September - June is the best time to visit Gaumukh. The sacred site of Gaumukh, from where the glacier finally starts melting giving birth to the great river, is best visited from April to June and again from September to November. The winter months are too cold for a visit and rainfall makes transportation difficult during the monsoons, which only leaves the spring, summer and autumn months.
April to June is an ideal time for a visit to this revered site. The weather during this time is delightful as the mercury levels stay around 25°. By April, all the temple doors are reopened to the public, and the hotels, dharmshalas, ashrams and local shops set up with a new enthusiasm after a cold and chilly winter. You will see many people in Gaumukh during this time. Most of them are there for the 19km pilgrimage journey from Gangotri up to Gaumukh, while some others are there just for the adventure and beauty of the hills. Source
Gaumukh in Monsoon (July to October)
Monsoons are not a great time to trek or drive to Gaumukh. From July to August and some days of September as well, Uttarakhand gets heavy monsoon rain just like the rest of India. Any hilly area is challenging to travel to during storms because of the risks of a landslide, boulder drops, or skidding vehicles. Gaumukh is no exception. Moreover, the lush green of Chirbasa and alpine meadows of Bhojwassa towards Gaumukh are rain-drenched and muddied, taking much of the beauty out of it. It is best to avoid this time of the year and wait out till the monsoon is gone. Trekking takes off once again as the rain subsides. Since veteran trekkers are already used to trek in cold climate, the chill in the air during this time does not affect them much. You will see quite a few devoted pilgrims as well, who were waiting for the weather to get better to make their trip. Temperature is around 15°C, and it only gets colder from here. Source
Gaumukh in Winter (November - February)
Winter anywhere in Uttarakhand is pretty cold. So one can only imagine what it would be like at 13,200 ft altitude. The temperature at night start dipping down to as low as 5°C in November, but the daytime cold is still bearable. In December, most of the places shut down as it falls further to 0°-2°C minimum temperature. It is even colder in January. Treks are closed, and so is the Gangotri temple at the base of the trek, which is the main reason why pilgrims flock here. The dates of closing and opening are declared by the government beforehand. So if you have plans to go and if the winter is not enough to discourage you, you should look up the dates of temple closing and reopening and then plan the trip. Source
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