page_title: Leh–Manali Highway
section_title: Road surface
hierarchical_section_title: Leh–Manali Highway / Travel time / Road surface
caption_attribution_description: English: Shot by Sundeep Gajjar in The Great Indian Roadtrip
context_page_description: The Leh–Manali Highway is a 480 km long highway in northernmost India connecting Leh, the capital of the union territory of Ladakh, and Manali in the state of Himachal Pradesh. It is open for only about four and a half months in a year, from May or June, when the snow is cleared, and mid-October, when snowfall again blocks the high passes. It connects the Manali valley to the Lahaul and Spiti valleys in Himachal Pradesh and the Zanskar valley in Ladakh.
  The Leh–Manali Highway was designed and built and is maintained by the Border Roads Organisation of the Indian army. It supports the heaviest army vehicles.
context_section_description: Snow and rain can make the highway slushy or too slippery to travel. Past precipitation can also create travel hazards. Much of Rohtang Pass remains covered by snow even in summer. Adjacent glaciers melt (more so as the day wears on) and water overruns the highway in many places. This water is ice-cold and travellers should avoid situations where they might have to wade through it.
caption: Fast-flowing water eroded the highway on the More plains.
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