If you have never gazed upon stunning photographs of Kashmir Great Lakes before, prepare yourself for an extraordinary experience. Visitors who have had the privilege of witnessing its magnificence return with stories about their brilliant blue hue, breathtaking scenery, and wild beauty that pervades this trail over eight days of KGL trek - adventurers will visit 6 stunning lake bodies that span an area of 69km with many a legend from its native area adorning each lake body that covers it - not forgetting their shimmering hues as the center stage of their trip! This Indian beauty should definitely not be missed out as one must see location with its shimmering hues as its highlight!
Through my travels, I've only ever witnessed a handful of lakes that match these vivid hues. Ghepan Ghat in Lahaul region in Himachal Pradesh stands out for me with its incredible blue hue - even on rainy cloudy days it appeared to give off a stunning glow, leaving visitors mesmerized.
KGL lakes resemble those found in Kashmir, and after seeing how vibrant Ghepan Ghat's vivid blue hue is similar to that of Kashmir lakes my curiosity was aroused - why do they appear so blue?
The Kashmir Great Lakes undergo seasonal changes that alter their appearance.
Summer (June to September)
Trek season offers prime conditions for lakes to reveal their true hue. As glaciers melt into rivers and fresh water flows freely into them, silt particles become evenly dispersed across their surface and maintain its stunning hue.
Autumn (October to November)
As temperatures decline and glaciers freeze over, water flows decrease significantly, giving a lake a lighter look overall.
Winter (December to March)
Lakes become frozen with blue color disappearing under snow and ice layers. Trekkers rarely visit during these months due to extreme conditions of the climate.
Spring (April to May)
As snowmelt continues in April-May, lakes return to their original hue of blue; however, their hue might appear duller than during peak summer.
What Makes the Kashmir Great Lakes so Blue?
Beginning by discussing what types of lakes these are (Kashmir Great Lakes in all cases).
Even though its waters may seem murky and murky, exploring them is key to discovering their incredible splendor.
These lakes can be classified according to their efficiency as determined by the amount of nutrients present in their waters. When an abundance of nutrients allows an extensive growth of algae and aquatic plant species, such lakes are known as Eutrophic lakes; this term derives from Greek meaning of well-nourished.
Kashmir Great Lakes are among the few lakes that stand out as strikingly lacking nutrients, thus classifying as extremely oligotrophic lakes - these waters tend to be found at high altitude or cold regions where climate restrictions prevent their capacity to sustain many aquatic species; their oxygen-rich waters make an ideal home for trout species that prefer cold environments with lots of oxygen, providing stunningly clean waters due to lack of vegetation. Their clearness accounts for their stunning beauty.
Reasons for their existence lie not within their functions or abilities to perform; more so their very existence itself.
My curiosity led me to investigate the source of these lakes located at high altitudes, and my findings were amazing. To my amazement, the solution lies within glaciers which currently create these great lakes - they contain the crystal that form them!
Examine each trek route closely each day in order to gain insight into how every lake was created, and you will notice it's effect on subsequent lakes.
Gadsar Lake receives water from melting glaciers and snow.
Krishansar Lake is situated amidst snow-covered terrain and glaciers.
Vishansar Lake is replenished through Krishansar Lake, which receives its waters from melting glaciers and snowfall.
Gangabal Lake Is Witnessing Glacial Ice Melting.
Nundkol Lake draws its water supply from Gangabal Lake, composed of glaciers and snow from Mount Haramukh.
Glacier-fed lakes play an essential part in creating our crystal-clear water equation. Glacier movement exerts immense forces and pressure upon the terrain below them, which wears away bedrock until only fine particles of rock remain.'
Rock particles are so small that they remain suspended in streams of melting ice that flow into lakes fed by glaciers, creating beautiful blue-tinged lakes that astonish anyone who looks upon it. Reflected light from their surface creates stunning shades of blue that amaze anyone who views it.
Lake hue is determined by multiple factors, such as sunlight intensity and direction, angle of view, source glacier location and time of year. Interactions among direction of light intensity, position of observer and time can have an enormous effect on its perception; plus the unique bedrock beneath each glacier combined with different amounts of grinding create different shades seen across KGL lakes.
Tarsar Marsar trek in Kashmir Valley is truly breathtaking with its turquoise lakes that provide an idyllic alternative to KGL trek.
Seasonal variations also play a factor. At the early stages of melt season, lakes often exhibit lighter shades because their rock particles have yet to disperse evenly across them. When annual thaw progresses tward an imminent freeze date, main lakes often reach the point with maximum rock flour accumulation which results in breathtaking visuals.
Kashmir Great Lakes are famously blue due to the combination of meltwater from glaciers, suspension rock suspension, light reflection and high altitude purity - creating stunning waters on Earth. If you love natural beauty as much as we do, Kashmir Great Lakes are an amazing journey through some of the top stunning nature reserves worldwide! book this amazing trek with Trekup India. If trekking, photography or simply taking in breathtaking nature views are your thing, a visit here must be on your agenda - don't miss this experience.
