A picnic day at Lachhiwala, Dehradun: fees, hours and the water

Lachhiwala has been a picnic spot for a long time. The state’s head of forest force told the Times of India that it first opened as the Lachhiwala Picnic Spot in 1980, and that about 3 lakh people were visiting every year. In 2021 the Forest Department rebuilt it as a nature park, in about 150 days and for about ₹6 crore, adding a children’s park, a topiary garden, a musical fountain, a nature trail and a fish pond. The Chief Minister opened the new park in August 2021. Forest officials also told the Times of India that the Dehradun–Doiwala zone the park sits in abuts the Rajaji Tiger Reserve, which is worth remembering when you think about dogs, food scraps and staying on the paths.

The fee, honestly

Search for the Lachhiwala entry fee and you will find numbers anywhere from ₹10 to ₹80. Here is how we read them. The ₹10 adult and ₹5 child figures on some travel sites date from the old picnic spot, before the 2021 rebuild. When the new park opened, ETV Bharat quoted the range officer: ₹50 per adult, ₹20 per child, a separate ₹20 for the museum, and car parking at ₹40, or ₹50 on Sundays. In April 2024 the range officer told ETV Bharat that the department had cut all charges and made the museum free. Since then, visitor videos and reels from 2026 mostly list ₹80 per head.

We would rather show you an official rate card than a vlogger’s caption, and we couldn’t find one online. So plan for ₹80 a head plus the vehicle charge, carry cash and UPI both, and take the rate on the board at the gate as the real answer. If you see it, send us a photo and we’ll update this page.

The bathing pools and the stream

The water is why most local families go. The park sits on a stream, and the Forest Department diverts some of that flowing water into built pools. In February 2023 the range officer told ETV Bharat there were separate pools for women and for everyone else. In April 2024 the park in-charge said there were separate tanks for children and adults, and tubes. In January 2025 the forester told Inext that the bathing ghats had been damaged and were being repaired, and that the damage had kept visitor numbers down the year before.

What this means for you: the pools are a summer arrangement, managed by the park. Use only the pools the staff point you to, follow what they tell you, and stay out of the stream channel itself. Keep small children within arm’s reach in any water, however shallow it looks. We would not plan water play in the monsoon or for a day or two after heavy rain, and in winter the water is too cold to be any fun.

As of 2 April 2026, the Lachhiwala range officer told Dainik Jagran the park would be open 9 am to 5 pm during the summer festival. Water levels in this area change quickly with rain. Before you go, check IMD Dehradun’s forecasts and warnings and our page on checking roads and weather.

Beyond the water

• The museum. ETV Bharat called it the park’s biggest draw: archive footage of the Char Dham yatra from the last century, traditional costumes and more than 100 kinds of pulses. Inext counted 110 varieties of Uttarakhand rajma, plus dhol, damau and ransingha, and masks from Chamoli’s Ramman festival. On a cold day, this is where we’d spend our time.
• Boats. The lake had ten boats by January 2025, up from six, according to Inext. With only six, many visitors had left without a turn, so get to the boats early.
• The nature trail and children’s park. Part of the 2021 rebuild. In January 2025 the forester said a walking track to the butterfly park and herbal garden was planned; we haven’t seen confirmation that it’s finished.

When we’d go

The park is busiest in summer. ETV Bharat reported ₹2.5 crore in ticket sales between March and June 2023 alone. Visitor counts for 2023–24 differ: the range officer told ETV Bharat about 2.65 lakh, while Forest Department figures given to Inext say 2,08,276. Either way, that is a lot of people for one forest picnic spot. In 2026 the department ran a “Wild Summer Fest” from 1 April to 15 June. A 2027 festival is expected around the same time, but it is not yet announced; watch local news and the Uttarakhand Forest Department site in March.

It isn’t only a summer place any more. In February 2023 the range officer told ETV Bharat that since the rebuild, people come all year round, not just in the heat. In February 2027 you get the quieter version of Lachhiwala: the museum, a walk under the sal trees, a boat if they’re running, and lunch in the sun. Pick a Tuesday to Friday. Get there close to 9 am and you’ll have the morning before the families arrive. Don’t plan it for a Monday.

Getting there

By our reckoning, the park is about 20 km by road from the Clock Tower (November 2026); travel sites give anywhere from 17 to 22 km. ETV Bharat describes it as about 2 km in from the highway. It sits off the Haridwar road, the same road you take towards Jolly Grant Airport, so it’s easy to pair with a Rishikesh day trip or a Rajaji safari on another day of the same trip. Traffic on that road varies a lot by hour, so leave time if you’re heading to a flight.

With children, and with a dog

Lachhiwala is built for families: a children’s park, separate water tanks for children in season, and open lawns. Bring a change of clothes, a towel and something warm for after the water, even in summer. For dogs, we couldn’t find a published rule either way. Given that the forest here borders a tiger reserve, we’d treat it as a dog-free outing unless the gate staff say otherwise. Our Dehradun with a dog guide has places that work better.

How we’d do the day

Our Instagram says, “We help our guests to experience the best of local places.” For Lachhiwala that means a slow start and an early finish. Have a Pahadi breakfast at the house (mandua roti, aloo and seasonal fruit, ₹350 per guest, tell us the night before), pack a picnic in the full kitchen, and be at the gate soon after it opens. Museum first, then the boats, then lunch under the trees. Head back by mid-afternoon, before the 5 pm closing rush, and spend the evening in the courtyard. If that sounds like your kind of day, see the house and check your dates.

Sources: Times of India, 15 August 2021: renovated park opened; ETV Bharat (Hindi), 18 September 2021: fees fixed; Dainik Jagran (Hindi), 4 July 2022: closed every Monday; ETV Bharat (Hindi), 17 February 2023: bathing pools; ETV Bharat (Hindi), 31 August 2023: museum, ticket revenue; ETV Bharat (Hindi), 21 April 2024: charges cut, museum free, 2023–24 visitors; Inext (Hindi), 31 January 2025: ghats repaired, boats, visitor numbers; Dainik Bhaskar (Hindi), 1 April 2026: Wild Summer Fest; Dainik Jagran (Hindi), 2 April 2026: summer carnival and hours; Apple Maps listing (Monday closed, 9 am–5 pm); visitor video on YouTube, May 2026 (₹80 entry, ₹50 boating); Thrillophilia (old ₹10 figure); IMD Meteorological Centre Dehradun. All checked 1 November 2026.