Gangotri National Park

Uttarakhand's largest protected area: about 2,390 sq km of the upper Bhagirathi catchment, from 1,800 m up to 7,083 m, set aside in 1989 and holding snow leopard, bharal or blue sheep, Himalayan tahr, musk deer, bears, monal and Himalayan snowcock. Its rules are the practical rules of the whole region, because every walk out of Gangotri enters it. The park runs 1 April to 30 November and is shut all winter; entry is about Rs 150 for Indian visitors and Rs 600 for foreign nationals; the Gaumukh trail is capped at 150 people a day, so arrange permits early through the Uttarkashi forest office or online. It took 29,162 visitors in 2025.

Snow-leopard country that is also the gatekeeper of every trek leaving Gangotri