Dhanaulti from Dehradun, with Surkanda Devi: eco parks, the temple and snow days

This page is about the trip itself: getting to Dhanaulti and Surkanda Devi, what to do there, and what the road is like after snow. If you mostly want to know where and when snow falls around here, read our page on snowfall near Dehradun first.

Getting to Dhanaulti from Dehradun

There is one sensible road. You drive up to Mussoorie, take the Tehri bypass around the town, and follow the ridge east towards Chamba. Dhanaulti is on that road, and Kaddukhal, the base for Surkanda Devi, is a little further on. We measure from the Clock Tower, and these are rounded figures as of 1 November 2026:

The distance is short but it is all hill road, with Mussoorie’s traffic in the middle. Leave early. If you are not driving, ask a taxi operator in Dehradun for a day rate before you set off, and agree on the stops.

Surkanda Devi: the temple and the ropeway

Surkanda Devi is a Shakti Peetha, the place where, the story goes, the head of the goddess Sati fell. The temple sits on a summit above Kaddukhal, and on a clear day the view from the top runs along the snow peaks to the north. It is the highest point on this trip, about 470 m above Dhanaulti.

Until 2022 the only way up was the footpath from Kaddukhal, about 1.5–2 km and steep the whole way. The ropeway opened in April 2022. It was built in partnership with the state, cost ₹32 crore, and has 16 cabins that take six people each. The ride takes five to ten minutes, against an hour or more on foot.

The ropeway closes for repairs from time to time, as it did from 21 to 30 September 2026, and it can stop in bad weather. During the September closure the ropeway’s coordinator told people to walk up from Kaddukhal instead. In snow or after rain that path gets slippery, so wear shoes with grip and go slowly, or simply look up at the temple from the road.

The big day here is Ganga Dussehra in May or June, when the district administration says a fair draws thousands of people. Navratri is busy too. Expect queues on those days.

The eco parks at Dhanaulti

Dhanaulti’s two eco parks, Amber and Dhara, sit about 200 m apart on the main road. They were set up by the Mussoorie forest division and are run by the forest department with people from the local villages, and a study published in 2013 credits that arrangement with clearing what had been a plastic dump. Inside is protected deodar forest, and the forest department charges a small entry fee to run the parks. They are the easiest part of the day, and the best place to stop if you are travelling with children or older parents.

We have not found a current official rate for the entry fee, and the figures on travel sites do not agree, so we have left it out. Carry some cash and small change.

Snow days at Dhanaulti: what the roads have done

Dhanaulti is higher than Mussoorie, at about 2,286 m, and can get snow when Mussoorie gets only rain. Our snowfall page has the dated snow reports. That is the appeal. The catch is that the same snow closes the roads, and the crowds that follow it fill them. What the road itself has done:

• 27 February 2019: about 1.5 ft of snow at Dhanaulti cut its road links and power, and the Mussoorie–Dhanaulti road was closed (Live Hindustan).
• 23 January 2022: up to 3 ft of snow at Dhanaulti. The Chamba–Dhanaulti road was closed, the road beyond Kanatal was blocked while JCBs worked on it, and the area lost power (Amar Ujala).
• 4 February 2024 and 24 January 2026: no closure, but queues. In 2024 hopes of snow lined cars up along the Tehri bypass towards Dhanaulti and police were posted along it; in 2026 the snow on the Mall Road melted and the crowd moved on to Dhanaulti, jamming the Mussoorie–Dhanaulti road (Times of India, both times).

So a snow day here is not something to book weeks ahead. Treat it as a bonus, and decide the evening before.

In the monsoon

The road is a mountain highway, and the monsoon brings landslides. On the night of 9 July 2023, debris and boulders closed the Mussoorie–Dhanaulti highway near Kaddukhal for about five hours, Navbharat Times reported. On 20 July 2026 the district administration ordered the Dehradun–Mussoorie road itself closed after part of it sank near Kolhukhet (Garhwal Post). From July to September, check the roads on the day and keep the plan loose.

Before you go

• Forecast and warnings: as of 1 November 2026, the IMD Dehradun centre publishes district forecasts and warnings. Tehri Garhwal is the district for Dhanaulti and Surkanda.
• Closed roads: the Uttarakhand PWD road closure dashboard. Our page on checking roads and weather lists the other places to look.
• On the day: if police stop traffic or turn cars back, turn back. Carry a full tank, water, snacks, warm layers and a charged phone, in case you sit in a jam.

Mussoorie and Dhanaulti in one day

You pass through Mussoorie to reach Dhanaulti, so it is tempting to do both. You can, but not all of it. Dhanaulti, Surkanda and a proper look at Mussoorie is too much for one winter day, when the light goes by about 5:30 pm.

If you want both, pick one part of Mussoorie and keep it short. Landour sits on the same side of town as the Dhanaulti road, so it fits better than the Mall Road, but it has its own vehicle rules. Our Mussoorie day trip page covers parking, the Landour registration and the police traffic plans. Kempty Falls is the other way, on the Yamunotri road, so leave it for another day.

How we would plan the day

We are two friends from Dehradun, and we like helping guests plan days like this one. As our Instagram puts it, “We help our guests to experience the best of local places”. For Dhanaulti, our advice is about order and timing:

• Go to the far end first. Drive straight through to Kaddukhal and do Surkanda Devi while you have the most daylight and the most energy. Stop at the eco parks on the way back, when you want something easy.
• Go on a weekday, especially after snow. Weekends and long weekends bring traffic up from Delhi and the plains as well.
• Skip the Mall Road on the way up. Take the bypass. You can stop in Mussoorie on the way down if you still have the time and the patience.
• Dress for the top, not the valley. A sunny afternoon in Dehradun can be properly cold at Surkanda. Take a heavy jacket, a cap and gloves in winter, even if you don’t feel you need them when you leave.
• Be back down before dark. Hill roads are harder after sunset, and wet roads can freeze as the night gets colder.

Fyonli Nest is our two-bedroom homestay in the valley, with parking in the courtyard for an early start, heaters in winter and a full kitchen for when you get back. See the rooms and send your dates, and tell us you’re planning a day up at Dhanaulti.

Sources: District Dehradun: Mussoorie, Dhanolti and Surkanda Devi; District Tehri Garhwal: Dhanaulti; Dhanaulti, Wikipedia; Surkanda Devi, Wikipedia; Surkanda Devi Ropeway: booking site; Surkanda Devi Ropeway: About; Amar Ujala, 22 Apr 2022 (ropeway opens); Rajya Sameeksha, 17 Sep 2026 (ropeway closure); Amar Ujala, 17 May 2017 (Amber and Dhara eco parks); Kala (2013): A study of Dhanolti Ecopark; Live Hindustan, 28 Feb 2019; Amar Ujala, 23 Jan 2022; Navbharat Times, 10 Jul 2023; Times of India, 5 Feb 2024; Times of India, 25 Jan 2026; Garhwal Post, 20 Jul 2026; IMD Meteorological Centre Dehradun; Uttarakhand PWD: road closure dashboard.