On September 1, 2025 my co-worker and I had Labor Day off, and as we were brainstorming what to do, we both discussed that McHenrys Peak had been on our to-do list, and with the good weather forecast, we decided to go for it.

We got an early start in an effort to get to Black Lake before the sun rose. We parked at the Glacier Gorge parking lot, and started at 4:31am. We put the headlamps on, and with the help of the fire trail, made it up to Black Lake a little after 6:00am. Pictured left is the shores of Black Lake. the 'Stone Man' from Stoneman Pass is seen center in this photo (the slight spire in the sky). McHenrys is to the right. The next destination is to head towards Stoneman Pass, which is going to be visible for much of the approach.

The Glacier Gorge shelf that is above Black Lake is certainly some of the best views in the park. This shelf gets you access to many peaks and technical climbing routes in the area. Throughout the day we would see multiple parties climbing up the nearby Spearhead, McHenrys Peak climbing routes, and Arrowhead.

Our plan was to simply follow the Black Lake Trail east, going up a cascading creek until we got to the shelf. Once we ascended, we followed the unmaintained trail towards Frozen Lake. We heard of different routes from here over to Stone Man Pass, but frankly, you can simply eyeball where the Stone Man is and aim for the ramps below it. We skirted Frozen Lake just to its north, and headed west. Pictured right is 'Arrowhead' (on the left) as we were getting closer to the Stone Man.

Pictured left is when you've arrived at Stone Man Pass. I really shouldn't need to say it yet again, but the spire on the right is the famed Stone Man. When you arrive at it, you cross over the divide (to the west side) to begin your true ascent route.

Looking at the peak from the Stone Man, you may be wondering what the best ascent route is. The best recommendation I have is to try to stay high, but not as high as the ridge leading up to the false summit. This is where the Beta for this hike is going to be a little rough because there are a lot of possible little gullies and they all look the same...

We got a little cocky after the Stone Man, and I had heard that some people have ascended/descended Black Lake on the west slopes as a short cut. There was allegedly breaks in the steep cliff bands that allow you to gain the shelf more quickly if you're heading in this direction. We did not have any Beta on this path, but we decided to go for it and make the day a true adventure. 

We made our way over to the top of the cliffs, fighting our way through Krumholtz and other vegetation. There isn't much of an established route making your way over, so we just aimed for the high point. After a brief re-route, we found the grassy ledges that allowed us to descend through the steep cliffs. 

Starting out, we were nervous because we weren't sure if we could figure out the puzzle. However, once we followed the faint trail and scarce cairns, the trail became more and more defined, and our confidence rose the further down we went. 

The distance from Black Lake to Stone Man Pass via our Frozen Lake skirt was about 2 miles, and the distance from Stone Man Pass to the shores of Black Lake via this shortcut was about 1 mile. That said, if you are in bad weather and desperately need to get to trees, this could be a valuable escape route back to Black Lake. It's a bit loose in sections, and the rocks can be quite treacherous if wet during rain. Additionally, as you can see in the photo to the left, it does offer phenomenal views of Black Lake with Longs looming overhead.