Best family trips in Uttarakhand

Bhimtal & Naukuchiatal, Haridwar and Lansdowne lead a list of 20. Places in Uttarakhand that work with children or parents along.

Ranked from our own destination data on season, difficulty, altitude, cost and who each place suits. Not paid for, and not the same as “most popular”.

1. 1Uttarakhand · Nainital, KumaonBhimtal & Naukuchiatal1,400 m, easy, 2–3 days.Two quieter Kumaon lakes 20 minutes below Nainital, with paragliding and lakeside cottages.Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov · Why not: Less to do in town; you'll want a vehicle.
2. 2Uttarakhand · HaridwarHaridwar350 m, easy, 2 days.Where the Ganga leaves the mountains — Har Ki Pauri, the evening aarti, and the gateway to Char Dham.Best months: Feb, Mar, Oct, Nov · Why not: Hot, crowded and commercial from March to June.
3. 3Uttarakhand · Pauri GarhwalLansdowne1,800 m, easy, 2–3 days.A quiet Garhwal cantonment town of pine ridges, a golf course and the Garhwal Rifles museum.Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov · Why not: Limited stay options and almost no adventure activities.
4. 4Uttarakhand · Nainital, KumaonNainital2,615 m, easy, 3–4 days.The classic Kumaon lake town — Naini Lake, the Mall Road, Snow View and Naina Peak.Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov · Why not: Very crowded in summer and on long weekends; parking is a nightmare.
5. 5Uttarakhand · Almora, KumaonRanikhet2,100 m, easy, 2–3 days.A cantonment hill station of pine and oak forest, golf greens and colonial-era quiet.Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov · Why not: Deliberately uneventful; not a place for activities.
6. 6Uttarakhand · Joshimath, ChamoliAuli3,050 m, easy, 4–5 days.Snow slopes with a view of Nanda Devi, and India's best-known ski meadow outside Gulmarg.Best months: Jan, Feb, Mar, Oct, Nov · Why not: Snowfall is unreliable some winters; check reports before booking a ski trip.
7. 7Uttarakhand · DehradunMussoorie2,290 m, easy, 2–3 days.The 'Queen of Hills' above Dehradun — Kempty Falls, Gun Hill, Camel's Back Road and the Mall.Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov · Why not: Heavy weekend traffic and crowds; Landour next door is far calmer.
8. 8Uttarakhand · Bageshwar, KumaonKausani2,000 m, easy, 2–3 days.A ridge town facing a 300 km wall of peaks — Nanda Devi, Trishul and Panchachuli all in one frame.Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov · Why not: Small and slow; two nights is usually enough.
9. 9Uttarakhand · Almora, KumaonJageshwar Dham1,900 m, easy, 1–2 days.A cluster of over 100 ancient stone temples inside a deodar forest, dating to the 8th–12th century.Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov · Why not: Small — a half day is enough unless you combine it with a nearby trek.
10. 10Uttarakhand · Tehri GarhwalKanatal & Dhanaulti2,590 m, easy, 2–3 days.Forest and meadow country on the Mussoorie–Chamba road, with camping and ziplining.Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov · Why not: Nothing grand — it is a forest-and-camp destination, not a peak destination.
11. 11Uttarakhand · Mussoorie, DehradunLandour2,290 m, easy, 2–3 days.The quiet cantonment above Mussoorie — deodar walks, old bakeries and writers' cottages.Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Oct, Nov · Why not: Mussoorie below is crowded and traffic-heavy on weekends.
12. 12Uttarakhand · Tehri Garhwal / DehradunRishikesh600 m, easy, 2–4 days.Yoga capital in the Himalayan foothills — ashrams, Ganga aarti, river rafting.Best months: Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov · Why not: It is the foothills, not the high mountains — no snow, and it gets hot from May.
13. 13Uttarakhand · Gaurikund, RudraprayagKedarnath3,583 m, easy to moderate, 4–5 days.One of the twelve Jyotirlingas, reached by a 16 km walk (or pony, palki or helicopter).Best months: May, Jun, Sep, Oct · Why not: Very crowded in May–June. The temple is open only from about late April/May to October/November.
14. 14Uttarakhand · Nainital, KumaonMukteshwar2,286 m, easy, 2–3 days.A quiet ridge town with a 350-year-old Shiva temple and a clean sweep of the Kumaon Himalaya.Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Oct, Nov · Why not: Very little nightlife or town activity; it's a stay-and-read place.
15. 15Uttarakhand · Almora, KumaonAlmora2,000 m, easy, 2–3 days.The cultural capital of Kumaon — a horseshoe ridge town of temples, bazaars and Kasar Devi.Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov · Why not: Not a scenic showpiece like Kausani; it's a working town.
16. 16Uttarakhand · Almora, KumaonBinsar2,412 m, easy, 3–4 days.An oak and rhododendron wildlife sanctuary with a 300 km sweep of Himalayan peaks.Best months: Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov · Why not: No town life and limited power in the sanctuary — that's the point, but not for everyone.
17. 17Uttarakhand · DehradunChakrata2,300 m, easy, 2–3 days.A secluded cantonment above the Yamuna with Tiger Falls, deodar forest and Chilmiri Neck.Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov · Why not: Military area restrictions on some roads, and very limited stays.
18. 18Uttarakhand · Sari, RudraprayagDeoria Tal2,438 m, easy to moderate, 3–4 days.A short climb to a forest lake that mirrors Chaukhamba on a still morning.Best months: Sep, Oct, Nov, Mar, Apr, May, Jun · Why not: Very small; combine it with Chopta or Tungnath or it's over in a day.
19. 19Uttarakhand · UttarkashiHarsil2,900 m, easy, 2–3 days.A Bhagirathi-side village of apple orchards and deodar forest, once called 'Mini Switzerland'.Best months: Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct · Why not: Almost no infrastructure — homestays only, and the road closes in heavy winter snow.
20. 20Uttarakhand · Pithoragarh, KumaonMunsiyari3,500 m, easy, 5–7 days.A remote Kumaon town facing the five peaks of Panchachuli.Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov · Why not: Long drive — about 10–11 hours from Kathgodam on hill roads.