Char Dham yātrā — in which order, and when should we go?

the Uttarakhand Char Dham is usually done Yamunotri → Gangotri → Kedarnāth → Badrīnāth, between about May and October-November.

“Char Dham” can mean two things. The original Char Dham associated with Ādi Śaṅkarācārya are four abodes at the four corners of India: Badrīnāth (north), Dvārakā (west), Purī (east) and Rāmeśvaram (south). Today the phrase most often means the Chhota Char Dham of Uttarakhand: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedārnāth and Badrīnāth.

The Uttarakhand circuit is traditionally done from west to east — Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedārnāth, then Badrīnāth — and many pilgrims finish with a dip at Devaprayāga or Haridvār. The shrines open around Akṣaya Tṛtīyā (April–May) and close around Dīpāvalī or Bhai Dūj (October–November). May–June and September–October are the most comfortable; July–August brings monsoon landslides.

The route is high-altitude and tiring. Get a medical check-up, especially for older pilgrims, carry warm clothes, keep buffer days, and complete the state government's pilgrim registration and check current advisories before travelling.

Source: common practice; Uttarakhand pilgrim guidance · West to east: Yamunotri first

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