Heavy snowfall and a rush of visitors have plunged Manali and its surrounding highways into crisis, with thousands of tourists stranded in sub-zero temperatures, some forced to trek up to 20 kilometers along snowbound roads as traffic collapses under record demand.

The scenes unfolding over the past 48 hours have highlighted the fragile balance between mountain tourism, extreme weather and inadequate infrastructure in one of India’s most popular winter destinations.

More News

Snow Rush Turns to Gridlock as Highways Lock Up

The first major snowfall of the season, eagerly awaited after a prolonged dry spell across Himachal Pradesh, arrived with intensity in and around Manali. Within hours, what began as a festive “snow rush” became a logistical nightmare as narrow mountain roads choked with vehicles from across north India. Authorities reported an 8 kilometer long snarl on the main highway near Manali, with some stretches beyond Patlikuhal and towards Solang Valley and the Atal Tunnel slowing to a crawl.

In some sectors, a journey of just 15 kilometers reportedly took more than 10 hours, as cars struggled to gain traction on sheets of ice and snow. Long-standing blackspots, such as the approach to Manali and the access routes towards Solang and the Atal Tunnel, saw complete standstills. Despite snow-clearing efforts, fresh accumulations and skidding vehicles kept bottlenecks locked in place throughout the weekend.

Local officials said that even after ploughs cleared key stretches, the sheer volume of cars pouring into the valley quickly overwhelmed the capacity of the two-lane highway network. The result was a rolling jam that trapped holidaymakers for hours and, in many cases, overnight, leaving them to wait out the cold inside cars and buses with limited supplies.

Tourists Abandon Vehicles and Walk 10 to 20 Kilometers

As temperatures slipped below freezing and the prospect of rapid relief faded, many stranded tourists made a stark choice: leave their vehicles on the roadside and set out on foot. Accounts from the highway describe families, including small children and elderly travellers, trudging through deep snow alongside immobilized vehicles in a desperate effort to reach hotels or safe locations.

Several visitors said they had to walk distances ranging from 10 to 20 kilometers, hauling luggage through the night as snow continued to fall. With hotel rooms booked out closer to Manali town and at popular snow points, some chose to hike back towards Kullu-side villages, while others pushed on in the direction of Manali’s main market, hoping to find any available shelter.

Social media videos from the area show lines of headlights stretching into the distance while clusters of people move between cars on icy tarmac, wrapped in blankets and woolens. In more exposed stretches with little roadside infrastructure, there were few options for warmth beyond vehicle heaters or the exertion of walking. For many, the romantic idea of a snowy getaway quickly gave way to an exhausting trek through mountain cold.

Record Cold, Limited Facilities and Mounting Safety Concerns

The crisis has been sharpened by a sharp drop in temperature across the Kullu-Manali region, with Manali itself hovering around or below the freezing mark and higher reaches reporting far lower figures. Combined with strong winds and blowing snow, the wind chill has left marooned tourists facing punishing conditions, particularly at night on exposed sections of highway.

Infrastructure along the clogged stretches has struggled to cope. There are limited public toilets on the main approach road, and food outlets are sparse once traffic moves away from the core town and designated tourist hubs. With traffic virtually stationary for hours, many travellers reported running low on fuel, water and basic provisions. For those stuck in vehicles with children or elderly relatives, the lack of amenities has been a particular source of distress.

Local residents and small dhabas along the route have stepped in where possible, distributing tea, snacks and, in some cases, blankets. However, the sheer numbers involved have made comprehensive support difficult. Emergency services have faced their own challenges in navigating jammed roads rendered treacherous by ice and skidding vehicles, raising concerns about how quickly ambulances and rescue teams can reach those in distress.

Administration Scrambles as Atal Tunnel and Key Roads Shut

The impact of the snowfall has reached far beyond the immediate Manali township. State authorities report hundreds of roads blocked across Himachal Pradesh, including key national highways and many link roads, with Lahaul-Spiti, Kullu and neighboring districts among the hardest hit. Access to the Atal Tunnel and higher reaches towards Rohtang and Sissu has been repeatedly cut off or severely restricted as heavy snow accumulates on steep, winding stretches.

In an effort to regain control over the situation, the district administration has halted fresh inflow of tourists into Manali at various checkpoints and allowed only four-wheel drive vehicles with snow-ready equipment to proceed on some routes. Police and disaster response teams have been deployed in large numbers to manage traffic, clear bottlenecks and guide motorists through particularly slippery or narrow sections.

Heavy machinery, including JCBs and snow cutters, has been mobilized by the Public Works Department and the Border Roads Organisation to clear snow from priority roads. Nonetheless, officials warn that road clearance is slow in high-altitude areas where snowfall has exceeded two to three feet in places. Re-opening a route, they note, does not guarantee that it will remain passable for long, especially if more snow systems arrive in quick succession.

Human Toll: Nights in Cars, Medical Emergencies and Frayed Tempers

Behind the statistics of blocked roads and stranded vehicles lies a mounting human toll. Many tourists have described spending 12 to 24 hours or more inside their vehicles, attempting to sleep upright in cramped conditions while engines idled periodically for heat. Those who carried portable gas stoves or dry snacks fared better; others relied on whatever they could buy at inflated prices from roadside vendors or small eateries overwhelmed by demand.

Reports have also emerged of medical emergencies exacerbated by the gridlock. In at least one case, a patient reportedly died when an ambulance was trapped for hours in congestion near Manali, unable to reach advanced medical care in time. The incident has intensified public scrutiny of both road management and emergency preparedness in the region, especially during peak tourist windows and harsh weather events.

As the ordeal drags on, frustrations have begun to surface. Some tourists have accused local taxi operators of charging exorbitant fares for short-distance rescue rides between stuck stretches and Manali or nearby towns, taking advantage of the collapse in public transport and the urgency of families trying to reach safe shelter. Locals, for their part, point to long-standing warnings about overloading fragile mountain corridors with far more vehicles than they were built to handle.

Pressure on Manali’s Tourism Model and Mountain Infrastructure

The current crisis has once again thrown into sharp focus the pressures placed on Himalayan tourist hubs during snowfall events and extended holiday weekends. Manali’s rapid rise as a year-round destination has spurred a construction boom in hotels, homestays and cafes, but road capacity and basic civic amenities have not kept pace with surging visitor numbers and private vehicle ownership.

Urban planners and environmental advocates have repeatedly warned that the valley’s narrow approach roads and funnel-like geography make it particularly vulnerable to gridlock when weather turns, especially when thousands of vehicles converge on key choke points such as the Solang Valley turnoff and the Atal Tunnel approach. Once a jam forms on an icy gradient, the combination of skidding vehicles, stalled buses and anxious drivers trying to overtake can lock the system completely.

The current events are likely to trigger renewed debate on measures such as stricter daily caps on tourist vehicles, dynamic road closures tied to weather alerts, better park-and-ride infrastructure outside the most congested zones, and more robust public transport options to high-altitude attractions. However, such steps would require coordination between local businesses dependent on tourist traffic and authorities tasked with ensuring safety and sustainability.

Warnings Ignored as Forecasts Flagged Heavy Snow

The severity of the current disruption has raised questions over how weather forecasts and advisories were communicated and enforced. Meteorological officials had issued advance warnings of heavy snowfall across mid and high hills, including the Kullu-Manali belt, noting the likelihood of traffic disruption and rapidly deteriorating road conditions. Yet the lure of fresh snow and a winter getaway drew large numbers of travellers into the hills regardless.

Local administration sources say that while some restrictions were imposed on movement towards higher reaches, these steps often came only after traffic jams had already formed and conditions had worsened. Enforcing early closures on popular routes can be politically and economically sensitive, as local businesses fear lost income and tourists press to reach snow points after long drives from the plains.

Observers argue that clearer, stronger messaging about the risks of travelling during heavy snowfall, combined with real-time updates on road status and occupancy levels, could help reduce the number of visitors attempting to reach Manali and its surrounding attractions during peak weather events. However, such systems remain patchy, and many travellers still rely on informal updates from friends, taxi drivers and social media videos, which often surface only after chaos has set in.

Calls for Responsible Travel as More Snow Looms

With meteorologists signaling the possibility of further spells of heavy snow across Himachal Pradesh in the coming days, authorities and travel experts are urging a reset in how tourists plan winter trips to high-altitude destinations. Prospective visitors are being advised to closely monitor official weather bulletins, avoid last-minute drives during active snowfall, and be prepared to postpone travel if warnings are in place.

Tour operators and local hoteliers are also under pressure to communicate risks more clearly to clients, rather than simply marketing “fresh snow” without acknowledging road constraints and the limitations of emergency services. Some industry voices in Manali argue that encouraging longer stays, fewer day trips to sensitive high-altitude areas and greater use of shared transport could help distribute traffic more evenly and reduce peak-hour surges on mountain roads.

For now, as snowploughs work to reopen clogged arteries and tourists slowly filter out of the affected zones, Manali’s snowfall crisis stands as a stark reminder of how quickly a dream of winter wonderland can give way to survival treks along a frozen highway. How the town and its visitors adapt their habits before the next big storm will help determine whether such scenes remain an occasional emergency or become a recurring feature of the Himalayan travel calendar.