Known as the apple bowl of India, Kotgarh is a quaint and picturesque town located on the old Hindustan-Tibet road. It is noted for its apple cultivation and offers visitors a chance to walk through lovely apple orchards and pine forests. One of the main attractions of Kotgarh is the gorgeous St Mary's Church that stands as a reminder of the British rule. Built in 1872, the wooden church boasts stained glass windows and an array of benches sculpted out of cedars.

Tourists can also visit the Mailan Devta Temple, which draws visitors with its splendid shikhara (spire) style of architecture. Lying 5 km from Kotgarh is the serene Tani Jubbar Lake where an annual arts and crafts fair is held in the month of June. Legend has it that in 1916, Samuel Stokes, a social worker from Philadelphia, USA, came to Kotgarh as a missionary worker. He was so enthralled with the beauty of the area that he settled here. He began planting apples that were imported from select orchards in Louisiana and encouraged all farmers to switch their primary crop to apples. Over the years, Kothgarh became one of the wealthiest regions in Himachal Pradesh. The apples from the region now have global acclaim and are responsible for a large chunk of the GDP of the entire state. One of the best aspects of the area is that it has managed to retain it's charm from the pre-independence era.