Trek Himachal

Gaj Pass

District Kangra/Chamba, Himachal Pradesh

Position - N32 20.182 E76 19.268

Altitude – 4140 metres above MSL

Trail Orientation – South - North

Closest Settlement(s) – Bagga (South), Darkund (North)

For reasons unknown, old trekking maps of Himachal (and only old ones exist as I speak) call it the Gag Pass. Gaj, named so because Bhim's Gaja (a round headed metal mace) came down and struck somewhere in the vicinity leading to water springing from the ground; is a gateway to Lake County. When you climb Gaj, you dont just climb up the Dhauladhars, you also climb right into the lap of some beautiful high altitude lakes and complete solitude.

Right across Gaj, on the other side is Lam Dal, the largest lake in the Dhauladhars. Lam Dal is the beginning of a stream. As the stream continues West, it forms 3 more lakes. The Dhauladhar granite ensures water is ever clear as it ever got. Flanked on both sides by the high Dhauladhar ridges, this stream and the lakes are worth a pilgrimage in themselves and thats exactly people come here for. In the month of August every year, pilgrims from Chamba and Kangra districts climb up the mountains to take a holy dip in the Lam Dal waters. The numbers are small enough to ensure there is absolutely no littering. All other times, the lakes are your personal baths.

Trekking to Gaj:

Gaj is not really a trekking destination. Though it would be a fascinating exercise, I have never gotten myself around to understanding how this works. I have no clue what dynamics have restricted trekking in the Dhauladhars to just Indrahar Pass and Kareri Lake. The fact that Jango had never been to this pass in his 25 year career till he crossed it with us says a lot.

Despite almost non existent tourist traffic, there is a clear trail all through the route, courtesy the pilgrim route to Lam Dal. The trail on the Kangra side starts from Rava village through Bagga right upto the Gaj Pass. In most places, the trail is fashioned out of placing small flat rocks atop each other to form steps. That and the strong granite formations of the Dhauladhar mean the route hardly chages due to snow or landslides, if ever.

The easy trail on both sides and a relatively low altitude means you do not need a guide if you are experienced with hiking, carry basic maps and navigation instruments and can carry your own stuff. The best way to do Gaj is to start from around Dharamshala, cross the pass, walk a little east to Lam Dal, climb to Chadra Koop Dal, track back to Lam Dal, trek west to Kali Kund and 3 other lakes before crossing back to Dharamshala via the Baleni Pass. To see the trail start point for Gaj (from Bagga) on OSM (Open Street Maps), click here and for the Baleni trail, click here.

Lastly, do not trek to Gaj at the peak of summer if you want to see the lakes in their full glory. I am told (belated) that you can see small icebergs floating in the lakes mid April. I did this middle May. I did not find any icebergs but Lam Dal and Kali Kund were almost completely frozen and the other 3 had melted. What I did get to see though was lots of snow and the lakes in between. If you do this early November (it can get quite cold then), you can see many feet of snow and completely melted lakes and that to me would be ultimate bliss.

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