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 Wave I-5 GLO-30 resample. Days unknown.

Byline

  • The Hiking World editorial · author

    Desk byline for seed records. Named surveying editors replace this once a trail is verified.

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.

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 · 2026-09-10 · provisional

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

loading map...
Facts33.656, 77.071
Distance64.52 km*
OSM line (ODbL, rel 11234664) · 2026-09-21 · osm · provisional
Ascent+6,031 m*
Copernicus GLO-30 (30 m resample) · 2026-09-21 · dem · provisional
Descent6,027 m*
Copernicus GLO-30 (30 m resample) · 2026-09-21 · dem · provisional
High point4,929 m*
Copernicus GLO-30 · 2026-09-21 · dem · provisional
Low point3,621 m
Copernicus GLO-30 · 2026-09-21 · dem
Routepoint-to-point
Days5
Seasonunverified
GradeSAC T2 (mapped — no official SAC grade) · YDS 1

Editorial v1 · Provisional catalog

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.

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Ingested from OpenStreetMap relation 11234664 (ODbL). The mapped line is that geometry. Distance, ascent, descent, and high/low points are the Wave I-5 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 DataPoint is the evidence-sheet 64.52 km for relation 11234664.

typicalDays 5 is Math.round(lengthKm/12), a placeholder. Days are unknown on the evidence sheet and stay provisional.

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 DataPoint. 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

Permit
Hemis National Park environment fee and wildlife pass

Log in to view cost, booking, and issuer

Getting there

No sourced gateway chain yet.

Trailheads

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

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Hazards

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

Questions

Do I need a permit for Markha Valley?

A permit is required for Markha Valley: Hemis National Park environment fee and wildlife pass. Cost, booking, and issuer stay behind the login gate on this page.

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 (provisional). Published figures may differ. See /guides/how-long-is-the-trail

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