Trekking Points Near Nashik
Harihar Fort:
Harihar Fort is a modern easy name based on the original name Harsh gad. This hill-fort is a well famous cliff for chimney style climbing and name given as Scottish fall by adventure lovers. The highest point of this hill fort is measured at, 1120 meters above sea level. The Fort is in a range called Upper Vaitarana range began from Fort Bhaskar or Basgad to Fort Anjaneri. Fort Basgad is seen exactly on the Westside, hiding Utawad peak’s hill. On the Eastside, most of the view is covered by Brahma hill, which is a little higher than this fort. Beyond Brahma, we see Kapdya’s small slender hill and beyond it giant Trimabakgad hill fort. Beyond Trimbakgad we can find South edge of Anjaneri Hill Fort and Ranjangiri hill fort. With a clear climate, Awandh-Patta and Kalasubai range in South East, and Saatmala and Shelbari ranges are seen in the North direction.
Harihar(Harshgad) is a very famous spot for trekking as generally known for the Steep steps. Harihar lies in the range of famous Shiva Temple Trimbakeshwar and is generally reached by reaching Igatpuri Railway station. From Igatpuri, one could catch a local S.T. bus OR shared taxi heading to Trimbakeshwar and drop at base village Nirgudpaga(Takeharsh) via Ghoti-Vaitarna Road which is about 50 km from Igatpuri.
From Nirgudpada, villagers could guide you for the path leading to the fort. The path is very easy to find out, and there is very little chance you could get lost. One thing about this trek is that, once you have trekked to some height, you’ll notice farmers farming on the hill and the trek path is bypassing through these farms.
On the way up, there would be a small temple, after climbing for a while you’ll notice the steep steps which are hidden under the clouds if you are in monsoon and this is what it makes this trek challenging. The wind blows at a very high speed as the base of the steps are between two breaks of the mountain.
Steps have holes to take support of and climb while getting down, but the wind blowing is so much that you have to stay close to the steps.
Bhaskargad or Basgad:
Basgad Fort is a fort located 48 km from Igatpuri, Nashik district, of Maharashtra. This fort is one of the forts in the Trimbak hill range. This fort is near to the Harihar fort. There is one main gate on the main entrance path of the fort. The main entrance gate and the rock-cut steps are carved in the same rock. There is a rock-cut water cistern on the fort. There is a rough idol of Veer Maruti on the fort. It takes about half an hour to visit all places on the fort.
Brahmagiri Hill:
Brahmagiri (1298 meters)is to the west of trambakeshwar and this fort offers a commanding view of the Jawhar Mokhada region of Thane district. Trimbakeshwar itself is a place of worship because it is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. From Trimbakeshwar, through regular steps, Ganga dwar is reached and the Gorakshanath cave which is the end of Trimbakeshwar. Now again, while climbing down, there is a road going towards Brahmagiri towards the right. Following this route, one reaches the carved steps in the rocks. The steps are very good, even in recent times. They were blown off by Britishers in 1818 but later on, they were rebuilt somewhere before India gained independence. From the base
the village, Brahmagiri is around 450 to 500 meters elevated.
From the base village, it takes 45 minutes to see Ganga dwar, the Gorakshanath caves, and 108 Swayambhu Mahadev caves, and halfway while descending, the road towards Brahmagiri takes you to the top in around 45 minutes and almost 2 hours to see the fort completely. There are 2 temples on this fort, the place which is believed to be the origin point of the Godavari river. From here, the river flows till Ganga dwar and then towards Kushavart teerth in Trimbakeshwar village. One can reach this place by an ascent of about 750 steps made on concrete. There is a shrine dedicated to Goddess Ganga. The river appears here as coming out from the mouth of Nandi. Kolambika Devi temple and a group of 108 shivalings are seen nearby.
Durg Bhandar :
Durg bhandar is situated north side part of bramhgiri Connected by a small ridge. It is one of the most beautiful forts in terms of carving the route through rock. Amazing Carved Route for getting top of Durg bhandar is the highlight of this trek.