass | No camping at Ruinsara Tal | Low — Use Unti Gad (before Ruinsara) or Odari (after) as legal camps. |
So the question arises what’s next?
- You can certainly choose the Low impacted trek routes. Banning a camp at a particular place or two doesn’t take away the beauty of the route. It helps in protecting the environment of those fragile campsites to an extent.
- It is better that you fully understand the implications of High impacted treks. A particular day may become strenuous than you actually anticipated.
- Popular winter trek destinations are mostly not impacted.
- There are other popular treks and new trails in accord with the order. Check here our list of Uttarakhand treks.
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