Laka Glacier
Himachal Pradesh, India
Beyond Triund and Snowline: a boulder valley at around 3,350 m where snow still lies in the gullies under the Dhauladhar wall, even in June.
Above the crowds
Laka Glacier is the next step up from Triund, and far fewer people make it. After a night on the rocky ground below Snowline, I started out before sunrise on 12 June 2025. The path climbs through a huge valley of grey granite boulders and short alpine grass, with the Dhauladhar ridge growing taller at the head of it.
The glacier
By June the glacier is mostly a long tongue of old snow and ice packed into the gullies at the top of the valley, with meltwater running out from under the boulders. It isn't a clean white icefield — it's grey, rocky and raw, which is exactly what makes it feel like proper high mountain country after the grassy meadows of Triund.
Around mid-morning the clouds lifted for a while and the whole ridge came out: sharp rock peaks, streaks of snow, and deodars clinging to the slopes below. Then the fog came back in, and the walk down was through a quiet, grey forest where you could only see a few trees ahead.
Worth knowing
- Treat it as a two-day trip from McLeod Ganj, with a night at Triund or Snowline
- The trail above Snowline is rocky and loose — good shoes matter more than speed
- Turn back if the weather closes in; the boulder field is hard to navigate in fog
After the descent I spent a slow morning in McLeod Ganj. Planning your own first trek? Start with Himachal treks for beginners.
