Lam Dal Lake Trek From Delhi

The Dhauladhar range is a southern branch of the main outer Himalayan chain of mountains. It rises spectacularly from the Indian plains to the north of Kangra and Mandi. Chamba Mountain is a large landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill. The Dhauladhar have a peculiar topography. Extremely rocky with a lot of granite, the flanks of the range contain a lot of slate, limestone and sandstones. Ascending from any side is a tough business, given the near vertical incline. This calls for really tough trekking and mountaineering. The crest of Dhauladhar is covered by a vast expanse of snow and perhaps this mountain range is the near snow line area in the whole of Himalayas which is easily accessible from the plains.All the way from Dalhousie to the Bara Bhanghal ridge, the Dhauladhar has more than 30 passes at an average height of 3500 meters to above 5000 meters, which afford an easy entrance to the Ravi valley and to the central Himalayas. This mighty range has vast trekking, mountaineering and skiing potential and is known for its unexplored and improvised treks. There is very little habitation on the range given the harsh conditions. But meadows abound near the crest providing rich pastures for grazing where large numbers of Gaddi shepherds take their flocks. The top of the crest is buried under vast expanses of thick snow. The range has rich flora and fauna and its exquisite beauty attracts mountain lovers who return many times over to savoir the delightful trails and there are many of them. The scenery from any of the passes of the Dhauladhar towards Pir Panjal and the Greater Himalayas is most captivating and spectacular allowing an unobstructed view of the mountain ranges and deep valleys with their far-flung, snow-clad, dome-like enchanting peaks. In addition to this, the region has a few small and unnamed virgin peaks.They offer an opportunity for amateur mountaineers, experienced trekkers and beginners to visit the unfrequented areas and open new vistas for adventure.

The Dhauladhar deserves a special mention for its high altitude glacial lakes which have mythical backgrounds and are considered extremely sacred by local residents, who make pilgrimage to these lakes during the monsoon and post monsoon season. These lakes are considered to be the abode of Lord Shiva. and located in the one mountain range. The most prominent among them in the Dhauladhar region are the Lam Dal and the Nag Dal. Dal is called to a Lake. Lam Dal is at an elevation of 3900 meters and approachable from Minkiani Pass, Inderhar Pass and Gaj Pass. There are twenty two Lakes in this mountain range including all the lakes. Many Local Gaddi shepherd, resident of Bharmour has visit many of these lakes during their migration journey with their flocks to Kangra valley and vice versa. The seven Lakes out of twenty two lakes are explored and are main attraction of Mountain. Main lakes are Lam Dal, Naag Dal, Kali Kund Dal, Chander Koop Dal, Dham Ghodi Dal, Sukh Dal and Naag Chatri Dal. Lam Dal Lake is the largest and the deepest in the area with a circumference of about 2.5 Kms. These above mention lakes are seven big lakes; hence it is also called the area of the seven lakes.Kali Kund, a well shaped lake is about 200 meters below the Lam Dal. It is worshipped by devotees on account of its religious background. Chander Koop (Moon lake) 4100 meters is a beautiful lake with ice blocks floating in it so it is also known as Ice Berg lake. Nag Chatri Dal (King Cobra Lake} near the lndrahara pass, is related to the Bhagsu Nag waters and is situated on the other side of the Dhauladhar at an elevation of 4200 meters. The devotees take a dip in this lake during the Manimahesh Yatra towards the end of August and early September. Almost every pass here has a lake below it. Nag Chatri Dal, and a small glacial lake to the left of Thamsar pass are prominent among these. While the water flows from the Dhauladhar towards the Kangra valley flows into the Beas, towards the Chamba it forms the drainage to the Ravi. In this trek we cover main lakes of this mountain range Lam Dal.