“East Barnard”

Overview

“East Barnard” is an unnamed peak just 0.6 miles east of Mt. Barnard, but sufficiently separated (rising approximately 486' above the saddle connecting them) to be considered a separate California Thirteener.

Getting There

Although there are some excellent rock climbing routes on its east face (shown in the primary image), “East Barnard” is probably climbed most often as a traverse from Mt. Barnard onto the class 2 north slopes. Since there are at least six other California Thirteeners within striking distance of Shepherd Pass, peakbaggers may wish to refer to my description of “Polychrome Peak” for approach information.

I highly recommend R. J. Secor’s The High Sierra, Peaks Passes & Trails (now in its third edition). This is the definitive climbing guide to the Sierra and was the source for many of the details on my SummitPost pages.

Red Tape

Like most places in the Sierra, you need a Wilderness Permit for overnight camping in the summer.

The approach from Shepherd Pass across the Williamson Bowl, Lake Helen of Troy and Trojan Peak crosses a portion of the California Bighorn Sheep Zoological Area that is only open from December 15th through July 15th each year. If you want to climb after July 15th, you’ll probably want to access Mt. Barnard and “East Barnard” from the John Muir Trail via the class 1 southwest slopes above Wallace Creek.

Detailed information on permits, regulations and trailhead access can be found on Matthew Holliman’s excellent Eastern Sierra logistics page.

Camping

It’s possible to climb Trojan Peak, Mt. Barnard and “East Barnard” on the same climbing day from Lake Helen of Troy, which (though devoid of vegetation) is a good campsite with excellent views of the huge peaks surrounding the Williamson Bowl.

Images

View “East Barnard” Image Gallery - 2 Images