Barrier Mountain and other peaks in the Ya Ha Tinda area didn't get as much snow as elsewhere recently, so it was a good option for a Sunday stroll. We started at the Bighorn Campground and crossed the frigid Red Deer River at sunrise. From there we followed various horse & animal trails up onto the grassy ridge north-east of Barrier, with occasional stints of bushwhacking.
The grassy ridge was easy walking and eventually became a scree grind up the cliff band below the ridge. We explored some options and found we could ascend either by scrambling a weakness in the cliff band (4th class) or by traversing around the right side onto scree slopes. Once above the band, it was short distance to the main ridge and then a few fun scrambling options on the way to the summit.
On the way down we followed a trail around the grassy ridge to the Sheep cliffs area, where we were the sheep made an appearance, showing off their impressive scrambling skills along the ridge. Despite the trail below the cliffs being seriously muddy, horse churned and braided, I would recommend using the Sheep cliffs route for ascent and descent rather than our more bushwhacky approach.