Char Dham Road Status Today — All Four Routes (2026)
Yamunotri · Gangotri · Kedarnath · Badrinath — open/closed status, highway completion, landslide stretches and the official links to verify before you drive.
Quick answerThe Char Dham highways are open through the season but they are mountain roads and they close without notice. The most delay-prone stretches are Rudraprayag to Sonprayag for Kedarnath and Barkot to Janki Chatti for Yamunotri, both of which shut for hours after heavy rain. A night-driving ban runs 10pm to 4am on all four routes. For live status call the state control room on 1070, the district on 1077, or 112 in an emergency.
📅 Last verified: September 15, 2026·✍️ By the Shiv Ganga Travels Route Desk, Haridwar
Short answer: as of September 15, 2026, the roads are open on all four routes — Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath (to Sonprayag) and Badrinath (to the gate) — but the Kedarnath trek is closed. Rockfall near the Chirbasa helipad damaged the path on September 11; the route was shut on September 12, more than 6,500 pilgrims and 600–700 pack animals were evacuated on September 14, and on September 15 it stayed closed for a third day. Helicopter services have resumed and IRCTC opened bookings for September 15–30 on September 14, so Kedarnath is reachable by air. No highway blockage has been reported on the other routes since August 6. Plan a Sonprayag hold if your Kedarnath leg is this week.
⛈️ Monsoon advisory
Kedarnath trek update (September 15, 2026): the Kedarnath walking route is the one part of the circuit not running normally. Rockfall near the Chirbasa helipad, on the trek between Gaurikund and Kedarnath, began on the morning of September 11 and damaged part of the path; after more rain on the night of September 11 the route was blocked again on September 12 and the Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer, Nandan Singh Rajwar, halted pilgrim movement at Sonprayag and Gaurikund as a precaution. On September 14 the SDRF post at Sonprayag, with police and DDRF, moved more than 6,500 pilgrims and around 600–700 horses and mules off the affected stretch, with the police saying the slope was still too active to clear while rain and stones kept coming; by the evening the rockfall had eased and remaining pilgrims were being walked down from Bhimbali to Gaurikund one at a time under escort. On September 15 the trek was reported closed for a third consecutive day. Horse, mule and dandi-kandi services on the route have been halted since the first rockfall. Helicopter services to Kedarnath have resumed after the monsoon suspension, and IRCTC HeliYatra opened bookings on September 14 at 2 PM for travel between September 15 and 30 — so the shrine is reachable by air while the path is shut, but sectors are limited and weather-dependent. The road itself is open to Sonprayag, and open on all four routes; we have found no reported highway blockage on the Badrinath, Gangotri or Yamunotri routes since August 6, though the Alaknanda and Mandakini ran near warning level in Rudraprayag in the first week of September and IMD kept Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag and Chamoli under orange alert on September 3–4. If your Kedarnath leg falls in the next few days, plan for a hold at Sonprayag, or swap the trek for a helicopter sector if you can book one; if it falls later, keep the buffer day. Night driving on Char Dham routes remains banned between 10 PM and 4 AM and hill-route vehicles still need a valid Green Card. Confirm the morning you travel — our drivers report daily, or use the official links below.
Latest road updates (September 15, 2026)
Dated bulletins from our route desk and official advisories — most recent first. These are point-in-time events; a stretch that shut in the morning is often cleared by afternoon, so always confirm live before you roll.
Sep 15, 2026
The Kedarnath trek route was reported closed for a third consecutive day because of continuing rockfall near Chirbasa, with several hundred pilgrims still on the route being brought down under escort. Helicopter services to Kedarnath have resumed after the monsoon suspension: IRCTC HeliYatra opened bookings on September 14 at 2 PM for travel from September 15 to 30, on the Sirsi, Phata and Guptkashi sectors. Char Dham registration remains mandatory for a heli ticket. The road to Sonprayag is open; the closure is the footpath above Gaurikund.
Sep 14, 2026
More than 6,500 pilgrims and around 600–700 horses and mules were moved off the damaged stretch near the Chirbasa helipad by the SDRF post at Sonprayag (Sub-Inspector Ashish Dimri, under Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi) working with police, DDRF and the district administration. Rudraprayag Police said the route could not be cleared while rain and stones kept falling; pilgrims were held at Sonprayag, Gaurikund and Jungle Chatti. Heavy rain had the Alaknanda and Mandakini running high. By evening the District Disaster Management Officer reported the rockfall had subsided and pilgrims were being escorted from Bhimbali down to Gaurikund one by one.
Sep 12, 2026
After rain overnight on September 11 the Kedarnath trek was blocked again near the Chirbasa helipad by fresh debris and stones. The District Disaster Management Officer, Nandan Singh Rajwar, stopped pilgrim movement at Sonprayag and Gaurikund as a precaution, DDMA teams from Guptkashi were sent to clear the path, and the administration said the route would reopen only once restored and declared safe.
Sep 11, 2026
A rockfall on the morning of September 11 brought stones and debris down from the hillside near the Chirbasa helipad on the Kedarnath trek, damaging part of the route. Foot pilgrims were moved through under regulation while crews cleared the path; horse, mule and dandi-kandi services were halted because of the boulders on the track.
Sep 3, 2026
Heavy rain in Rudraprayag pushed the Alaknanda and Mandakini close to warning level, and residents were told to keep away from riverbanks. IMD placed Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Bageshwar under an orange alert for very heavy rain on September 3–4, with lighter rain expected through September 7. No highway blockage was reported on the yatra routes that week.
Sep 1, 2026
IMD Dehradun keeps heavy rain at isolated places in the forecast for September 1 across Pauri, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Bageshwar, Nainital, Champawat and Haridwar. Unlike the mid-August spell, this one does name all three yatra districts — Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Rudraprayag. The standing State Emergency Operations Centre direction applies: trekking is not to be permitted while rain is actually falling, so a Gaurikund start can be held at the barrier and released when it eases. State control room 0135-2710306, toll-free 1070.
Aug 31, 2026
A wet end to the month. IMD forecast heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places over Dehradun, Bageshwar, Chamoli and Nainital, with thunderstorms, lightning and very intense to extremely intense spells in the same four districts, plus heavy rain across Tehri, Pauri, Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh, Uttarkashi, Champawat and Udham Singh Nagar. The standing warning with this pattern is small-to-moderate landslides blocking hill highways across Garhwal and Kumaon.
Aug 29, 2026
Kedarnath helicopter services are being prepared to resume on September 15. Rudraprayag District Magistrate Vishal Mishra confirmed that a DGCA team will inspect in the first week of September and that services resume after it, with heli-ticket booking dates announced separately. The services have been suspended since July 1 for the monsoon. This is the second phase of the Kedarnath Yatra, running from September until the temple closes in November — treat September 15 as the plan rather than a fixed date, since it depends on the inspection clearing.
Aug 14–17, 2026
IMD Dehradun issued a fresh multi-day warning on the afternoon of August 14. The orange alert moves district to district: August 14 covered Dehradun, Pauri, Haridwar, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar and Nainital; August 15 narrowed to Pithoragarh and Bageshwar; August 16 covers Dehradun, Champawat, Bageshwar, Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital; August 17 covers Dehradun, Pauri and Tehri. Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Rudraprayag — the three districts the yatra routes actually run through — are on yellow alert rather than orange for this spell. The State Emergency Operations Centre ordered that trekking not be permitted during active rainfall, put road-clearing crews on standby for national and state highways, and arranged food and medical kits for anyone stranded. State control room 0135-2710306, toll-free 1070.
Aug 13, 2026
Char Dham registrations for the 2026 season crossed 50 lakh — Kedarnath 19.34 lakh and Badrinath 17.79 lakh between them. The two shrines have taken more than ₹74.5 crore in offerings and revenue so far, roughly ₹37 crore of it at Kedarnath. Officials confirmed arrangements were running normally despite the seasonal rain.
Aug 11, 2026
The state reported the yatra continuing smoothly through the monsoon, with 30,62,228 pilgrims having completed darshan at the two main shrines — 16,12,112 at Kedarnath and 14,50,116 at Badrinath. Worth knowing if you are planning a September trip: this is already a record-pace season, so book hotels and vehicles earlier than you normally would for the post-monsoon window.
Aug 7, 2026
Asan Barrage near Dehradun released roughly 39,000 cusecs into the Yamuna for about three hours after debris clogged the trash-rack screen; five warning sirens sounded at 8:15 AM. No Char Dham highway was cut, but it is a fair marker of how much water the catchments were carrying this week.
Aug 6, 2026
A heavy-rain day that hit three of the four routes. The Badrinath highway was blocked near Helang (Chamoli) when debris and loose rock came down; the Chamoli administration asked pilgrims, tourists and residents to avoid unnecessary travel on the stretch until it was declared safe. The Gangotri highway (NH-34) was blocked near Dharasu Nalu Pani, then reopened for small vehicles near Papdagad with heavy vehicles restored after. The Yamunotri highway (NH-134) was blocked near Silai Bend in the Durbil area and again near Silaiband at Syanachatti. NHAI, BRO and PWD crews worked all three with heavy machinery.
Aug 5, 2026
IMD placed ten Uttarakhand districts on alert through August 10 — orange alert for Dehradun and Bageshwar, heavy rain forecast for Tehri, Pauri Garhwal, Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Nainital, Champawat and Pithoragarh. Schools shut in Dehradun and Bageshwar. CM Dhami directed SDRF, NDRF and district administrations to stay on immediate-response footing; pilgrims were asked to follow advisories and keep clear of rivers and drains.
Aug 3–4, 2026
The Karnaprayag–Nainisain motor road in Chamoli was cut for more than 24 hours after a section of hillside collapsed near Peepalsera. This is a district link road, not one of the four dham highways, but it is the connection dozens of villages depend on and it has come down repeatedly since late July — worth knowing if your itinerary uses Karnaprayag as a halt.
Jul 30, 2026
Char Dham Yatra resumed at 6 AM across all four routes after a two-day administrative halt. The Special Officer on Duty confirmed the pilgrimage restarted smoothly on directions from the Garhwal Commissioner; minor blockages from ongoing rain are still being cleared as they occur.
Jul 28–29, 2026
Yatra paused for two days as heavy rain triggered fresh landslides: the Badrinath highway (NH-58) was blocked near Bhanerpani in the Pipalkoti area (Chamoli district), and the Pokhari–Rudraprayag motor road was blocked about 1 km before Guniyala Khal by large rocks and debris. NDRF, SDRF, police and road-clearing crews were deployed; rivers in Rudraprayag district (Alaknanda, Mandakini) neared warning levels and IMD issued red/orange alerts.
Jul 12, 2026
Landslide blocked the Kedarnath highway at Munkatiya, near Sonprayag (Rudraprayag), after continuous heavy rain. JCBs deployed and vehicular movement restored; the district disaster control room confirmed the yatra continued. Debris also fell near Mussoorie Bend (Kempty) on the Tehri side, briefly suspending the Nainbagh route.
Jul 3, 2026
IMD issued an orange alert for heavy-to-very-heavy rain across Uttarakhand. Authorities advised pilgrims to avoid unnecessary night travel and expect 3–5 hour delays on major highways; NH-58 near Joshimath reported partial blockage, with Patalganga and Tangni points shutting intermittently.
Jul 1, 2026
Kedarnath helicopter services suspended due to poor visibility and high winds; shuttle and pony/palki operations from Gaurikund continued as weather allowed.
Apr 2026
Government sanctioned ₹461 crore for landslide mitigation at 17 sensitive locations on the Yamunotri route (NH-134) — slope and drainage work is ongoing, so expect single-lane stretches this season.
Sources: Uttarakhand district disaster control rooms, IMD advisories and on-ground driver reports. For anything happening right now, call the helplines listed under live road status.
Char Dham road status today — quick view
Yamunotri
● Open · no blockage reported since Aug 6
NH-134, Dharasu → Barkot → Janki Chatti
Gangotri
● Open · no blockage reported since Aug 6
NH-34, Uttarkashi → Harsil → Gangotri
Kedarnath
● Road open to Sonprayag · trek CLOSED at Chirbasa since Sep 12 · heli running
NH-109, Rudraprayag → Sonprayag → Gaurikund
Badrinath
● Open · no blockage reported since Aug 6
NH-58, Joshimath → Govindghat → Badrinath
Status reflects the typical September 15, 2026 season picture, not a minute-by-minute feed. Always verify live before travel.
Should I drive it now? Quick risk check
Pick a route and travel month for an honest read — and exactly which source to verify on the day.
Route
When are you travelling?
Peak season — clear & dry
● Good to go — Kedarnath, Apr–Jun
Road runs to Sonprayag/Gaurikund then a 16 km trek. Fata–Sitapur is ~99% widened, but Sirobgad, Munkatiya (Sonprayag) and Sitapur are landslide-sensitive in rain.
Still confirm the morning you drive — UTDB advisories + IMD district warning.
Planning aid only — not a live feed. Roads can shut within hours during monsoon. Verify with UTDB, IMD and the district control room before you set off.
Route-by-route road condition
Yamunotri road condition — Open · no blockage reported since Aug 6
The slowest-progressing route under the all-weather project (~57% widened). Expect narrow single-lane patches between Dharasu Bend and Janki Chatti, plus the most frequent monsoon landslide closures of the four. The last 5–6 km from Janki Chatti to the temple is a steep trek or pony/palki. Current watch (September 15, 2026): no blockage reported since August 6, when NH-134 was blocked twice — near Silai Bend in the Durbil area after continuous rockfall, and near Silaiband at Syanachatti under debris — with NHAI crews clearing both. This is the route where a rain day is most likely to cost you hours, so build the buffer here.
Gangotri road condition — Open · no blockage reported since Aug 6
Largely motorable right up to the temple. The Uttarkashi–Gangotri stretch is scenic but has a handful of chronic slide spots near Gangnani and Sungar that get cleared quickly. Snow can briefly shut the road in early and late season. Current watch (September 15, 2026): no blockage reported since August 6, when NH-34 was blocked near Dharasu Nalu Pani and reopened near Papdagad for small vehicles first, with heavy vehicles restored after — the usual sequence here, so a car gets through well before a bus does.
Kedarnath road condition — Road open to Sonprayag · trek CLOSED at Chirbasa since Sep 12 · heli running
The road end is Sonprayag; from there a shuttle runs to Gaurikund, and the 16–18 km trek (or pony/palki) begins. The Fata–Sitapur section is now about 99% widened, so the drive up is far smoother than it used to be. Current watch (September 15, 2026): the road is fine — no highway blockage reported since August 6 — but the trek above Gaurikund is shut. Rockfall near the Chirbasa helipad on September 11 damaged the path, the route was closed on September 12, and on September 14 more than 6,500 pilgrims and 600–700 pack animals were evacuated by SDRF; as of September 15 it was closed for a third day, with horse, mule and dandi-kandi services halted. Helicopter services have resumed and IRCTC bookings for September 15–30 opened on September 14. If you are due here this week, expect to be held at Sonprayag until the administration declares the path safe, or book a heli sector. The Munkatiya point near Sonprayag and the standing rule that trekking stops while rain is falling both still apply.
Badrinath road condition — Open · no blockage reported since Aug 6
You can drive to the temple gate — no trek. The one stretch to respect is the gated section around Joshimath–Badrinath, where the army/BRO regulate one-way traffic through narrow cuttings. Current watch (September 15, 2026): no blockage reported since August 6, when the highway was blocked near Helang (Chamoli) when debris and loose rock came down, and the district administration asked people to avoid the stretch until it was declared safe; BRO, NHAI and PWD crews cleared it. Helang, Patalganga, Tangni, Lambagad and Pipalkoti are the recurring boulder-fall points during heavy rain. Time your run with the gate timings and check the morning status.
Char Dham route map, distances & driving times
Most pilgrims base out of Haridwar or Rishikesh. Here are the approximate road distances and realistic driving times from Haridwar — mountain roads are slow, so budget more than a flatland map suggests.
Route
Distance
Drive time
At the end
Haridwar → Janki Chatti (Yamunotri base)
~225 km
8–9 hrs
+ 5–6 km trek to temple
Haridwar → Gangotri
~250 km
9–10 hrs
Motorable to temple
Haridwar → Sonprayag (Kedarnath base)
~245 km
8–9 hrs
+ 16–18 km trek to temple
Haridwar → Badrinath
~320 km
10–11 hrs
Motorable to temple
Distances are approximate and vary with diversions. See our full Char Dham route map for the stop-by-stop plan.
Char Dham highway project — where it actually stands
The roads keep improving because of the Chardham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojana (the all-weather road project), launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. It widens about 825 km of national highways to the four shrines, split into 53 packages and built by Uttarakhand PWD, the BRO and NHIDCL.
By mid-2025, roughly 629 km were complete. That is why the drive to Kedarnath and Badrinath feels so much smoother than it did a decade ago — the Kedarnath-side Fata–Sitapur section is now about 99% done. The laggard is the Yamunotri route (NH-134), only ~57% widened, with land acquisition still pending in patches. In April 2026 the government sanctioned ₹461 crore for landslide mitigation at 17 sensitive locations on NH-134, but that slope and drainage work isn't finished, so the Yamunotri leg stays the bumpiest of the four.
825 km
total project
53
packages
~629 km
done (mid-2025)
~57%
Yamunotri NH-134
Road conditions by season
Summer (Apr–Jun): the easiest window. Roads are clear and dry; the only real friction is traffic at peak darshan dates and the odd queue at single-lane stretches. Start early each morning to beat both.
Monsoon (Jul–Aug): the risky stretch. Heavy rain triggers landslides and short closures, and the Yamunotri and Kedarnath approaches are the first to shut. The yatra doesn't stop, but you build in buffer days and never drive these roads after dark.
Post-monsoon (Sep–Nov): our favourite. Skies clear, slides ease off, crowds thin out, and the mountains look their best before the temples close for winter. Carry warm layers — nights get cold fast.
Landslide-prone stretches & alternative routes
The spots that cause most delays are Dharasu–Janki Chatti (Yamunotri, with Silai Bend and Syanachatti both coming down on August 6), around Gangnani and Dharasu Nalu Pani (Gangotri), Rudraprayag–Sonprayag and Munkatiya (Kedarnath), and Helang, Patalganga, Tangni and Lambagad on the run up to Badrinath. JCB teams clear them quickly, but a blockage can cost you a couple of hours.
When the main highway shuts toward Kedarnath or Badrinath, drivers fall back on these approaches:
Alternative 1: Delhi → Kotdwar → Pauri → Srinagar (Garhwal) — skips the Rishikesh bottleneck.
Alternative 2: Delhi → Rishikesh → Gaja → Devprayag — a parallel line back onto NH-7.
Mountain driving rules on the Char Dham routes
These are enforced at checkposts, not advisory. The night ban in particular catches out drivers who plan to make up time after dark.
10 PM–4 AM vehicle ban
All vehicles, private and commercial, are banned from every Char Dham route between 10 PM and 4 AM. Plan to reach your overnight stop by 9 PM at the latest.
Heavy vehicle restrictions
Commercial trucks over 7.5 tonnes are restricted on several sections, and large tourist buses are often directed via alternate routes in peak season.
Vehicle fitness and permits
Commercial vehicles need valid Uttarakhand Tourism permits. Private vehicles need a valid PUC certificate and should carry a spare tyre.
No stopping in rockfall zones
Yellow and red marked stretches mean active rockfall risk. Do not stop, photograph or walk there. Keep moving.
No overtaking on narrow sections
On single-lane stretches follow the traffic marshal. Overtaking on mountain bends is the single biggest cause of accidents on these roads.
Green Card for non-Uttarakhand vehicles
Vehicles registered outside Uttarakhand need the ₹50 Green Card from greencard.uk.gov.in. It is checked at entry checkposts.
How to check live road status today
Don't plan around a forwarded WhatsApp clip. Check the sources that actually carry verified advisories, and call a local control room for anything happening right now:
📞 Uttarakhand emergency / disaster helpline: 112 and 1070. District police control rooms give the fastest read on a live closure.
📞 Rudraprayag (Kedarnath route) control room: 01364-233727 · State control room: 0135-2722002 — call before moving on a monsoon morning.
There are also 177 ambulances stationed along the routes and an AIIMS Rishikesh helicopter ambulance for emergencies — useful to know if you're travelling with elderly pilgrims. Honestly, the quickest real-time check we have is calling our own drivers each morning before they roll; if you're booked with us, just ask and we'll tell you exactly what's moving.
Is the road safe for senior citizens and children?
For the most part, yes — if you choose the right legs. Badrinath needs no trek and Gangotri is motorable to the temple, so both are comfortable for elderly pilgrims and small kids. Kedarnath is the one to plan: arrange a pony or palki rather than attempting the 16 km trek with seniors. The helicopter shortcut is not an option at the moment — services have been suspended since July 1 for the monsoon and operators have returned to base — so plan the ground route now and treat a chopper as a bonus if it resumes. Give yourself a rest day to adjust to altitude, travel only in daylight on the hill sections, and keep medicines and a power bank within reach.
The questions pilgrims most commonly search on Google about this yatra.
As of September 15, 2026, the roads are open on all four routes — Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath to Sonprayag, and Badrinath to the temple gate — and there has been no state-wide suspension since the two-day pause of July 28–29. What is not open is the Kedarnath trek above Gaurikund: rockfall near the Chirbasa helipad on September 11 damaged the path, the administration closed it on September 12, more than 6,500 pilgrims were evacuated on September 14, and on September 15 it was shut for a third day with pony, mule and dandi-kandi services halted. Helicopter services to Kedarnath have resumed, with IRCTC bookings for September 15–30 open since September 14. The last highway blockages we can confirm on the other three routes were on August 6 and were cleared the same day. Check the morning you travel.
No. Vehicle movement on all Char Dham routes is banned between 10 PM and 4 AM — for private and commercial vehicles alike. The rule cuts accident risk from fog, landslide debris and poor visibility on narrow hill roads, and violations attract penalties. Plan each leg so you reach your night halt before 8–9 PM.
Every commercial passenger vehicle running on Uttarakhand hill routes — Char Dham, Chopta and other hill destinations — must carry a valid Green Card issued after a fitness check by the transport department. Vehicles without one are turned back at checkpoints. All Shiv Ganga Travels vehicles carry current Green Cards and trip cards, so our guests never face this issue.
Yamunotri (NH-134) is the roughest. It is only about 57% widened under the all-weather project, has narrow single-lane sections between Dharasu and Janki Chatti, and historically sees the most landslide closures. The government approved ₹461 crore in April 2026 for slope and drainage work at 17 sensitive spots on this stretch, but it is not finished yet.
No. The Chardham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojana covers about 825 km across 53 packages. Roughly 629 km were complete by mid-2025, so most of the network is done but pockets — chiefly the Yamunotri route — are still under construction. The Kedarnath route (Fata–Sitapur) is about 99% complete.
Use official sources, not random social posts: the UTDB tourism site for advisories, the IMD site for district rain warnings, and the Uttarakhand Police / district control room helplines (112 and 1070) for live closures. We also call our drivers on the ground each morning — that is usually the fastest read on what is actually moving.
The usual trouble spots are the Dharasu–Janki Chatti section on the Yamunotri route, patches near Gangnani on the Gangotri road, the Rudraprayag–Sonprayag stretch toward Kedarnath, and the gated Joshimath–Badrinath cuttings. These get cleared fast by JCB teams, but they cause the delays you hear about.
Yes, with planning. Badrinath needs no trek at all and Gangotri is motorable to the temple, so both suit elderly pilgrims. For Kedarnath, a pony or palki avoids the trek — note that the helicopter option is unavailable right now, suspended since July 1 for the monsoon, so do not build an elderly pilgrim's itinerary around a chopper until services resume. Build in a rest day to acclimatise, travel by daylight, and keep medication and a charged phone handy. There are 177 ambulances on the routes and an AIIMS Rishikesh helicopter ambulance for emergencies.