Barrier Peak

Barrier Peak rises to 1,988 m in Washington. Mount Rainier stands 4,392 m to the west, 8.5 miles off. The nearest named place is Buell Peak, a peak 0.9 miles away. Chinook Scenic Byway passes 1.8 miles off.
The story
Barrier Peak is a small 6,521-foot (1,988-metre) summit located in Mount Rainier National Park in Pierce County of Washington state. It is part of the Cascade Range and is situated west of Cayuse Pass, 0.53 mile west-northwest of Buell Peak, and 0.4 mile south-southwest of Governors Ridge, which is its nearest higher peak. Precipitation runoff from Barrier Peak drains into tributaries of the White River and Cowlitz River. The normal climbing access is from the Owyhigh Lakes Trail. The peak was so named because it served as a barrier between the Cayuse Pass region and the rest of Mount Rainier National Park.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q30126561, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 1987.6 m
How to reach it
- 1.8 mi off the Chinook Scenic Byway, National
- 1.8 mi off the JCT SR 12 OHANAPECOSH JCT VIC WHITE PASS TO JCT SR 410 VIC CHINOOK PASS
- 1.8 mi off the JCT SR 12 VIC MORTON TO JCT SR 410 VIC CHINOOK PASS
- 1.8 mi off the JCT MUD MTN RD VIC ENUMCLAW TO JCT SR 12 VIC NACHES
Overlooks nearby
- Sourdough Gap · 5 mi
- Silver Falls Overlook · 7 mi
- Palisades Viewpoint · 12 mi
- South Snoquera Point · 13 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Buell Peak: 0.9 mi
- Third Cowlitz Chimney: 1.2 mi
- The Barrier: 1.2 mi
- Tamanos Mountain: 1.3 mi
- North Cowlitz Chimney: 1.4 mi
- Sydney Falls: 1.6 mi
- Deer Creek Falls: 2.6 mi
- Chinook Cascades: 2.7 mi
- Stafford Falls: 3.0 mi
- Wauhaukaupauken Falls: 3.7 mi
- Sunrise Point: 4.0 mi
- The Palisades: 6.6 mi
- Nisqually Ice Cliff: 8.1 mi
- Nisqually Cleaver: 8.3 mi
- Russell Cliff: 8.6 mi
- Sunrise Picnic Area: 5.0 mi
- Paradise Picnic Area: 9.4 mi
- Corral Pass Picnic Area: 11.8 mi
- White Pass Day Use: 17.5 mi
- Group Picnic Area: 20.8 mi
- Log Spring: 10.2 mi
- Soda Springs: 11.6 mi
- Bum Springs: 13.0 mi
- Iron Mike Springs: 13.4 mi
- Clover Spring: 17.9 mi
- Stephen Tyng Mather Memorial: 2.8 mi
- Stevens-Van Trump Historical Monument: 8.0 mi
- Cross-section of 1293 Douglas Fir: 13.5 mi
- Marine Memorial Airplane Crash Monument: 15.7 mi
- Longmire Museum: 13.5 mi
- Transportation Exhibit: 13.5 mi
- Historic Packwood Station: 17.7 mi
- White Pass Country Historical Museum: 18.1 mi
- Packwood Cowlitz River Public Access Point: 17.7 mi
- Pyramid Creek SnoPark: 18.4 mi
- Salmon Falls Interpretive Site: 23.2 mi
- Boulder Cave Day Use Area: 24.3 mi
- Fairfax: 23.2 mi
- Hot Springs: 23.9 mi
- Lester: 24.5 mi
- Melmont: 24.5 mi
- Big Cedar: 6.8 mi
- The Trident: 7.1 mi
- Coffee Cup: 8.3 mi
- Bevin Lake Rest Area: 22.5 mi
- Mather Memorial East Portal Information Site: 24.1 mi
- Ohanapecosh Hot Springs: 8.5 mi
- Jean Caithness Greenlees Grove: 21.1 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 8.9 miles of Barrier Peak. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Rainier | W 267° | 4,392 m | 8.5 mi |
| Columbia Crest | W 267° | 4,392 m | 8.7 mi |
| Gibraltar Rock | W 263° | 3,863 m | 8.0 mi |
| Little Tahoma | W 264° | 3,395 m | 6.4 mi |
| Steamboat Prow | W 277° | 2,940 m | 7.4 mi |
| Anvil Rock | WSW 254° | 2,921 m | 7.3 mi |
| Whitman Crest | W 262° | 2,841 m | 5.3 mi |
| K Spire | W 269° | 2,708 m | 5.8 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:10 | 18:39 | 19:19 |
| June solstice | 05:13 | 20:18 | 21:05 |
| September equinox | 06:54 | 18:26 | 19:06 |
| December solstice | 07:49 | 15:29 | 16:21 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Jul–Aug.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 29 | 28 | 30 | 33 | 41 | 45 | 53 | 54 | 49 | 40 | 32 | 27 |
| Precip in | 17.2 | 12.9 | 13.2 | 8.3 | 5.1 | 3.8 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 4.4 | 11.3 | 18.2 | 18.9 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Rainier Paradise RS, 9 mi away.
Inside the official boundary of Mount Rainier National Park. Quietest months by visitation: Feb and Dec; busiest: Jul.
NPS visitation statistics, monthly averages 2021–2025 (2020 excluded).
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/348178717
Day trips start here
- Mount Rainier National Park · 6 mi
Take the scenic way to Barrier Peak.
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