The adventurer inside you isn't dead, it's just waiting on leave approval. These 7 treks near Lucknow and Kanpur are the reason to finally submit the application, and they don't demand a mountaineer's CV. Some are easy forest walks, some are proper climbs with cold air and long views.
A trek that ends before your legs have properly complained is a rare thing. Tip-in-Top and Hawaghar, on the Garhwal side in Lansdowne, are easy ridge hikes of 2 to 3 km, pine-scented all the way, with deep valley views opening up along old British-era paths. It's a cantonment town, so the peace is enforced by default and tourists are thin on the ground. You won't earn any bragging rights. You will get a proper stretch of ridge to yourself, which is worth more on a weekend from Lucknow or Kanpur.
Distance from Lucknow- 485 km
Distance from Kanpur- 533 km
The plains look flat for a reason, and Champawat is where that reason ends. Banasur Fort is a 2 km climb through deodar forest and terraced fields, and the reward is an ancient stone fortress with clear views across the lower Shivalik hills. Abbott Mount sits nearby, with woodland trails for birdwatchers and day hikers who prefer their walking unhurried. It's the first entry into the Himalayan foothills from central UP, and it doesn't ask for a long journey in return. A fortress that old deserves more visitors, and gets fewer, which suits everyone.
Distance from Lucknow- 385 km
Distance from Kanpur- 411 km
Some destinations reward you with a crowd, a café and a photo point. The Hidimba Devi trek rewards you with a bench-sized patch of stillness. The trail runs through the Bhowali forest range, a pedestrian-only dirt path under pine and oak, ending at a small hilltop shrine to the forest goddess. Below it, the Sattal lakes sit perfectly still, as if they've been told about you. Stay at Hotel Harshikhar and do the walk early. Nobody up there will ask what you're doing with your weekend, that's rather the point.
Distance from Lucknow- 370 km
Distance from Kanpur- 405 km
Nobody comes to Nainital hoping to be humbled by a hill, but Naina Peak does it politely. The trail is 6 km and moderate, winding through oak, pine and rhododendron to the highest point in town at 2,615 metres. The reward is a bird's-eye view of Naini Lake and a full wall of snow-capped Himalayan peaks. Neither the climb nor the view feels rushed. It's a day trek that leaves you tired in the right places, with a lake you thought you knew looking entirely different from above.
Distance from Lucknow- 380 km
Distance from Kanpur- 415 km
Most trekkers hurry past Kilbury on the way to somewhere higher. The birds, who have never been in a hurry, are quite happy about it. The trail sits just beyond Nainital in the Naina Devi Bird Conservation Reserve, a gentle 3 to 5 km walk through dense oak forest, quiet enough that you hear the wings before you see the bird. It's a serious destination for birdwatchers, and an easy one for everyone else. You'll cover very little distance and come back with far more to say about it.
Distance from Lucknow- 408 km
Distance from Kanpur- 440 km
The easiest way to keep a viewpoint peaceful is to ban the vehicles. Zero Point's sanctuary has done exactly that. A 4 km round-trip loop takes you through wild chestnut and pine to a watchtower with a 360-degree view of Trishul, Nanda Devi and Shivling. The Himalayan giants haven't moved in a very long time, and the walk up doesn't ask much either. It's short enough for a day from Lucknow or Kanpur, and quiet enough that you'll hear your own footsteps. That's a rare luxury, and it costs only a pair of shoes.
Distance from Lucknow- 460 km
Distance from Kanpur- 499 km
Reaching the highest Shiva temple in the world would be a fine place to stop, and most trekkers seem to think so too. Tungnath's 5 km climb starts gently in alpine meadows, then turns steep enough to make you reconsider your plans. The temple arrives as a reward. Then a rocky scramble to Chandrashila, 13,123 feet up, quietly suggests you're not finished. From the top, the greater Himalayas spread out in every direction. Getting here means an overnight train or drive to Haridwar or Rishikesh.
Distance from Lucknow- 520 km
Distance from Kanpur- 533 km
For most of the destinations mentioned in the list, there is easy access via road routes from both cities. If you aren't travelling by car, you can reach Najibabad from Lucknow or Kanpur by rail, and from there, find buses and taxis to several destinations in Uttarakhand.
Alternatively, you can take a train from Lucknow to Kathgodam, from where several locations in the Kumaon region can be accessed via taxis, rental two-wheelers and buses.
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