Testing the Forgotten Trail to Shoja
Shoja, Himachal Pradesh
20 February 2025
“I almost didn't write about this trail. I found it by following a shepherd who didn't speak Hindi — just pointed and walked. The trail led through a forest so dense that sunlight only hit the ground in scattered coins. At the top, there was a meadow with a single oak tree and a view of the entire Tirthan Valley. I sat there and wrote in my notebook: 'If I tell people about this, will it survive?' I still don't know the answer. But I think the right people — the ones who'd carry their trash out and leave the meadow exactly as they found it — deserve to see it.”
— Uddip
There's a trail between Jalori Pass and Shoja that doesn't appear on any trekking map. The locals call it the 'gaddi rasta' - the shepherd's path.
The first attempt was in October. The trail starts behind a small Shiva temple about 2km past Jalori Pass, drops steeply through a cedar forest, and follows a ridge line with views of the Tirthan Valley on one side and the Sainj Valley on the other.
Total route: approximately 12km, 5-6 hours, with about 400m elevation loss and 200m gain. Difficulty: moderate. The views are extraordinary. The silence is total.
This is the kind of trail that disappears if you don't walk it. We're going to walk it regularly - and bring small groups through - to keep it alive.