The Hiking World

Markha Valley

OSM hiking route Markha Valley, Ladakh (64.52 km Zangla–Markha line), not the short Chilling–Skiu circuit. Hemis NP fee required. DEM high is the mapped line, not Kongmaru La. Vertical figures from the GLO-30 resample. Days unknown.

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Distance 64.52 km Reported · Ascent provisional (DEM sample) · High point provisional (DEM sample) · T2 · OSM route

Itinerary not published

Last checked 2026-09-21

Cite this record

The Hiking World, Markha Valley, read 2026-09-21, https://www.thehikingworld.com/trails/markha-valley

How we verify · last checked 2026-09-21

Byline

  • The Hiking World editorial team · author
High Himalaya from orbit on the Markha Valley corridor, Ladakh

Figures marked provisional are seed data and still need verification. Source and last-checked date sit under each cited value.

Forecast at page generation, 2026-11-04T22:08:44.810Z

Representative point on Markha Valley: 33.716°, 77.286°, about 4929 m. A forecast, not a trail-surface reading.

At generation: -11°C, Clear.

  • 2026-11-05 Light snow, -13–-2°C, 0 mm
  • 2026-11-06 Overcast, -11–-4°C
  • 2026-11-07 Mainly clear, -13–-4°C

Source Open-Meteo. Mountain weather changes with elevation and aspect.

Life-safety notices on this page come from the issuer.

Sourced record

Verified and reported stay in separate blocks. A section with no source is left out. How we verify.

Reported

Named secondary source, including OpenStreetMap. Not a verified official figure.

Distance and elevation

  • The stored line is OpenStreetMap relation 11234664, 64.52 km. That is the Facts distance for this record, not a second measurement.

    OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), relation 11234664 · source · checked 2026-09-21

Maps

  • Geometry © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL, relation 11234664.

    OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), relation 11234664 · source · checked 2026-09-21

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Altitude weather delta

High 4,929 m minus low 3,621 m is 1,308 m of relief on this record. A standard tropospheric lapse of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m implies about 8.5 °C cooler at the high point than the valley, all else equal.

That is a model (International Standard Atmosphere environmental lapse), not a forecast and not a trail-closure. Wind, snow, and storms stay in Hazards.

derived:lapse-rate · read 2026-09-10 · provisional

ISA 6.5 °C / 1,000 m · wikipedia.org · 2026-09-10

Stored line for Markha Valley, from 33.656°, 77.071° to 33.879°, 77.447°. The drawing is the simplified record, not a surveyed GPS track.

Map loads when this section is on screen.

GeoJSON

Line download is the stored OSM geometry, simplified. It is not a surveyed GPS track. GPX · GeoJSON

Facts33.656, 77.071
Distance64.52 km*
OSM line (ODbL, rel 11234664) · read 2026-09-21
Ascentnot published

Cumulative ascent not published — stored line geometry is too coarse for a reliable DEM figure.

Descentnot published
High point4,929 m*
Copernicus GLO-30 · read 2026-09-21 · provisional
Low point3,621 m
Copernicus GLO-30 · read 2026-09-21 · provisional
Routepoint-to-point
Daysnot published
Seasonunverified
GradeUngraded — member ways untagged

Catalog entry

DifficultyUngraded — member ways untagged
SAC T2 (mapped — no official SAC grade)
Mountain hiking. Continuous trail, some steep ground, sure-footedness helpful.
YDS Class 1
Class 1. Walking on an established path; low fall risk.
Elevation
36774296491464.34 km

Ingested from OpenStreetMap relation 11234664 (ODbL). The mapped line is that geometry. Distance, ascent, descent, and high/low points are the evidence-sheet figures (adjudicated 2026-09-21). Season was not sourced. Member ways are untagged for sac_scale; SAC stays ungraded.

OSM 2D length is 64.52 km (OSM line, ODbL, relation 11234664, lastVerified 2026-09-21). Provisional — OSM line, no cited itinerary. Zangla–Markha nwn, not the short Chilling–Skiu circuit. OSM tag=CCR is an UltraJourneys shield, not OSM ref, and not the trail name. Ingest stored assembly 64.5 km. The published figure is the evidence-sheet 64.52 km for relation 11234664.

High 4,929 m is Copernicus GLO-30 on the stored Zangla–Markha line (lastVerified 2026-09-21). Wikipedia cites 5,260 m (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemis_National_Park, accessed 2026-09-21, CC BY-SA) as Kongmaru La — this line does not cross it. Cited is a pass landmark, not this figure. Low 3,621 m is the same DEM resample, verified. Ascent 6,031 m / descent 6,027 m remain provisional DEM.

An environment fee and wildlife pass for Hemis National Park is required (LAHDC Leh, https://lahdclehpermit.in/, lastVerified 2026-09-21). Confirm the live process. No fee figure was copied this pass. Season is unknown. OSM water context (ODbL, lastVerified 2026-09-21), not a potability or reliability claim and not mapped to WaterSource points (no honest atFraction): Khurna River.

Water

No water sources recorded.

Permits & fees

Conditions, fees and rules change. Confirm with the issuer and local authorities before you go. This is a reference, not a substitute for local advice. Terms

Permit
Hemis National Park environment fee and wildlife pass

Permits and fees

We are not the issuer. Fees and rules change — confirm with the issuer before you pay. Issuer page.

PermitCostQuota / restrictionIssuerSourceChecked
Hemis National Park environment fee and wildlife passUnverified — not officially sourcedNot recorded—Not recordedIssuer pageUnverified

Report a fee change or correction

Hazards

  • Trail visibility: bad (OSM, ODbL, relation 11234664, lastVerified 2026-09-21).

Getting there

No sourced gateway chain yet.

Getting there car-free

  • OSM line start (Zangla): car-free flag unknown.
  • OSM line end (Markha): car-free flag unknown.

Trailheads

  • OSM line start (Zangla) car-free: unknown
  • OSM line end (Markha) car-free: unknown

Questions

Do I need a permit for Markha Valley?

A permit is listed as required for Markha Valley: Hemis National Park environment fee and wildlife pass. Status: Unverified. This desk does not treat that as an official ruling.

How difficult is Markha Valley?

Markha Valley is graded SAC T2 (mapped — no official SAC grade) · YDS 1. A sourced hazard on this record: Trail visibility: bad (OSM, ODbL, relation 11234664, lastVerified 2026-09-21).

How long is Markha Valley?

The length on this record is 64.52 km (reported). Published figures may differ. See /guides/how-long-is-the-trail

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