Dehradun is the perfect basecamp: within a few hours you can reach a Himalayan lake, a Ganga aarti, an alpine meadow or a hidden waterfall. Here are the best day trips and short getaways near the Doon valley.
Team Starfish · 24 June 2026 · 3 min read
Part of what makes Dehradun such a good base is everything that's an easy drive away. Point the car in any direction and within a few hours you hit a hill station, a holy river, a Himalayan lake or an alpine ridge. Here are the best day trips and short getaways from the Doon valley — with honest drive times, so you know what's a lazy morning out and what deserves an overnight.
Mussoorie — the classic (35 km · ~1–1.5 hrs)
The obvious one, and still worth it. The Queen of the Hills is barely an hour up the road: Mall Road, Gun Hill, Kempty Falls, Landour's quiet cafés and Camel's Back Road. Go early to beat the crowds. Full plan in our Mussoorie & Landour day-trip guide.
Rishikesh — yoga, rafting & the Ganga (45 km · ~1.5 hrs)
The yoga capital of the world and India's rafting hub, all beside a startlingly green Ganga. Cross the Ram Jhula and Lakshman Jhula bridges, sit for the evening Ganga aarti, or run the rapids in season. See the full Rishikesh day-trip guide.
Haridwar — the Ganga aarti (55 km · ~1.5–2 hrs)
One of Hinduism's holiest cities, and a short hop beyond Rishikesh. The reason to go is Har Ki Pauri at dusk, when the Ganga aarti sets the ghats aglow with floating lamps and chanting — one of the most moving sights in North India. Time your visit for late afternoon and stay for the ceremony.
Har Ki Pauri, Haridwar — come for the evening Ganga aarti.
Tehri Lake — a Himalayan reservoir (95 km · ~3–3.5 hrs)
A vast emerald reservoir cradled by brown-green hills, Tehri Lake is Uttarakhand's watersports playground — jet-skiing, boating, kayaking and lakeside camping. It's a long-ish day out, so many travellers make it an overnight and stay by the water. The drive itself, via Chamba, is gorgeous.
Chakrata & Tiger Falls — offbeat and green (90 km · ~3 hrs)
For somewhere quieter and wilder, Chakrata is a low-key cantonment town ringed by deodar forest, with Tiger Falls — one of Uttarakhand's tallest — a scenic hike away. Deoban's cedar forests and birdlife make this a favourite for travellers who want hills without the hill-station crowds. Best as a full day or an overnight.
Chopta & Tungnath — the mini Switzerland (overnight)
Further out but unforgettable: Chopta is a rolling alpine meadow that's the trailhead for Tungnath, the world's highest Shiva temple, and the Chandrashila summit with its 360° Himalayan panorama. It's too far for a day trip (6–7 hrs each way) — plan two or three days — but it's the finest mountain escape within reach of Dehradun.
The high meadows near Chopta & Tungnath — alpine, birdsong-filled and wild.
Closer to home: Dhanaulti & Kanatal (60 km · ~2 hrs)
If you want hills without the drive, Dhanaulti and Kanatal, beyond Mussoorie, are cool, pine-scented and refreshingly uncommercial — eco-parks, apple orchards and quiet viewpoints. An easy half-day-plus out, and lovely in summer when the plains are baking.
· 24 June 2026 · 3 min read
