Milky Forest Stream Hike
Chikkaballapur
Overview
This is a nice easy* trail in the forest that runs along a seasonal stream.
We first hiked this in the monsoon of 2025. The sky was cloudy, the weather pleasant and the trail green and overgrown. So yet to find out how it is in the dry season.
*This trail was easy in terms of elevation gain, but tricky in some spots because of dense vegetation, some of which was also thorny. We had to crawl under some bushes on all fours for some short sections.
🏞️ Photos & Videos
More photos and videos of this trail.
Trail description
The trail starts at the temple parking lot, going over a small bridge on the stream and then going next to an old structure (with a small man-made pond [ಕೊಳ] next to it).
It then soon turn right into the forest and is wide for a few hundren meters, after which it becomes narrow.
All along, you will be walking along and stream and will be able to hears the sound of water flowing in it (maybe only in and soon after the rainy season)
Towards the "end" of the hike you'll start seeing a small gorge and likely pools of water at its bottom.
There are multiple spots on the trail in the shade along the stream. But the spot near the "gorge" is probably the best but maybe a bit exposed when the sun's out.
There are also spots slighly off the trail when you can attempt to get into the gorge/pools in it. But be very careful while descending into the gorge, the rock-like mud there is very crumbly.
🌦️ Season
Monsoon is a good time to go because that's when the stream flows and the trail is green. But do note that it might be overgrown with a lot of bushes during monsoon, so might get tricky at some points.
🎟️ Permit
Technically, this trail is inside a reserve forest, so trekking is not really allowed here. But it's very unlikely that your entry into the forest through this trail will be blocked.
🐾 Wildlife
While there's a ton of birds here and a few monkeys frolicking at the start near the temple, I did not see signs of any big mammals here.
It's still a good idea to not venture here during the dark because it is very likely that leopards and sloths bears could be active here.
Getting there
Follow the directions to the temple/hike starting point.
Road conditions
Roads are paved, but slightly broken in some spots, should be good enough for most cars.
Cleanliness
Found almost no trash on the trail.
Crowd
Almost no one goes here except some devotees visiting the temple. And they'll only go to the first spot close to the stream. If you go all along the trail marked on the map attached, you will find no one.
There might be a tiny chance of running into cow or goat herders (we noticed goat hoof prints on the trail).