It is located in the Himalayas, about 3,583 m (11,755 ft) above sea level near the Chorabari Glacier, which is the source of the Mandakini River.

The town suffered extensive destruction during June 2013 from the Flash Floods caused by torrential rains in Uttarakhand state.

The ruins of a monument marking the purported resting place of Adi Shankaracharya are located at Kedarnath.

[10] Kedarnath was a prominent pilgrimage centre by the 12th century when it is mentioned in Kritya-kalpataru written by the Gahadavala minister Bhatta Lakshmidhara.

[11] Kedarnath is located at a distance of 223 km from Rishikesh in Uttarakhand and close to the source of the Mandakini River at the height of 3,583 m (11,755 ft) above sea level.

On 17 June 2013 at approximately 6:40 a.m., water began to rush down from the Chorabari Tal or Gandhi Sarovar, bringing along with its flow, a huge amount of silt, rocks, and boulders.

[19][20] Since it occurred in the middle of the pilgrimage season, the torrential rains, cloud bursts, and resulting flash floods nearly destroyed the town of Kedarnath.

The NDRF represented by a commandant, and another junior officer arrived at the 'right-ridge' of the town bordering the Mandakini River with more men and supplies being brought in the next day.

An Indian Air Force helicopter (Mil Mi-17) also crashed, killing all 20 people on board (all of them were soldiers involved in relief and rescue work).

About 6 km upstream from the town, lies Chorabari Tal, a glacier-lake also called Gandhi Sarovar.

[12] Other places of interest include the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, Adi Shankaracharya Samadhi, and Rudra meditation cave.