Complete Guide to Gangotri National Park

In the year 1989, Gangotri National Park, located in the Uttarkashi District of Uttarakhand, was designated as a National Park. The total area of the park is approximately 2390 km2. Gangotri is one of the four pilgrimage destinations, and the park is named after it. This park serves as a critical link between the Kedarnath wildlife sanctuary and Govind National Parks. The park combines the magnificent splendour of coniferous forests and the grandeur of the glacier world with lush green meadows to create a unique environment. The park’s breathtaking beauty is enhanced by snow-capped mountains, eye-catching springs, and dense-green forests that provide peace and solitude to natives and tourists.

Geography of Gangotri National Park

Gangotri National Park is located in the catchment of the Bhagirathi river in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. The international border with China runs along the northeastern frontier of Gangotri National Park. This park is located within the West Himalayan Biographical Zone and is home to a variety of springs, waterfalls, and snowy high peaks. 

This National Park features a typical high-altitude ecosystem influenced by the trans-Himalayan environment to a larger extent in terms of both physical and biological characteristics. 

Western Himalayan Subalpine climatic conditions along with subalpine Conifer Forest can be found at the lower levels of the park. In comparison, the Western Himalayan Alpine Shrub and Meadows can be found at the park’s highest elevation. In Gangotri National Park, the vegetation includes deodar, oak, spruce, chirpine, fir, and rhododendron.

Climate of Gangotri National Park

The weather in the park is typically chilly, dry, and windy. Due to the high altitude and northerly winds, the winter months from December to March are severely cold in some areas. Rainfall is consistent during the monsoon season, which makes the weather pleasant but increases the potential of landslides in some parts of the national park. The summer months are lovely, and many tourists arrive at this time. In addition, due to connectivity with different transportation mediums, tourism has increased multi-folds.

Ecology of Gangotri National Park

The Gangotri National Park in Uttarakhand contains a high-altitude ecology. The unique characteristic of this national park is the Alpine vegetation. Due to its proximity to mountainous terrain, the park is vulnerable to landslides, resulting in irreparable isolation. The path to Gomukh is highly steep and surrounded by rugged mountains. The route is occasionally disrupted by severe landslides. The major cause of landslides in this park is tree excavation and deforestation. It is hard to restore the damage as the core of the land has been disrupted by uprooting the tree, resulting in substantial rain erosion. The topography of the park is marked by deep gorges, mighty glaciers, and high ridges.

The heavenly attractiveness, tall and lush forests, mesmerising beauty of green mountains, and wonderful springs are important attractions for tourists. 

The park’s breathtaking beauty is enhanced by snow-capped mountains, picturesque springs, and densely-forested woodlands that provide peace and solitude to the environment.

Fauna and Flora of Gangotri National Park

The Gangotri National Park is rich in fauna and flora. Within the confines of the national park are some rare species of animals. Some of these species are unique and have adapted to the cold and severe surroundings that develop in some of the park’s ecosystems. The park has more than 15 species of mammals and 150 species of birds. 

• Some of the fauna found in this national park are pheasants, pigeons, serow, Black bear, musk deer, Himalayan tahr, snow leopard, Himalayan monal, barbet, ibex, Himalayan snowcock, brown bear, doves, partridges, etc.
• The Gangotri National Park is surrounded by dense and large temperate coniferous forests. Pine, fir, deodar, oak, spruce, and rhododendrons comprise the vegetation that covers the entire region as the climatic conditions are ideal in the region.

Conclusion

One of India’s most magnificent high-altitude national parks is Gangotri National Park. The park covers an area of around 2390 km2. An interesting feature of this park is that the Ganga originates from this park. The park is named after Gangotri, a massive glacier that melts in large amounts to feed water to Ganga, which is considered the most sacred river in India. Coniferous forests, alpine meadows, and glaciers make up the habitat of this national park. 

The altitude of the park ranges from 1800 m to 7080 m above sea level. However, in the last few years, this national park is facing landslides and pollution.