Hiking Mount Barbour near Pemberton
Contents
Mount Barbour Hike Information (From the Lake)
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 12.20Km
Elevation Gain: 715m
Highest Elevation: 2,290m
Average Gradient: 11.72%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Moderate / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 5 – 6 Hours
– Moderate: 4 – 5 Hours
– Fast: 3 – 4 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: No
Season: ~July – October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No – But it helps
Scrambling / Exposure: Easy, unexposed Class 2 scrambling
Mount Barbour Trail
Barbour - McLeod - Copper Mound Traverse
The below coordinates go to the start of Branch 12 on the Hurley River Road. If you have a capable vehicle you can drive Branch 12 to the end, where the parking lot is. If not, park at the start of Branch 12 and hike from there.
Trailhead Coordinates: 50°33’23.7″N 123°01’16.0″W
Mount Barbour Overview
Mount Barbour is a summit situated in the Pemberton Valley, typically hiked by those camping at Tenquille Lake as part of an overnight trip to the region. That being said, Mount Barbour is a manageable day hike from the Tenquille Lake trailhead as well. It may also be feasible to access Mount Barbour from the Tenas Creek FSR (used to access Sun God and Seven O’Clock Mountain), but this isn’t frequently done and won’t be described here.
The stats above assume starting and finishing at the lake, so if you plan to complete this as a day hike from the trailhead, you will need to add on the stats for hiking to Tenquille Lake also.
The route to Mount Barbour mostly follows an obvious trail to a col between Barbour and an unnamed bump west of it. From here, you can self navigate to the top with some simple Class 2 scrambling with no exposure. The views from the summit, and indeed for much of the approach, are breathtaking.
Adventurous parties can combine Mount Barbour with a traverse of Mount McLeod and Copper Mound, forming a loop that starts and ends at Tenquille Lake. I will include a GPX for this as well for anyone interested in the route, but obviously this is a lot more involved than a simple out-and-back to Barbour alone. There is a lot of route finding, tons of undulation and no trail to follow for the traverse, as well as some scree scrambling to get up the eastern ridge of Mount McLeod.
In terms of seasonality, Mount Barbour is best saved for mid-summer onwards, typically July to October. The mosquitos can be horrific in the Pemberton Valley in early summer (July), so if you want to avoid this I would suggest going between mid-August to the end of September for the best conditions. Snow will likely still be around in June, and while the lake may be accessible, reaching Mount Barbour could come with some navigational complexities if the trail is still snow covered.
Dogs are not welcome at Tenquille Lake and thus the same goes for Mount Barbour.
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Is Mount Barbour worthwhile?
Mount Barbour is one of the easiest and most rewarding peaks to hike from Tenquille Lake, with an obvious trail going the majority of the way to the summit. It also passes by multiple colourful tarns and generally has scenic views for much of the trail. From the peaks on the south side of the lake (Barbour, McLeod and Copper Mound), Mount Barbour is the most rewarding. Of course, if you want to summit all three peaks, go ahead and do the traverse.
How difficult is the hike to Mount Barbour?
As a standalone hike beginning and ending at the lake Mount Barbour is an entirely moderate hike, with relatively straightforward stats and an approachable gradient. Of course if you plan to do this as a day hike from the Tenquille Lake trailhead, you can add at least 12.60km and 750m (assuming you can reach the actual trailhead in your vehicle) to the day, making this a difficult, albeit still not particularly steep day hike.
Technically speaking Mount Barbour is also pretty simple. It’s all hiking along a trail to the western ridge, followed by a very straightforward scramble to the top with no exposure.
Mount Barbour Route Information
From Tenquille Lake (or cabin), you’ll want to follow the trail around the northern shore of the lake until you get to the junction at the southeast end of the lake. Here you want to make sure you don’t continue along the lakeshore trail, instead taking the spur to the left leading towards Mount Barbour.
You’ll immediately pass by another junction, where you’ll want to continue straight. The other trail to the left is the Tenquille Creek trail that approaches Tenquille Lake from Birkenhead Lake FSR, and used to be a route to the lake, but I believe has long been decommissioned now that the Hurley River Road access is available.
Continuing along the Mount Barbour trail, it stays mostly flat for the next 1.5km or so, all the while following a pleasant, shaded forest trail. After crossing a few creeks you’ll begin to climb, and after 150m or so you’ll break out of the forest and find yourself next to a fast flowing creek at the base of a valley below Barbour and several subsidiary bumps.
The trail continues to wind through this valley, with the views now beautiful and open. You’ll soon see Mount Barbour in the distance, and in short order you’ll find yourself at another junction. Keep right here, as going left will follow the Owl – Tenquille traverse.
You’ll now continue to climb while following a well worn trail next to a creek flowing from the snow patches and pocket glaciers around Mount Barbour. The views will be endless and the climb will be moderate. At around the 1,950m mark you’ll reach the first of a series of tarns, which get increasingly nicer as you continue to climb. At the fourth and final tarn, the largest and most colourful of all, the trail will largely peter out as the meadows give way to talus.
After gaining the col between Barbour and the unnamed bump west of it, make sure you don’t begin following the trail to this bump. This is merely a viewpoint and isn’t as nice as Barbour, but feel free to add it on if you wish (if you’re doing the traverse, you’ll go up this way after summiting Barbour).
Instead, turn your attention to the east and begin working your way steeply up the talus slopes in the direction of the obvious western ridge of Barbour. Travel will be fairly steep, without any trail or cairns to guide the way, but route finding should be simple. As you near the western ridge there are a number of ways to gain it, so pick whichever looks most inviting as it’s not particularly difficult. You may find a large cairn at the beginning of the ridge.
Once you’ve gained the ridge, the route is obvious as there’s only really one way up. It’s mostly steep hiking, but you may need to use your hands here and there for balance. In no time you will reach the summit, where the 360 degree views will be stunning. The main prize will be the nearby Sun God and Seven O’Clock Mountain, but Chipmunk Mountain, Goat Mountain, Tenquille Mountain, Mount Sampson and plenty more will no doubt draw your gaze.
After resting up and soaking it all in, you can simply head back the way you came.
Adding the Traverse to Mount McLeod & Copper Mound
I’ve included the traverse of Mount McLeod and Copper Mound for those interested, but note that this includes the hike from the Tenquille Lake trailhead, which you’ll want to ignore if you’re staying at the lake.
This traverse is mostly just hiking and route finding through backcountry terrain and offers constant views and zero shade the entire time. In total it will add around 750m of elevation gain thanks to multiple sizable drops and climbs along the way, but distance wise it shouldn’t add too much as it ultimately is heading back towards Tenquille Lake. You should probably budget an additional 2 – 3 hours to the above times if you want to do this traverse.
The most technical part of the traverse is ascending McLeod Peak. The standard way up McLeod goes from the McLeod – Copper col and is just hiking, but this traverse ascends from the eastern side and descends the western side. The ascent is steep and loose, requiring the use of hands. It’s never really exposed to any significant fall though.
Descending McLeod is simple, then ascending Copper Mound is all just hiking once again. You descend back to the lake via Fossil Pass, much of it following a trail once you’re back to the meadows.
When should I hike Mount Barbour?
July to October is the peak season for the Tenquille Lake area, however I would suggest avoiding July and early August if you want to avoid mosquitos. As such, mid-August to early October is the best time to visit. Unfortunately this can coincide with forest fire smoke, so do check the smoke forecast if this is an issue.
Top Tip
Tenquille Lake is commonly frequented by grizzly bears, so prepare accordingly and preferably travel in groups.
While the hike to Mount Barbour is largely in shade (until you reach the meadows/valley), the traverse is entirely in the sun. If you plan to do it, prepare for multiple hours with zero shade and limited water sources once you leave the tarns below Barbour. There is one tarn before McLeod, but it may need filtering if the snow has fully melted.
