Best time to visit Tehri Lake — the lake season, the monsoon and the snow on the high road
When to visit Tehri Lake: April to June for water sports, dry October and November, the July–August monsoon and winter snow near Kanatal. IMD figures.
ArticleVerified 2026-10-23
How to reach Tehri and Tehri Lake — from Delhi, Rishikesh, Dehradun and Mussoorie
How to reach New Tehri and Tehri Lake: 314 km from Delhi, Rishikesh station 68 km, Dehradun airport 77 km, the high road via Dhanaulti, measured times.
Tehri has no railway and no airport of its own. Every way in ends on a mountain road to New Tehri, the district town on the hill above the Tehri Lake.
Photos: PahadiBhulli (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
From Delhi
From Delhi it is about 314 km by road. Free-flow routing says 4.5 hours, and traffic and hill roads usually add several more. The usual way is through Haridwar and Rishikesh and up National Highway 34. From Chandigarh it is about 255 km on the same free-flow routing.
By train, to Rishikesh
The nearest railway station is Rishikesh, about 68 km and 138 minutes from New Tehri on our routing; Wikipedia says 71 km and Wikivoyage about 76 km. Buses and taxis run up from Rishikesh. Haridwar, a bigger junction, is about 89 km and 159 minutes away.
By air, to Dehradun
Jolly Grant airport near Dehradun is about 77 km and 156 minutes away on our routing. Wikipedia puts New Tehri 99 km from Dehradun city, with a daily Uttarakhand Transport Corporation bus between them; we have no verified timetable.
The high road from Mussoorie
From Mussoorie the road runs east through Dhanaulti, past Kaddukhal (where the path to the Surkanda Devi temple begins), Kanatal and Chamba, and down to New Tehri: about 66 km and 137 minutes on our routing. Kanatal is at about 2,600 m, and Wikipedia says heavy snow can block the roads there in winter.
From New Tehri to the lake and the dam
- Chamba: 11 km, 24 min.
- Tehri Dam: 18 km, 37 min.
- Tehri Lake boating point: 19 km, 39 min.
- Kanatal: 27 km, 54 min.
- Dhanaulti: 39 km, 77 min.
- Koteshwar Dam: 39 km, 78 min.
All measured on our routing; real driving on these roads is slower than free-flow.
Once you are here
Read things to do around Tehri and the best time to go, and copy the one-day plan.
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Questions people ask
Which is the nearest railway station to Tehri?
Rishikesh. On our routing it is about 68 km and 138 minutes by road from Rishikesh station to New Tehri; Wikipedia gives 71 km and Wikivoyage 76 km. From the station, buses and taxis go up the hill; we have no verified timetables or fares, so ask at the station or the bus stand.
How far is Tehri from Dehradun airport?
About 77 km and 156 minutes by road from Jolly Grant airport on our routing; Wikipedia gives 76 km. Wikipedia puts New Tehri 99 km from Dehradun city, and says a daily Uttarakhand Transport Corporation bus links the two. Taxis are the usual way from the airport.
Can I go from Mussoorie to Tehri?
Yes, by the high road through Dhanaulti, Kanatal and Chamba: about 66 km and 137 minutes on our routing. It climbs past the Surkanda Devi path at Kaddukhal and through pine forest, and heavy winter snow can block it around Kanatal, so check the road in winter.