Driving in Galiyat Snow: Chains, Black Ice and When to Turn Back

Driving in the Galiyat snow is manageable if you go up in daylight, after the snowploughs have been through, with chains in the boot, a full tank and plenty of time. The real dangers are black ice on shaded bends, being caught in a stationary queue while snow keeps falling, and carbon monoxide in a car with its engine running. If heavy snow is falling or forecast, or the police have closed the road at Barian or Harno, turn back.

This guide is for anyone driving to Nathia Gali, Ayubia, Dunga Gali or Thandiani between December and March: ice, chains, parking, getting stuck, and when to turn round.

When does snow close the Galiyat roads?

Heavy snow can close the Galiyat road at any point between December and early March. The winter of 2025–26 showed how often that happens:

• Late January 2026: two days of heavy snow closed the link roads across the Galiyat and knocked out power and mobile signal, confining visitors to their hotels.
• February 2026: a foot to a foot and a half of snow fell on Nathia Gali and Thandiani. The Abbottabad–Nathia Gali–Murree road was closed to tourists, with only local residents allowed through after an ID check, and the road from Barian to Nathia Gali was shut every evening from 5 pm because of the risk of landslides.
• March 2025: after a late fall of snow and thick fog, tourists were stopped from entering the Galiyat at Barian and Harno.

Closures are announced by the district administration and enforced by police at the entry points, and they are not a formality. Our guide to Nathia Gali in winter covers how these closures work and how to plan a winter stay around them.

Black ice: where it forms and how to drive on it

Black ice is a thin, clear layer of ice that looks like wet tarmac. It catches drivers out because it forms on roads that look cleared.

It forms most readily:

• On shaded bends, where the forest and the hillside keep the sun off the road all day.
• Early in the morning and after sunset, when melted snow on the road freezes again.
• Where water runs across the road from springs and melting snowbanks, then refreezes.

How to drive when there may be ice:

1. Slow down before the bend, not in it.
2. Use a low gear, both uphill and down, and let the engine hold the car on descents.
3. Make every movement gentle: steering, braking and accelerating.
4. Leave a long gap. On ice, stopping takes many times longer than on dry road.
5. Don't overtake, and don't make a second lane in a queue. Murree's traffic police specifically warn against it.
6. If the car starts to slide, ease off the accelerator and steer gently where you want to go. Don't stamp on the brake.

Plan your driving for late morning to mid-afternoon, when the road has had a few hours of daylight.

Snow chains: buying, fitting, driving

Chains are not optional in the Galiyat in snow. The Galiyat Development Authority tells drivers to use them, and in the 2025–26 season the Murree police made them mandatory on snow-covered slopes.

• Buy chains that fit your tyre size before you leave the city, rather than hoping to find the right size on the road.
• Practise fitting them at home on dry ground. Doing it for the first time in the snow, with cold hands, is slow and miserable.
• Fit them to the driven wheels: the front wheels on most cars, the rear on rear-wheel drives. Check your car's manual for a four-wheel drive.
• Fit them before you need them, at a safe, level spot off the road, not halfway up a slope where you have already lost grip.
• Drive slowly with chains on, and take them off on clear tarmac, where they wear quickly and can damage the car.

Chains help on snow, much less on sheet ice, and they don't make it safe to drive during a heavy fall.

Getting the car ready

Before any winter drive to the Galiyat:

• Fill the tank in Islamabad or Abbottabad, and keep it above half. The GDA's standing advice is a full tank; a queue in the snow can last hours.
• Check the tyres, including the tread and the pressure, and the brakes, battery, wipers and lights.
• Pack for a night in the car: warm clothes, blankets, food, drinking water, a torch and a phone power bank.
• Carry a small shovel and something to put under the wheels for grip if you get stuck.
• Check the forecast and the road on the morning you leave, and again before you reach Murree or Abbottabad. Our guide to the drive from Islamabad to Nathia Gali covers both routes and their bottlenecks.

The Murree traffic police advise a fully equipped four-wheel drive in snow. An ordinary car can manage the cleared main road with chains and a careful driver, but will struggle on the steep link roads to hotels and cottages.

Parking in snow

• Park at your hotel, in its own car park. Confirm when you book that there is a space for you and that it is on the main road side, not down a steep lane.
• Never park on the roadside during snowfall. It blocks the ploughs and can trap other cars. In Murree it is banned, and vehicles that break the rule can be impounded.
• Don't park under slopes or trees laden with snow. The GDA warns drivers not to park in landslide-prone spots, and branches come down under heavy snow.
• Park on level ground where you can. In hard frost the handbrake can freeze on, so leave a manual car in gear overnight rather than relying on it.
• Clear snow from around the exhaust before you start the engine in the morning.

If you get stuck

Being stuck in a stationary queue is as real a risk as sliding off the road. In January 2022, 23 people died when a snowstorm trapped thousands of cars around Murree. Some froze; others are thought to have been poisoned by carbon monoxide after snow blocked their cars' exhausts while the engines ran for warmth.

If you are stuck:

1. Keep the exhaust clear. Get out regularly and clear the snow from around the back of the car.
2. Run the engine only in short bursts for heat, with a window slightly open. The Murree police advise keeping a window open a little for air.
3. Never sleep in a car with the engine running.
4. Put on every warm layer and use the blankets before you need the heater.
5. Call for help early: police on 15, Rescue 1122 on 1122. Tell them exactly where you are.
6. Stay with the car unless you can walk to shelter a short way off in daylight. A car is easier for rescuers to find than a person in the snow.

When to turn back

Turn back, or don't set out, if:

• The police close the road at Barian, Harno or anywhere else. Don't look for a way round.
• Heavy snow is falling or forecast for the rest of the day.
• You have no chains, or you can't get them on.
• Your car is sliding on the climbs even with chains.
• It is mid-afternoon or later and you are not yet near your hotel.
• Fog has closed in, or the queue ahead has stopped while snow keeps falling.
• Your tank is below half and you are still climbing.

Sleep in Islamabad or Abbottabad and try again once the road is cleared; the snow will still be there.

Should you drive up for the snow at all?

For confident drivers with a suitable car, chains and flexible dates, yes. The best plan is to go midweek, a day or two after a storm, once the roads are clear and before the next one. Book a hotel on the main road with heating and parking, and keep a spare day.

If you have never driven in snow, or your dates are fixed to the weekend after the first snowfall, when the roads are most crowded and most likely to close, hire a driver who knows the road, or wait for a quiet weekday. Thandiani is quieter still, but its roads take longer to clear. Our travel guide has more on driving and staying safe in the northern hills, and if you would like help planning a winter trip, send us your dates.

Frequently asked questions