Geography of Pauri Garhwal District is by and large rugged and except for the narrow strip of Bhabar, the entire region is mountainous. The highest point of the area is 3116 metres at Doodhatoli and the lowest point of the area is 295 metres near Chilla. The cross profiles of the fluvial valleys show convex form with steep valley sides, interlocking spurs descending towards the main channel, hanging valleys, water falls and rapids and terraced agricultural fields on the gentle slopes on the valley sides. The clustering of villages is confined mainly on the gentle slopes of the ridges on the fluvial terraces. The forest cover is the maximum in Thailisain block and the minimum in the Pauri block. Most of the part of the area is easily approachable.
Pauri Garhwal District has a sub-temperate to temperate climate, which remains pleasant throughout the year. The maximum temperature recorded in the month of June is 45 degree Celsius at Kotdwara while in the higher reaches at Doodhatoli it only rises to 25 degree Celsius. Temperature descends to a minimum of 1.3 degree Celsius in January and mean monthly temperature for the region ranges from 25 degree Celsius to 30 degree Celsius. The hilly terrain of the district with its densely forested slopes receives adequate rainfall generally commencing from mid-June and extending till mid-September. Occasional rainfall is also recorded in winter. Average annual rainfall in the district is 218 cm, about 90 percent of which is generally concentrated over the monsoon. Relative humidity varies between 54 percent and 63 percent. The higher reaches receive some snow in winter when temperature falls to freezing point.
Pauri Garhwal District as part of the Western Himalayas presents a unique set of ecological characteristics over a complex variety of systems that incorporate forests, meadows, savannah grasslands, marshes and rivers, as well as wildlife, geology and several other phyto-geographically distinctive peculiarities. The occurrence of diverse topographical and climatic factors has resulted in the remarkable biodiversity of Pauri Garhwal District as a result of which flora also correspondingly differs over its different parts. Forests dominate in the phyto-geography and also constitute the most valuable natural resource of the district. Besides Alaknanda River, Nayyar River is the other major river of the district and is one of the major tributaries of Alaknanda. Soils of the region have been formed either through pedo-genetic processes or are transported soils.
