Valley of Flowers in Mid-Late October

somekid37

I just recently have been getting keen on doing the VoF hike when I am in India in a month. Is mid to late October far too late to see much flowers or access the area? What am I to expect in that location weather wise that time of year? Thanks for responses as always!

capt_mahajan

October will be too late. Even mid/late September is usually unreliable.

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spicetrekker

I would say out of question.

himadventures

Yes- late October will be late. Mountain starts getting snow and it becomes very cold after sunset.

You should try to do this upto last week of Sept. or can take chance for First week of october. But you may not be able to see flowering if weather pattern changes as this is right time to be there !!

shashank.aggarwal

I guess Military closed the roads beyoond Joshimath for public..around October..though not sure..

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nyraghu

When I went to the VoF two years ago, the people at the VoF Information Centre in Ghangaria said that September-October is a good time for views from the Valley, while July-August is the best period for seeing flowers. However, with weather patterns changing so much in the recent past, those statements may have to be revised; further, I didn't ask them which part of October, if at all, is a tractable period --- they may have meant just the very beginning of October.

The following passage by Frank Smythe describes his return to the Valley in September, 1937, after going away from there for a while during the monsoon:

"When I had left, green was the predominant shade, now it was brown and gold; the floor of the valley was enriched with soft colourings, varying from the deep red of the potentilla leaves to the yellow of the withering grasses and the faintest tinge of russet in the birch forest. ... The predominant note was peace; not the faintest breeze ruffled the herbage and the silence was the silence of a vast ocean utterly calm, though always the sound of the streams came to the ear as a soft almost imperceptible cadence." -- Frank S. Smythe, Valley of Flowers, Chapter XXIV.

So, if you indeed make it there towards October, you may not see many flowers, but the scenery and the views would be spectacular.

In 2006, the Badrinath temple was closed on 16 November, so NH 58 must have been open for civilian traffic up to Badrinath at least until then. In 2007, the shrine is scheduled to close on 19 November.

Raghu.

solo_trekker

well... u can safely rule out hemkund sahib, as it always, repeat always, closes in the first week of october...

the valley of flowers will offer you some flowers... but more or less, just remnants... no, there will be no snow at all - it's too early for that... but yes, the views will surely be spectacular... if u are ok with the cold, could be worth a try... u will surely get some spectacular pix of the valley and the snow-capped peaks surrounding it... yes, the peaks would have had their share of snow even in early october...

and rest assured, all the roads are open... there are no roads here, so none to be closed...!

but without the flowers, u could just about go to any of the countless other valleys adorning the himalayan landscapes at this time...! enjoy...!

somekid37

Thanks for the multitude of replies. Might one of you or some one suggest another trek of similar difficulty and length anywhere in the North. I will be in both the Northeast and Northwest so location is not a problem. In fact, I will be all around India and would like to do at least one decent trek while I am there. A beautiful destination is certainly desirable! Thanks guys!

nyraghu

I suggest you don't give up on the Valley of Flowers too soon! In the mailing list himalaya_trekkers run by J. P. Gupta, which I used to subscribe to, I met Rupa Gandhi, who has been to the Valley in various seasons over the years. It may be worth joining that list and asking her opinion.

Perhaps. OTOH, the Valley of Flowers has a special ambience of its own, not entirely to do with the flowers. This has been memorably described by Frank Smythe in his book `The Valley of Flowers,' and by Stephen Alter in the last chapter of `Sacred Waters.' So, I, for one, would like to see the Valley in various seasons. YMMV.

I guess the road the earlier postings were referring to is the short stretch of NH 58 from Joshimath to Govind Ghat.

If you do decide against going to the VoF, then from my rather limited experience of trekking, I would suggest Dodital. It is a pleasant trek, and from Darwa Pass above Dodital, I expect that, in October, you would get dazzling views of Bandar Punch. You can see some pictures of the trek at http://www.retrotexts.net/dodital/ One can continue on to Yamunotri from Darwa Pass. Again, this journey and the region are described very well in Stephen Alter's book `Sacred Waters.' It is also covered in the Lonely Planet guide to `Trekking in the Indian Himalaya,' as is the VoF trek. The experts here can tell you more about the Dodital trek and others too.

Raghu.

solo_trekker

honestly, if u are keen on uttarakhand (erstwhile uttaranchal) in october, the dodital trek surely will be a good option...
i did the dodital trek in end-sep / early oct along with a group of friends...

u shall be surprised to know that this trek is part of the compulsory training programme of the i.a.s. (indian administrative services) recruits from the academy at mussoorie... it's a different thing that theirs can be clasified as an ultra-sahib's trek...!

a trek without frills is the first category, an ordinary trek... a sahib's trek is when u have some ponies / porters... the ultra-sahib's trek is the ultimate - the i.a.s. guys & gals used to have a red carpet welcome with hot cuppas tea served the moment they reached their destinations... and ofcourse, a lavish menu for them too...!

back to your point... the views from darba top are just stupendous... the bandar poonch mastiff, the entire range stretching several hundred kilometres is visible right in front of your eyes... spectacular really, and also the perfect time...

Dilliwala

Subject to snowfall, there is no ban on vehicle movement in the off-season upto Hanumanchatti, where UA Police mans the check-post. Travel beyond requires a permit from SDM, Joshimath.