Mukurthi National Park, National park in Nilgiris district, India

Mukurthi National Park covers 78.46 km2 of the western Nilgiri hills in Tamil Nadu, an elongated crescent of montane grassland and shrubland broken by shola patches. Elevation runs from 1,500 m to 2,629 m at Kollaribetta, with Mukurthi Peak at 2,554 m and Nilgiri Peak at 2,476 m. Its southwest tip meets Silent Valley National Park in Kerala.

The area was declared a reserve forest in 1886, after decades of shola felling that began with British settlements in Ootacamund, Coonoor and Wellington in the early 19th century. It became a wildlife sanctuary on 3 August 1982 and was upgraded to a national park on 15 October 1990 to protect the Nilgiri tahr.

The name Mukurthi comes from Mukurthi Peak, the park's second-highest summit at 2,554 m. Toda people long grazed hill buffalo and gathered firewood in the sholas before British settlements at Ootacamund, Coonoor and Wellington brought timber felling in the early 19th century. Bangitappal, at the head of the Sispara Pass, was a halting place on the 1832 Sispara ghat road from Kozhikode to Ooty, used by postal runners and later by smugglers of cannabis, tobacco and salt.

The best time to visit is during the dry months from September to November and February to May, when trails are accessible and conditions are more comfortable. The location is in a mountainous region, so bring proper footwear and prepare for cool, high-altitude weather.

Bangitappal, at the park's southwest tip where two streams meet at the head of the Sispara Pass, was a halting place on the old Sispara ghat road built in 1832. Postal runners used the pass for a short land route from Ooty to the west coast, and it was also used for smuggling cannabis, tobacco and later salt. A forest rest house and trekkers shed built there in 1930 now serve park staff and visiting researchers.