Tamanos Mountain, Governors Ridge, Barrier Peak & Buell Peak

Trip

Alpine Scramble - Tamanos-Banshee Traverse

Seldom done traverse bagging a Smoot and a Goldman peak near Rainier

  • Strenuous 5, Technical 3
  • Challenging
  • Mileage: 17.0 mi
  • Elevation Gain: 5,300 ft
  • High Point Elevation: 7,400 ft
  • Pace: Moderate (~ 1,200 ft/hr on trail)
  • FULL (4 capacity)
  • FULL (2 capacity)
  • Sat, Jun 21, 2025 at 9:48 AM
  • Wed, Jul 2, 2025 at 5:00 PM
  • Cancellation & Refund Policy
  • iCal Google
  • Many trips go up to Tamanos Mountain (a Smoot!) or Banshee Peak (a Goldman!) but few combine them in a single day
  • The primary objective is Tamanos and we might decide to turn around there if the conditions are not ideal for the traverse
  • For details on the route and photos from a past trip check out: [trip report]
  • Note that that trip and the default route description ascend the northern aspect of Tamanos; we will not do that and instead come up the default route on the south (thus instead of T4 this trip will be a T3)
  • Expect a long day; pace will be moderate (~1200ft / hr on trail) with 5 - 10 minute breaks every hour
  • We will set up a car shuttle to allow one-way travel from Owyhigh Lakes TH to Fryingpan Creek TH
  • The preferred date for this trip is July 5, but if conditions are substantially better on July 6 the trip will be moved to that day instead
  • Leader permission required: include notes about past trips with comparable elevation gain and/or conditioning plan leading up to the trip date
  • More of the logistics discussed over email

6am White River Ranger Station

Route/Place

Tamanos Mountain, Governors Ridge, Barrier Peak & Buell Peak



  • Green Trails Mount Rainier Wonderland No. 269SX

    USGS White River Park

    USGS Chinook Pass
  • See full route/place details.
Roster
Required Equipment

Required Equipment

  • The Ten Essentials
  • Helmet
  • Mountaineering Boots
  • Ice Axe
  • Crampons
  • Hiking poles (optional but highly recommended)
Trip Reports