Murree in winter: snow, road closures and what to check before you drive

You can drive to Murree for the snow, but only on a day the roads are open. Three things decide it. First, the weather forecast and the closure advisories: in heavy snow on 23 January 2026 entry was shut and the Murree Expressway closed at Phulgran Toll Plaza. Second, tyre chains are mandatory in snow or on slippery roads. Third, NDMA’s snowfall guidelines say heaters and stoves need proper ventilation to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, so if you get stuck and run the car heater, keep fresh air coming in.

When does it snow in Murree?

Usually from December, but the timing changes a lot from year to year. Dawn wrote in January 2024 that “usually, snowfall starts in the hill station in December”, yet that winter the first snow, one inch, came only on 29 January 2024 after a long dry spell. Wikipedia’s climate summary puts the main snowfall later, so plan for snow any time from December to February or March.

Murree sits at about 2,291 m (7,517 ft). Average January temperatures in the 1961-1990 normals quoted by Wikipedia were a high of 8.4°C and a low of minus 3.2°C.

Is Murree worth visiting in December or January?

It can be, if you go on a clear day after the roads are cleared. The heaviest recent falls closed the roads, so a trip timed for the snowstorm itself is the one most likely to end in a queue at a closed entry point.

What happened in the Murree tragedy in January 2022?

On 7 and 8 January 2022, at least 22 people died in cars stranded in snow in Murree, according to a Rescue 1122 list reported by Dawn. Some reports say 23. Ten of the dead were children. They included an assistant sub-inspector of Islamabad police and seven members of his family.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) had forecast heavy snow in Murree and the Galiyat from 6 to 9 January. Vehicle entry was banned only from the night of Friday 7 January, and the Punjab chief minister declared Murree calamity hit on 8 January. Army engineers cleared the Murree Expressway and the army set up five relief camps.

What did the inquiry find?

The Punjab government formed an inquiry committee on 9 January 2022, led by the Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Zafar Nasrullah. Its report, as summarised by Geo News and The News, held the administration responsible:

• More than 32,000 vehicles entered Murree on 7 January and 22,460 left. The report estimated about 10,000 tourist vehicles were trapped that day, plus about 10,000 local vehicles.
• The tehsil administration asked for entry from Islamabad to be closed at 5pm on 7 January. This was done almost five hours late.
• NDMA had sent a letter on 5 January with instructions to divert traffic. The post of PDMA Punjab director general was vacant at the time.
• No authority issued a public warning against travel to Murree before 7 January.
• Rescue 1122 staff did not go beyond Kuldana roundabout towards Barrian, and people were told to wait out the storm in their cars.

The report said: “As there was no alternate plan, 22 tourists paid the price with their lives.” It also found that claims of exploitation by locals were overstated, though some tourists complained of overcharging for food and transport. On 19 January 2022 the chief minister announced that 15 officials had been removed or suspended, including the Rawalpindi commissioner and deputy commissioner and the head of PDMA Punjab.

Other figures were reported at the time. Rawalpindi’s chief traffic officer said more than 155,000 vehicles had entered since snowfall began, and the interior minister spoke of about 1,000 stuck cars. We use the inquiry’s figures for 7 January, because they come from the official investigation.

What has changed since 2022?

• Tyre chains. Murree’s district administration (31 December 2025) and City Traffic Police (23 January 2026) made tyre chains mandatory in snow or on slippery roads. When entry was closed in January 2026, the district emergency officer said most people had not used chains, so vehicles slipped.
• Closures. In January 2026 the administration closed vehicle entry, and the Murree Expressway (N-75) was shut to all traffic from Phulgran Toll Plaza. Vehicles were stuck at Chitta Mor on GT Road and at Musiari on the Expressway. Until restrictions eased around 28 January, GT Road access was limited to locals and visitors with advance hotel bookings.
• Rescue 1122 on Code Red. For the 2025-26 winter, Rescue 1122 put Murree district on “Code Red” alert. It posted staff round the clock at Pindi Point, Satra Meel on the Expressway, The Mall, Ghora Gali and Bhurban, with 16 ambulances, 7 fire vehicles, 2 rescue vehicles and 25 rescue bikes.
• Help desks. Facilitation centres were set up at 13 places in Murree in January 2024, and help desks again in December 2025.

Is there a limit on cars entering Murree?

There was a fixed limit in 2022, but we found nothing showing it still applies. A Rawalpindi deputy commissioner notification in January 2022 allowed at most 8,000 vehicles a day in normal weather, with residents of Murree and AJK, official and army vehicles exempt. A later notification that month lifted the night-time entry ban and allowed 24-hour entry.

Since then the numbers point the other way. On 14 August 2025 more than 53,000 tourist vehicles entered Murree, against parking for 5,000. In December 2025 the Murree deputy commissioner said “we allow more than 5000 vehicles to enter the city”, more if traffic moves smoothly. In heavy snow, entry is simply closed.

Is the Murree road open today? How to check before you leave

Murree helplines: who to call

These numbers come from official sites, as of October 2026. We have left out control room and traffic numbers that appear in news reports but that we couldn’t find on any official page.

The Punjab Tourism Squad has been posted in Murree since 13 August 2022 to help tourists and take complaints. Hotels and restaurants in Punjab must be licensed under the Punjab Hotels & Restaurants Act 1976.

Nathia Gali vs Murree: are the Galiyat roads safer in snow?

Not by default. The Galiyat, including Nathia Gali, are in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. There the Abbottabad district administration and the Galiyat Development Authority (GDA) handle closures and snow clearing, and the roads close in heavy snow just as Murree’s do.

• In the January 2026 storm, every entry point to the Galiyat, including Harnu and Barian, was closed to traffic. The Galiyat-Murree road was blocked by snow, and the Abbottabad administration asked tourists to delay travel until roads were declared open.
• In February 2026, up to one foot of snow fell across the Galiyat. GDA crews cleared roads and spread salt, and GDA keeps a control room in Nathia Gali staffed round the clock.

In January 2022, during the Murree tragedy, car entry to the Galiyat was also banned. For help in the Galiyat, call PDMA KP on 1700 or Rescue 1122. We couldn’t find an official source on whether the Murree to Nathia Gali road stays open through winter, so check on the day.

More guides: travel insurance for Pakistanis, car insurance in Pakistan, token tax in Punjab, all Travel guides.