//
Black Lake is a mountain lake, elev 4,100 meters, in a wide basin several km northwest of Haba Snow Mountain. Excellent views of the peak and lower rugged crags from the shore and surrounding slopes. A good time to visit would be May and June, when nearby forests burst into color with rhododendron and azalea blossoms. A brisk walk around the entire lake takes half an hour. Three trails or routes lead to the lake from Haba Village. The shortest, via Jian Shan Waterfall (尖山瀑布), is fairly steep and takes six hours. A longer and more gradual route via Lan Hua Meadow (兰花坪) and an unnamed pass (4,230 m) takes eight hours. Black Lake can also be reached from base camp (4,100 m) in four hours round-trip. This makes a good acclimatization day for climbers intent on reaching the 5,396 m summit. Black Lake can be visited in one very long day, but two or three days may provide a more enjoyable outing. Don't expect to find primeval wilderness here. Ramshackle huts dot the area and herds of yak may be encountered anywhere. Hiring a guide is mandatory for most hikers as mountain trails are unmarked and divergent paths confusing. For multi-day treks, you can hire a mule and handler to haul gear. A separate guide may prove helpful as personal assistant, cook and interpreter of the landscape. Bear in mind that none of the local guides speak English. Guides in their twenties and thirties most likely speak standard Mandarin (Putonghua). Older ones speak dialect that may be incomprehensible to outsiders. For a useful map of the area go to www.OpenTopoMap.org. It shows the lake and trails. Cost of three-day trek to Black Lake: mule and handler 3 x 300; guide 3 x 300; food 3 x 100; tent and sleeping bag rental 200. Total ¥2300 (Nov 2017).