In recent years, the highway has become a destination for adventure tourism. The road has also given mountaineers and cyclists easier access to the many high mountains, glaciers and lakes in the area. The highway also provides access to Gilgit and Skardu from Islamabad by road. These are the two major hubs for mountaineering expeditions in the Northern Areas of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.

Mountains and glaciers

Karakoram Highway provides the pathway to expeditions for almost all peaks in the Northern Areas of Pakistan and several peaks in Xinjiang China. The regions includes some of the world's largest glaciers like Baltoro Glacier. Five of the Eight-thousanders (above 8,000m) of the world that are in Pakistan are accessible by the highway. The peaks include:

• K2, border of China and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, 2nd highest in the world at 8,611m.
• Nanga Parbat, Pakistan, 9th highest of the world at 8,125m
• Gasherbrum I, border of China and Pakistan, 11th highest of the world at 8,080m.
• Broad Peak, border of China and Pakistan, 12th highest of the world at 8,047m.
• Gasherbrum II-IV, Pakistan, 13th-17th highest of the world at 8,035m-7,932m
• Masherbrum (K1), Pakistan, 22nd highest of the world at 7,821m.
• Muztagh Ata, China, 7,546m.
• Kongur Tagh, China, 7,719m.

Rivers & Lakes

Several lakes are also made accessible by the highway. These include:

• Karakul Lake in Xinjiang (China)
• Sheosar Lake in Deosai Plains (Pakistan)
• Satpara Lake in Skardu (Pakistan)
• Shangrila Lake in Skardu (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir)
• Rama Lake near Astore (Pakistan)

The Indus River accommodates the highway for approximately 200km, where they divide the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges.

Deosai Plains

Deosai Plains, the second highest plains of the world at 4,115 m (13,500 feet) are in the South of Skardu and in the East of the Astore Valley. The plains cover an area of 3,000 square km. The area was declared as Deosai National Park in 1993.

Rock art and petroglyphs

There are more than 20,000 pieces of rock art and petroglyphs all along the highway that are concentrated at ten major sites between Hunza and Shatial. The carvings were left by various invaders, traders and pilgrims who passed along the trade route, as well as by locals. The earliest date back to between 5000 and 1000 BC, showing single animals, triangular men and hunting scenes in which the animals are larger than the hunters. These carvings were pecked into the rock with stone tools and are covered with a thick patina that proves their age.

The archaeologist Karl Jettmar has pieced together the history of the area from various inscriptions and recorded his findings in Rockcarvings and Inscriptions in the Northern Areas of Pakistan and the later released Between Gandhara and the Silk Roads - Rock carvings Along the Karakoram Highway.