Doi Inthanon is Thailand's highest mountain, 2,565 meters at the summit according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and a national park that most visitors see as a long day trip from Chiang Mai. Foreign adults pay 300 baht to enter, and the best walk on the mountain, the Kew Mae Pan trail, is normally open only from 1 November to 31 May and must be walked with a local guide.
The park is a road up a mountain, with stops on the way: waterfalls in the lower forest, villages and farms in the middle, and cloud forest, cool air and wide views near the top. You can see the main sights in one day with a driver or a tour. If you want the summit at dawn, the sea of mist over the valleys or a slow morning on the trail before the crowds, stay a night in the park or near it.
This page covers the summit, the trail, the waterfalls, the cold, the fees and how to get there without your own car. For the city itself and other trips out of it, see our Chiang Mai guide.
Doi Inthanon National Park (checked November 2026)
- Summit
- 2,565 m, the highest point in Thailand (TAT)
- Park fee
- Foreign adult 300 baht, child 150; Thai adult 60, child 30 (DNP Category 3)
- Vehicles
- Car 30 baht, motorcycle 20 baht
- Kew Mae Pan trail
- 3.2 km loop at 2,157 m; 2–3 hours; open 1 Nov–31 May; guide compulsory
- Coldest time
- December and January nights and early mornings; ground frost possible at the top
- Bookings
- Park lodges and campsites through the DNP reservation system (nps.dnp.go.th)
The summit and the twin pagodas
TAT calls Doi Inthanon the "Roof of Thailand". Reaching the top is easy, because the road goes almost all the way, so the summit is a short stop rather than a climb. For the wide views, the Kew Mae Pan trail just below it is the better bet.
Near the top of the road are the twin pagodas, two large chedis that most tours stop at. Check the opening hours and any separate ticket at the site. Dress as you would for a temple, with shoulders and knees covered.
On 3 November 2026, TAT reported that Doi Inthanon had been selected among the Green Destinations Top 100 Stories 2026, announced at the Green Destinations Global Conference in Slovenia in late October, as part of a project to develop sustainable tourism products around Chiang Mai.
The Kew Mae Pan trail: season and guide rule
Kew Mae Pan (also spelled Kiew Mae Pan) is the walk that makes the trip worthwhile for many people. It is a loop of 3.2 km at about 2,157 meters, and takes two to three hours at an easy pace. The path goes through moss-covered evergreen forest and ferns, then out onto open grassland on the ridge, with a viewpoint over the mountains and, early in the morning, often a sea of mist below.
Two rules decide whether you can walk it:
- It closes every year from 1 June to 31 October to let the forest recover during the rainy season. It normally reopens on 1 November. The 2025/26 season ran from 1 November 2025 to 31 May 2026. We found no announcement confirming the opening of the 2026/27 season, so check with the park before you go in November.
- A local guide is compulsory. Thai news reports quoting the park say the guide explains the site, looks after safety and stops people getting lost. In the 2025/26 season the park had 328 registered Kew Mae Pan guides, 111 of them youth guides.
You hire the guide at the start of the trail and pay there. Ask the fee at the trailhead and bring cash; figures published online disagree. The trail is popular: about 124,000 people walked it between November 2024 and May 2025, around a third of them foreigners. Come early in the morning, both for the mist and to avoid waiting.
Kew Mae Pan is shut from June to October. Tours sold in the rainy season may still mention the trail. If it is important to you, plan your visit between November and May and ask the tour company in writing whether the trail is included.
The waterfalls on the way up
The road up the mountain passes several large waterfalls, among them Wachirathan and Sirithan, and the park also has Mae Ya, one of the best known in the area. They are at their most powerful in the rainy season and toward the end of it, and much smaller in the hot months. Ask at the park checkpoint whether any falls, paths or viewpoints are closed that day.
The spray makes the rocks and steps near the big falls very slippery, and water levels rise quickly after rain upstream. Stay behind barriers, keep children by your side and do not swim where signs forbid it. Our guide to staying safe at waterfalls and rivers explains the flash-flood warning signs.
Villages and markets
The middle slopes are farmed and lived on, and tours often include a stop at a Hmong and Karen market by the road. Your driver or guide will know where and when it is held. Carry small notes, and ask before photographing people.
If you are a birder, the park is one of the main sites in the north, with forest at different heights on one road; our guide to birdwatching in Thailand covers the season and guides.
Cold nights and frost
Doi Inthanon is far colder than Chiang Mai. TAT describes a delicate morning frost, called mae khaning in Thai, that settles on the grass near the top in the cool season. Frost is not snow: there is no official record of snowfall anywhere in Thailand, as our page on whether it ever snows in Thailand explains.
There is no Thai Meteorological Department station on the mountain, so we cannot give official average temperatures for the summit. For comparison, the coldest reading at the Chiang Mai city station in the 1991–2020 averages was 3.8 °C, in a December, and the mountain is much colder than the city. Bring a warm jacket, long trousers, a hat and closed shoes from November to February, and a rain jacket in any month. The city's figures month by month are in our Chiang Mai weather guide.
Fees, cabins and tents
Doi Inthanon is a Category 3 national park. Foreign adults pay 300 baht and children 150 baht; Thai adults pay 60 baht and Thai children 30 baht. A car costs 30 baht and a motorcycle 20 baht. This structure has been in force since 7 June 2022. Our guide to dual pricing in Thailand explains why foreign visitors pay five times the Thai rate.
Staying overnight lets you reach the trail and the viewpoints at dawn. The national parks department sells park lodges and campsites through its online reservation system. Check the current campsites and prices on the reservation system; cool-season weekends are busy with Thai families, so book early. How booking, tent hire and the camping rules work is covered in our guide to camping and cabins in Thai national parks.
Getting there without a car
There is no simple public transport to the summit. Most visitors use one of three options:
- A car with a driver for the day. This gives you the most control: an early start, the trail first, then the waterfalls on the way down. Agree the stops, the hours and what the price includes before you leave. Grab lists Chiang Mai among its hourly Grab Rent cities, but check in the app whether a trip out to the park is allowed. Our guide to hiring a car with driver lists what to settle in advance.
- A group or private tour. Tours bundle transport, the fee and lunch, and usually stop at the summit, the pagodas, a waterfall and a market. Ask whether the Kew Mae Pan trail and the guide fee are included. Use a company with a Department of Tourism licence; our page on booking tours with licensed operators shows how to check it.
- Driving or riding yourself. The road is long and steep near the top, and the descent is hard on brakes. It is a trip for experienced drivers only.
With stops, a day trip takes most of the day. Leave Chiang Mai early if you want the trail before the busiest hours.
A day on the mountain, in order
The pattern that works best is to drive straight to the top early, while it is cool and clear, and work your way down. Walk Kew Mae Pan first (in season), then the summit boardwalk and the twin pagodas, then lunch, the market and the waterfalls on the way back, when the light is lower and the falls are in the afternoon sun. If you have more days around Chiang Mai, a trip to Chiang Dao or the temple on Doi Suthep makes a shorter mountain day.
Frequently asked questions
How high is Doi Inthanon?
The summit is 2,565 meters above sea level, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, which makes it the highest point in Thailand. The Kew Mae Pan trail, near the top, starts at about 2,157 meters.
Is the Kew Mae Pan trail open in November?
Normally yes. The trail closes every year from 1 June to 31 October and reopens on 1 November, staying open until 31 May. We found no announcement confirming the 2026/27 opening, so check with the park or your tour company before you go.
Do you need a guide for Kew Mae Pan?
Yes. A local guide is compulsory on the trail, for safety and to stop people getting lost. You hire one at the trailhead. Bring cash and ask the fee on the spot.
How much is the entrance fee to Doi Inthanon?
Foreign adults pay 300 baht and foreign children 150 baht, under the national park fee structure in force since June 2022. Thai adults pay 60 baht. A car costs 30 baht and a motorcycle 20 baht on top.
Does it snow on Doi Inthanon?
No. There is no official record of snow anywhere in Thailand. In the cool season a thin frost, called mae khaning, can form on the grass near the summit on cold mornings, which is the closest thing Thailand gets.
Sources
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – A survivor's guide to winter in northern Thailand (6 January 2026; checked November 2026)
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – Doi Inthanon among Green Destinations Top 100 Stories 2026 (3 November 2026; checked November 2026)
- Sor Wor Por FM91 (LINE Today) – Kew Mae Pan trail reopens for the 2025/26 season (1 November 2025; checked November 2026)
- Thansettakij – Kew Mae Pan opening 1 November to 31 May (30 October 2023; checked November 2026)
- Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation – National park entry fee categories (checked October 2026)
- Thai Meteorological Department – Climatological data 1991–2020, Chiang Mai station (checked November 2026)