[ragman and rodman]

At 6521 feet, Barrier Peak is located at the south end of Governors Ridge in Mt. Rainier National Park... and appears to be the easiest prominent point to reach along the ridge. Trailhead: From the White River entrance to the park... drive two miles and park on the right side of the road... then cross the road to the trailhead (~3700'). Trip Summary: 1... start from the trailhead at ~3700' and hike on a perfect trail that has nicely graded switchbacks when necessary. 2... at 3.25 miles (~5280'), reach a stunning flower garden and Owyhigh Lakes. 3... at 3.75 miles (~5320'), leave the maintained trail and hike east on a faint boot-path... gradually gaining elevation on the south side of Barrier Peak. 4... at 4.25 miles (~5900'), leave the boot-path and work your way to the ridge. 5... at 4.5 miles (~6200') reach the ridge west of the summit. 6... at 4.75 miles, reach the Barrier Peak summit (6521'). For those who have done Tamanos Mtn via its well-defined boot-path, the take-off point for Barrier Peak is located in the same place, just on the opposite side of the maintained trail... and while the Barrier boot-path is very faint-to-nonexistent at the beginning, it improves as you get a couple hundred feet above the maintained trail. Very nice views from Barrier Peak... similar to those from Tamanos Mtn... however, if I only had the opportunity to do one them, I would pick Tamanos over Barrier. The flower display near Owyhigh Lakes was stunning. Seems like MRNP is getting more attention from nwhikers this year than in years past... nice to see considering the special place it is. 9.5 miles roundtrip, gaining 3027 feet of elevation. GPS route and photos of our hike to Barrier Peak. ..

[Canuck]

Nice pictures. I remember being at Owyhigh Lakes a couple years ago when the flowers were at their peak. It was a great show!!

[Magellan]

Thanks R&R! It's on the list.