Day Hikes from Base Camp

These day hikes start at Base Camp, elevation 4,100 meters. High points attained vary between 4,200 and 4,900 meters. Mountain climbers hike these itineraries to acclimatize to high altitude before making the ascent to the 5,396-meter summit of Haba Snow Mountain (哈巴雪山). Trekkers will enjoy magnificent views.

Hiking times on this website do not include rest breaks. See the explanation here.

Index Rock (大石板), an eight-meter high rock pillar, is an easy 30 minute walk from Base Camp. Follow the start of the Mountaineers Route which higher up leads to the Haba glacier and summit.

Summary: Enjoy a different aspect of Haba Snow Mountain from Jizhi Pass (鸡枝垭口). Starting from Base Camp, follow the Base Camp Route heading west and immediately cross over a low ridge. Descend into a meadow with dilapidated huts. Ascend southwest out of the meadow through stunted forest and arrive in a valley above treeline. The path to Round Lake continues northwest over a low ridge. Instead of continuing over the ridge to the lake, turn left (south) and ascend the valley in half an hour to the pass.

Summary: An enjoyable day trip to Black Lake (黑海) via the Base Camp Route (大本营路线). See description of Jizhi Pass above for the route to Round Lake, which takes 1 hour and 20 minutes from Base Camp. From Round Lake, descend west into a basin that shelters Long Lake (长海) beneath a sheer rock peak. Follow the shoreline north. Continue downhill in the same direction to reach Black Lake, 40 minutes after passing Round Lake.

Summary: The route to the summit of Haba Snow Mountain ascends an extensive rock shield formation southeast of Base Camp. Some folks will find the vertical grade of the slope unnerving and may choose to forego this hike. The shield is best avoided under wet or snowy conditions. Trekkers may continue as high as 4,900 meters—go any higher and mountaineering equipment for glacier travel is required.

Pass Index Rock 30 minutes from Base Camp. From 4,500 meters on up, distant peaks and ranges come into view on clear days. Visible in the northwest direction are the rocky spires of the Tianbao Mountains (天宝雪山), near the city of Shangri-La (香格里拉). To the left of them, Meili Snow Mountain on the Yunnan-Tibet border. Visible to the north are the glacial peaks in Sichuan’s Yading Nature Reserve (亚丁自然保护区).

From your high point, return the same way to Base Camp.