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Ladakh (ləˈdɑ:k) (Tibetan: ལ་དྭགས, Wylie: La-dwags, Ladakhi [lad̪ɑks], Urdu: لدّاخ‎ [ləd̪ˈd̪aːx]; "land of high passes") is a region of India in the state of Jammu and Kashmir that lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent. It is one of the most sparsely populated regions in Jammu and Kashmir.

Historically, the region included the Baltistan (Baltiyul) valleys, the Indus Valley, the remote Zangskar, Lahaul and Spiti to the south, Aksai Chin and Ngari, including the Rudok region and Guge, in the east, and the Nubra valleys to the north.

Stok Kangri (elevation 6,153 m (20,182 feet) is the highest mountain in the Stok Range of the Himalayas in the Ladakh region of northwest India. The peak is located in Hemis National Park, 12 km southwest of the trailhead at 3,610 m (11,845 feet) in the village of Stok and 24 km southwest of the Ladakhi capital of Leh. Despite its altitude, Stok Kangri is a popular peak and is often climbed as an initial non-technical foray into high altitude mountaineering.

In late July and August, all but the top of the peak may be snow-free, as can be seen by clicking on 33°59′11″N 77°26′32″E / 33.98639°N 77.44222°E / 33.98639; 77.44222 and following the Google Earth link, which leads to some excellent new high resolution satellite imagery. The elevation data was verified by GPS readings from 11 satellites at the Summit during a late July 2007 joint Nepalese-US expedition which encountered snow cover for 85% of the final four hour, four km, 900 metre climb.

The shortest and most popular approach to the peak ascends the Stok valley, along the Stok Chu. This valley's grazing landscape, especially near the village Stok, was decimated by flooding in the first week of August 2006, the most severe in decades.