Haba Village to Black Boulder Junction

From Haba Village to Black Boulder Junction (黑色盘石路口), Jianshan Route (尖山路线) and Alternate Base Camp Route (备用大本营路线) follow the same track. At the junction they go separate ways.

Warning: In seasons of high water, the crossing of the Seji River (色吉河) might be dangerous or impassible. In that case you should cross the river on the auto bridge in Haba Village, make your way to the hamlet of Longwangbian (龙汪边), and ascend slopes to the west to connect with the “very rocky and well-traveled dirt track” mentioned in the text below.

At Haba Snow Mountain Inn (哈巴雪山客栈) in Haba Village (哈巴村), turn left (south) on the paved road and walk downhill. After one minute, turn right onto a cement road where the sign indicates Yi Village (彝家村). Walk up the road and cross the main highway through Haba Village. 15 minutes after starting out you will arrive at a patch of evergreen forest.

The road makes a sharp right turn and enters the forest. For Black Boulder Junction you should turn left off the road just after entering the trees. (If your destination were Yi Village you would continue ascending the road.) The path heads uphill through the forest. After 200 meters, join a road that enters the wide, bare and rocky drainage of the Seji River. Follow the road to the vicinity of a washed-out concrete bridge, marooned with no roads leading up to it. Pack animals must cross the stream directly. A crude log bridge, if available, helps trekkers across. Since the bridge gets washed out by high water, its location changes from year to year.

After crossing the river drainage, follow a path that zigzags up a steep grassy slope dotted with trees. At the top of the slope the path joins a paved road, elev. ca. 2,870 m. Were you to follow the road downhill you would reach the Hui (Muslim) hamlet of Longwangbian. The road continues higher to a guest house, currently under construction, at an elevation of 2,900 meters (27°22’42“N, 100°7’12“E). If you are able to gain a lift to this spot it will save about 45 minutes of walking when starting out from Haba Snow Mountain Inn. Above the guest house continue on a dirt path.

The track ascends well above the Seji River and soon reaches Black Boulder Junction, elevation 2970 meters (27º22’40“N, 100º6’59“E), roughly one hour after starting out at Haba Snow Mountain Inn. The local name for this spot is Labalo, which means “pouncing tiger” in the Naxi language. The junction is located in a field of ferns with a black rock between forks in the path.

The right fork immediately passes a blue water-pipe fixture that emerges above ground, then enters thick evergreen forest a few meters beyond. The left fork crosses an intermittent brook and joins a rocky track.

Trekkers bound for Jianshan Waterfall or Black Lake (黑海) should take the right fork, which is the Jianshan Route.

Those headed to Base Camp (大本营) should take the left fork, which is the Alternate Base Camp Route.