Attraction · Mussoorie
Gun Hill
The second-highest point in Mussoorie, reached by a cable car off the Mall — Garhwal’s snow peaks on one side and the whole Doon valley two thousand metres below on the other.
Time needed1 hour
AltitudeAbout 2,024 m
Getting upRopeway from the Mall
On foot20 minutes, steep
Best timeEarly morning
Named forA gun fired at noon
About
Gun Hill
Gun Hill takes its name from a piece of artillery that was fired from the summit at midday in the British period so that the town below could set its clocks by it. The gun is long gone; what remains is the second-highest point in Mussoorie at about 2,024 metres, and the only place in the town where you get the two views at once — the Garhwal Himalaya to the north, including Bandarpunch and the peaks beyond it on a clear day, and the Doon valley falling away two thousand metres to the south. A short cable car runs up from the Mall and takes a couple of minutes; the alternative is a steep twenty-minute walk. The summit itself has accumulated the usual hill-station apparatus of photo stalls and snack shops, and the view is entirely undiminished by it.
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What to See
What to see
One summit, two directions, and about an hour.
The views
- North to the Garhwal ranges — Bandarpunch most prominently, with more visible the clearer the morning is.
- South over the Doon valley, with Dehradun spread out on the floor of it two thousand metres below.
- The town itself along its ridge, which is the clearest way to understand how Mussoorie is laid out.
At the top
- Telescopes for the ranges, operated for a small charge, which are worth it on a clear day and useless on a hazy one.
- Photo stalls offering Garhwali dress, which are a fixture of every north Indian hill station and are entirely optional.
- Tea and snacks, and somewhere to sit while you wait for the haze to shift.
The ropeway
- A short cable car from the Mall near Kutchery, taking two or three minutes each way.
- It runs through the day in season and stops earlier out of it; queues build from mid-morning.
- The alternative footpath climbs steeply from the Mall in about twenty minutes.
Getting There
Getting there
From the Mall, up. There is no road to the summit.
By ropeway
- The lower station is on the Mall near Kutchery and the ride takes two to three minutes.
- Tickets are bought at the station and are return; queues build from mid-morning through the season.
- It does not run in high wind or heavy weather, and it closes earlier in the off season.
On foot
- A path climbs from the Mall to the summit in about twenty minutes and is steep for most of its length.
- It is a perfectly good walk in cool weather and a hard one in the middle of a warm day.
- Many people ride up and walk down, which is the sensible arrangement.
Combining it
- With Camel’s Back Road, which starts from the same stretch of the Mall and is level.
- With Landour in the afternoon, which is up the hill in the other direction and is the quiet half of Mussoorie.
- With Kempty Falls, which is west of town and is a half-day of its own.
Best Time
When to visit
Early morning, and the earlier the better. This is a view, and haze is its enemy.
Time of day
- The first hour the ropeway runs. The ranges are clearest before the valley haze rises.
- Sunset is the popular slot and is busy; the northern view is usually gone by then.
- The middle of the day gives the longest queue and the least visibility.
Time of year
- September to November is the clearest air of the year and by some distance the best time for the peaks.
- March to June is the main season — warm, busy, often hazy by mid-morning.
- The monsoon closes the view for days at a time; winter is cold, clear and quiet.
How long
- An hour including the ropeway both ways and time at the top.
- Thirty minutes if the view is closed in and you are not waiting for it.
- Add twenty minutes if you walk down rather than ride.
Visitor Intelligence
Visitor intelligence
A short visit with one variable that decides everything: whether you can see anything.
The view
- Check the sky before buying a ticket. On a closed-in day the summit offers a snack shop and a photo stall.
- Haze builds from mid-morning in every season except autumn. Early is not a preference here.
- Telescope operators charge per look; agree what you are paying for first.
The ropeway
- Tickets are return and are timed loosely rather than strictly; the queue at the top can be longer than the one at the bottom.
- It suspends in high wind, sometimes at short notice, which is when the footpath matters.
- Cars are small and it is not a long ride; anyone nervous of heights will find it brief.
At the summit
- The stalls are persistent but not aggressive, and a clear no is enough.
- Costume photographs are priced per print and agreed before, not after.
- There is little shade and the sun at this altitude is strong.
Access
- The ropeway makes the summit reachable without the climb, which is its main virtue.
- There are steps at both stations and the summit ground is uneven with more steps between levels.
- It is manageable for most people who can handle a short flight of stairs, and not for wheelchairs.
Nearby
Nearby
All within Mussoorie, and all on the standard day.
Camel’s Back Road
Three level kilometres round the ridge, starting from the same stretch of the Mall.
Landour
The 1827 cantonment above the town — deodar, an 1839 church and almost no traffic.
Kempty Falls
Fifteen kilometres west, popular and correspondingly busy.
Mussoorie
The town along its seven-kilometre ridge.
Good to Know
Frequently asked
Because a gun was fired from the summit at midday during the British period so that the town below could set its clocks by it — a common arrangement in hill stations before reliable timekeeping reached them. The gun itself is long gone and there is nothing of it to see. What remains is the name and the summit, which at about 2,024 m is the second-highest point in Mussoorie and the only place in town with a clear view in both directions.
No. A footpath climbs from the Mall to the summit in about twenty minutes and is steep for most of its length — a good walk in cool weather and a hard one in the middle of a warm day. The cable car takes two or three minutes from the lower station near Kutchery on the Mall. Many people ride up and walk down, which is the sensible arrangement, particularly since the queue at the top can be longer than the one at the bottom.
North to the Garhwal Himalaya, with Bandarpunch the most prominent and more peaks appearing the clearer the morning is, and south over the Doon valley with Dehradun spread across the floor of it two thousand metres below. You also get the best available view of Mussoorie itself along its ridge, which is the clearest way to understand how the town is laid out. All of it depends entirely on haze.
The first hour the ropeway runs, in September to November. Autumn gives the clearest air of the year in Garhwal and is by some distance the best window for the peaks. In every other season haze builds from mid-morning, so early is not a preference but a condition. Sunset is the popular slot and is busy, and by then the northern view has usually gone. The monsoon closes it for days at a time.
About an hour, including the ropeway in both directions and time at the top. Thirty minutes if the view is closed in and you are not waiting for it to lift — on a hazy day the summit offers a snack shop, a photo stall and not much else, so it is worth looking at the sky before buying a ticket. Add twenty minutes if you plan to walk back down rather than ride.
Reasonably, and the ropeway is the reason — it removes a steep twenty-minute climb, which is its main virtue. There are steps at both stations and the summit ground is uneven with further steps between levels, so it is manageable for anyone who can handle a short flight of stairs and not suitable for wheelchairs. There is little shade at the top and the sun at this altitude is strong.
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