The route: Rishikesh → Devprayag (70) → Rudraprayag (140) → Ukhimath (175) → Chopta (200). The final 25 km through deodar forest is the best part.
Realistic timing: two days works, three is better. Day 1 ride up. Day 2 walk to Tungnath — 3.5 km, about two hours, to the highest Shiva temple in the world at 3,680 m — and another 1.5 km to Chandrashila at roughly 4,000 m for a 360° view of Nanda Devi, Trishul and Chaukhamba. Start before dawn for sunrise. Day 3 ride back.
Which bike: anything from the Hunter upward. The Himalayan is ideal, the Classic and Guerrilla are both fine — this is good tarmac most of the way. Not a scooty, mainly because of the descent.
Road conditions: good to Ukhimath. The Ukhimath–Chopta stretch is narrow with tight hairpins but the surface is generally sound. Can be icy early morning in late autumn.
Permits: none. No registration, no e-pass, no medical certificate. Small Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary entry fee at Chopta. This is why it's the easiest big ride to do spontaneously.
Fuel: fill at Rudraprayag. Nothing reliable above Ukhimath.
Where to stay: camps and guesthouses in the Chopta meadow. Basic, cold, and almost no light pollution.
Add Deoria Tal if you have an extra day — 2.5 km walk from Sari village to a lake that reflects Chaukhamba at dawn. Camping there is one of the best nights in Garhwal.
Season: March–June and September–December. Snow December–March turns the Tungnath walk into a snow trek — spectacular, but the road above Ukhimath can close after heavy snowfall.