Waterfalls near Dehradun, and short walks on paths that already exist

“Is there a waterfall near Dehradun?” is a fair question, and the honest answer has changed since 2025. On the night of 15–16 September 2025, heavy rain caused flash floods across the district, and the worst-hit areas included Sahastradhara and Maldevta, two river spots many visitors head for. A year later, the Times of India reported at least 32 deaths in the district and 13 damaged bridges in and around the city.

So this page is less about the prettiest pool and more about where there is a path, what state it is in, and when to stay away. If you’re reading this in early 2027, the monsoon is months off, the streams are usually lower and clearer, and this is the season we’d pick for any of these walks.

Maldevta: the river valley, after the flood

Maldevta is where the Song and the Bandal rivers meet, just above an old bridge on the edge of the Doon valley. A 2021 trail blog by Travel in Devbhoomi suggested parking near the bridge and walking: the view of the two rivers joining, a track along the Song, and a small waterfall about 1.3 km on. That description is from before two floods, 2022 and 2025, so treat it as a sketch of the place rather than a route.

What that adds up to: Maldevta is a lived-in valley that is still being rebuilt, with a dam project upstream that needs heavy machinery on these roads. As of 1 November 2026, we found no official notice closing it to visitors, and none saying it is cleared either. Go for the drive, the view from the bridge and a short walk on the road or track. Don’t go to swim. Some travel sites still list a dip in the river as a thing to do at Maldevta. We wouldn’t, at any time of year.

Shikhar Fall: a short walk from the end of the road

Shikhar Fall is on the Rispana, above Rajpur, and it is the closest thing Dehradun has to a proper waterfall walk. The path starts at Shahanshahi Ashram, where the road ends, and goes up through Makreti village. The 2025 flood damaged parts of the route, and the stream is also drinking water for Rajpur. We’ve written it up in full, with the route and its current state, on our Shikhar Fall page.

Robber’s Cave and Sahastradhara

These two are the classic Dehradun water outings, and both took the same storm in 2025. At Robber’s Cave (Gucchupani) you walk upstream through shallow water in a narrow gorge, so it is a short walk with wet feet rather than a waterfall. At Sahastradhara there are the sulphur springs and a ropeway. Fees, timings and the post-flood state of each are on their own pages, so we won’t repeat them here. Sahastradhara and Maldevta pair well in one morning.

Lachhiwala: a laid-out nature trail

If you want a walk with no surprises, Lachhiwala is it. It is a forest department picnic spot on the Doiwala side of the city that first opened in 1980. When it was renovated in 2021, the Times of India reported a nature trail, a children’s park and a fish pond among the new additions, and forest officials put visitors at about 3 lakh a year. It is the gentlest option on this page and the easiest with small children. We’ll cover fees and timings on a separate page once we’ve checked them; the figures online don’t agree.

Further out: Kempty, Mussoorie walks and Tiger Falls

• Kempty Falls is about 15 km beyond Mussoorie on the Yamunotri road, according to the district administration’s Kempty entry (another line on the same page says about 11 km from the town). It makes a long Mussoorie day longer. Our Mussoorie day trip page covers the road and its 2026 monsoon washouts.
• Camel’s Back Road in Mussoorie is a road made for walking, and the district page mentions long walks there. No waterfall, but it is an easy walk, and a good fit if the rivers are running high.
• Tiger Falls near Chakrata is a full day away, about 70 km from Dehradun. In May 2025 a tree fell on people bathing there and killed two, and bathing was temporarily banned, the New Indian Express reported. Visiting the area was not restricted, and police expected normal conditions in two or three days. We found no newer notice either way. Look from the bank and keep out of the pool.

The monsoon, and the rule about water

Every place on this page is a stream or river that can rise very fast after rain in the hills above, even when it is dry where you are standing. That is how the 2025 flood came down at night. From July to September we would not plan any of these walks, and after any heavy rain at other times of year we’d leave a day or two before going.

Our rule is simple: look at the water, don’t get into it. No bathing under falls, no wading into pools, no selfies on wet rocks at the edge. Several of these streams are also somebody’s drinking water, so carry your rubbish back out.

As of 1 November 2026, we found no official notice from the Dehradun district administration opening or closing any of these places. Before you go, check IMD Dehradun’s forecasts and warnings and the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority, and read our page on checking roads and weather. If a road or path looks freshly damaged, turn back, even if others are going on.

How we’d plan it

We live in Dehradun, and this is the advice we’d give a friend coming to visit. It comes from knowing the city and reading the reports above, not from walking every path last week, so ask us when you message and we’ll tell you what we’ve heard.

• When: October to March, on a weekday morning. The air is cool, the water is clear and the paths are quiet.
• One water place a day. Shikhar Fall in one morning, or Sahastradhara with Maldevta in another. Don’t try to tick off three.
• Skip: Sunday afternoons, when everyone in Dehradun has the same idea, and anything at all in the monsoon.
• Shoes: closed shoes with grip. Wet rock is slippery in every season.
• Carry: water, a light jacket for winter mornings, cash for tea stalls, and a bag for rubbish.
• Dogs: welcome at our place (tell us beforehand), but keep them on a lead and out of the streams on these walks.

As we put it on Instagram in October, “Bring light jackets and enjoy pre winters.” That goes for February mornings by the river too.

After a morning by the water, you can come back to Fyonli Nest, a two-bedroom homestay with a courtyard that catches the morning sun, a full kitchen and heaters in winter. If you’d like a Pahadi breakfast on one of the mornings (mandua roti, aloo, seasonal fruit, ₹350 per guest), tell us the night before. We live ten minutes away, and “we help our guests to experience the best of local places”, so tell us which walks you have in mind.

Sources: NDTV, 16 September 2025: Dehradun cloudburst; Times of India, 3 July 2026: Maldevta better prepared for monsoon; Times of India, 20 July 2026: 13 roads remain blocked; ETV Bharat, 29 July 2026: Maldevta road damaged (Hindi); Times of India, 15 September 2026: a year after the Dehradun floods; Travel in Devbhoomi, 2 August 2021: short walking trails near Maldevta; Travel Chardham: Maldevta; Times of India, 15 August 2021: Lachhiwala Nature Park renovated; New Indian Express, 27 May 2025: bathing banned at Tiger Falls; District Dehradun: Mussoorie, Kempty Fall and Camel’s Back Road; IMD Meteorological Centre Dehradun; USDMA. All checked 1 November 2026.