Road/Traffic Conditions in Uttarakhand

rtandon · May 28th, 2006, 09:03

Hi,
I plan to visit Uttranchal with friends around mid May. I intend to drive - I am well-experienced in driving in plains and long distances but have never driven myself to hills. I intend to take Gangotri route and perhaps Chopta ... the places are not yet fixed. I have see the route of Gangotri - can we (assuming a well versed driver in plain) drive along the way? How is the terrain (i dont remember excatly from that view point as in the past we used a driven vehicle)

In terms of easyness of driving - what places do you recommend above Dehradun / Rishikesh. We can also choose the destinations depending on ease of driving and terrain .

punoo · May 29th, 2006, 16:48

Hey there,

I drove to Gopeshwar, Chopta and to Auli last year.It was fine, and i am a girl.The roads are quite good till Chamoli-Gopeshwar as they started remaking the roads.You just have to be more careful on the curves otherwise its cool.
I am sure you will love it..specially the drive from Gopeswar to Chamoli is breath takingly beautiful!!
have fun
punoo

manreet_16 · May 29th, 2006, 16:57

yes u have to be careful on Blind curves..they are the most dangerous parts of hills..and plz u have to take care about ur speed also..coz sometimes at slopes car goes out of control which ends up to skid..and read Road Signs from government ie Dont mix driving with drinking, Drive safe someone is waiting for u..etc bYe

arunchs · May 29th, 2006, 18:39

Pretty much the same story to tell. I have been going to Auli for last 2 years. Though I haven't driven on these roads, I am pretty much an expert driving in the hills, so I can say it is not a big deal driving here. Road condition is decent and is wide enough in most areas. Keep a watch for those mini-buses in the curves and you wl be fine.

rtandon · May 30th, 2006, 03:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by manreet_16

u have to be careful on Blind curves..they are the most dangerous parts of hills..and plz u have to take care about ur speed also..coz sometimes at slopes car goes out of control which ends up to skid..

Okay, thaks manreet and all. But one thing - I usually drive slow - I mean slower then others. So do you mean driving slow is also a problem? (it is not, unless the slope is great. Yes, Curves are a thing to watch.

What I specifically mean is following
(a) Road width ? How good it is ?
(b) Slope. It is much steep?
(c) If driving slower than usual is best rule of thumb ?

I have been to these places, but do not recall road caonditions, as I had not been driving myself so I never paid attention to these things then.

mk26in · Jun 17th, 2006, 11:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by rtandon

Okay, thaks manreet and all. But one thing - I usually drive slow - I mean slower then others. So do you mean driving slow is also a problem? (it is not, unless the slope is great. Yes, Curves are a thing to watch.

What I specifically mean is following
(a) Road width ? How good it is ?
(b) Slope. It is much steep?
(c) If driving slower than usual is best rule of thumb ?

I have been to these places, but do not recall road caonditions, as I had not been driving myself so I never paid attention to these things then.

I'm a car driver of plains and i've driven my M800 for 60000 kms in plains. In year 2005 i took my car from Gurgaon to Manali in 13 Hrs and next day to Rohtang Pass without any problem.
So there's no problem in hills if u've decent experience in plains, but the rule is Go Slow and just keep your vehicle in your lane, specially on curves (read it left side as there is hardly 10 feet wide road).

Mk

Satyaa · Jun 19th, 2006, 20:35

From Haridwar till Ukhimath the roads are ok. You just need to follow the traffic(High piligrim season).

From Ukhimath onwards you need to be a bit careful as the rods are not good. But the lack of or should I say the non existant traffic would compensate for the bad state of road. You can actually stop in the middle of the road and take snaps with an occasional disturbance. Not many people take this route.

arunchs · Sep 19th, 2006, 16:25

Rishikesh-Srinagar-Joshimath road is alright, with 2 lanes all the way and decent tarmac surface. You might find some rough patches but otherwise alright.

arkz · Sep 19th, 2006, 16:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by arunchs

Rishikesh-Srinagar-Joshimath road is alright, with 2 lanes all the way and decent tarmac surface. You might find some rough patches but otherwise alright.

Hai Arunchs,

Tnx 4 the input.

I went thro your blog, specially the Auli ski trip. Its a nice job and nice narration and good photos too. Enjoyed it, keep up the good work.

--Arkz

Dilliwala · Jun 25th, 2007, 22:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dilliwala

The train's a better option any day than a NON-ac car in this weather.
But just to clear any confusion about "bad roads" -
It's not in great shape from the Meerut Bypass (southern end) to the Muzaffarnagar Bypass (northern end); quite a few pot-holes.
It's fine from thereon to the Uttaranchal border, and within UA as smooth as they come.

As on 23.6.07, the road surface condition on the above stretch has greatly improved.
There are only a few bad spots between the Meerut Bypass (northern end) and Daurala.
There is still a 15 km bad stretch from Kahatauli to short of the Muzaffarnagar Bypass (southern end).
There arew a few bad spots on the MZN Bypass.

Happy driving.

solo_trekker · Jul 25th, 2007, 20:51

well, sorry to disappoint u ladies and gentlemen, but as of today (25th july) the road to joshimath is blocked because of landslides and the tourists on either side are stranded...

this happens every year, but is usually not so severe and the roadblocks are removed in a few hours or so... but apparently, no such luck this time around...

let's hope for the best...

shahronakm · Jul 25th, 2007, 21:29

That's really bad news for VOF trekkers. I hope the road opens soon.

Ronak.

Sadanand Kamath · Jul 25th, 2007, 21:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by solo_trekker

well, sorry to disappoint u ladies and gentlemen, but as of today (25th july) the road to joshimath is blocked because of landslides and the tourists on either side are stranded...

this happens every year, but is usually not so severe and the roadblocks are removed in a few hours or so... but apparently, no such luck this time around...

let's hope for the best...

Any idea as to the location of road block?

Sadanand

solo_trekker · Jul 25th, 2007, 22:00

The exact landslide location is yet to be confirmed; but as I've been stuck on this road many times myself, I'll go by past experience and mention the possibilities...
1) Just around 10 km or so after Srinagar - once a big boulder (truck-size) boulder almost flattened our Maxx here...!
2) Between Rudraprayag and Helong (just before Helong) is another treacherous landslide point - have lost count of the number of hours spent here over various trips...!
Trekkers to the Valley of Flowers / Hemkund Sahib better check the exact position before venturing out...!
Take care...

Sadanand Kamath · Jul 25th, 2007, 22:08

Another landslide point which I had experienced twice was at place around Byasi - somewhere between Rishikesh and Devprayag. But the road block got cleared within 2-3 hours.

Sadanand

May 28th, 2006, 09:03	#1
rtandon Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India Posts: 125	Driving in Uttaranchal Hi, I plan to visit Uttranchal with friends around mid May. I intend to drive - I am well-experienced in driving in plains and long distances but have never driven myself to hills. I intend to take Gangotri route and perhaps Chopta ... the places are not yet fixed. I have see the route of Gangotri - can we (assuming a well versed driver in plain) drive along the way? How is the terrain (i dont remember excatly from that view point as in the past we used a driven vehicle) In terms of easyness of driving - what places do you recommend above Dehradun / Rishikesh. We can also choose the destinations depending on ease of driving and terrain . Last edited by Dilliwala : Sep 30th, 2008 at 03:09.

May 29th, 2006, 16:48	#2
punoo Account Closed Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Australia Posts: 23	Not very difficult Hey there, I drove to Gopeshwar, Chopta and to Auli last year.It was fine, and i am a girl.The roads are quite good till Chamoli-Gopeshwar as they started remaking the roads.You just have to be more careful on the curves otherwise its cool. I am sure you will love it..specially the drive from Gopeswar to Chamoli is breath takingly beautiful!! have fun punoo

May 29th, 2006, 18:39	#4
arunchs Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 448	Pretty much the same story to tell. I have been going to Auli for last 2 years. Though I haven't driven on these roads, I am pretty much an expert driving in the hills, so I can say it is not a big deal driving here. Road condition is decent and is wide enough in most areas. Keep a watch for those mini-buses in the curves and you wl be fine. __________________ My India travel blog My Images from India

Jun 19th, 2006, 20:35	#7
Satyaa Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 35	You can drive to Chopta From Haridwar till Ukhimath the roads are ok. You just need to follow the traffic(High piligrim season). From Ukhimath onwards you need to be a bit careful as the rods are not good. But the lack of or should I say the non existant traffic would compensate for the bad state of road. You can actually stop in the middle of the road and take snaps with an occasional disturbance. Not many people take this route.

Sep 19th, 2006, 16:25	#8
arunchs Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 448	Driving conditions now ? Rishikesh-Srinagar-Joshimath road is alright, with 2 lanes all the way and decent tarmac surface. You might find some rough patches but otherwise alright. Last edited by capt_mahajan : Sep 4th, 2008 at 09:11.

May 29th, 2006, 16:57	#3
manreet_16 On the Move Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Canada\India Posts: 359	yes u have to be careful on Blind curves..they are the most dangerous parts of hills..and plz u have to take care about ur speed also..coz sometimes at slopes car goes out of control which ends up to skid..and read Road Signs from government ie Dont mix driving with drinking, Drive safe someone is waiting for u..etc bYe

Jul 25th, 2007, 20:51	#11
solo_trekker Maha Guru Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: around delhi Posts: 880	Landslides on NH-58 - between Rishikesh and Joshimath well, sorry to disappoint u ladies and gentlemen, but as of today (25th july) the road to joshimath is blocked because of landslides and the tourists on either side are stranded... this happens every year, but is usually not so severe and the roadblocks are removed in a few hours or so... but apparently, no such luck this time around... let's hope for the best... Last edited by nadreg : Aug 29th, 2008 at 09:14. Reason: Test

Jul 25th, 2007, 21:29	#12
shahronakm Maha Guru Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 1,851	That's really bad news for VOF trekkers. I hope the road opens soon. Ronak. Last edited by nadreg : Aug 29th, 2008 at 09:14. Reason: Test

Jul 25th, 2007, 22:00	#14
solo_trekker Maha Guru Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: around delhi Posts: 880	The exact landslide location is yet to be confirmed; but as I've been stuck on this road many times myself, I'll go by past experience and mention the possibilities... 1) Just around 10 km or so after Srinagar - once a big boulder (truck-size) boulder almost flattened our Maxx here...! 2) Between Rudraprayag and Helong (just before Helong) is another treacherous landslide point - have lost count of the number of hours spent here over various trips...! Trekkers to the Valley of Flowers / Hemkund Sahib better check the exact position before venturing out...! Take care...

Jul 25th, 2007, 22:08	#15
Sadanand Kamath Maha Guru Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 1,044	Another landslide point which I had experienced twice was at place around Byasi - somewhere between Rishikesh and Devprayag. But the road block got cleared within 2-3 hours. Sadanand

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