Mnt. Barrill is the northern most peak on the west side of the Ruth Gorge. It's about 2,750' tall from the glacier and hosts and number of routes, most of which are on the impressively steep east side. The most popular and easiest route to the summit is the Japanese Couloir but beware of poor snow conditions if the temperatures have been warm. The Cobra Pillar is becoming a popular rock climbing objective thanks to the release of the new Alaska Supertopo guide, but don't expect this route to go down easy. The success rate on this route is still very low and most parties will take several days to climb it unless they are very strong.

The approach to Mnt. Barrill is one of the easiest in the Gorge. If your coming from the Mountain House travel north near the center of the glacier and follow the glacier around to the east and then south into the Ruth Gorge. Be cautious if trying to short cut farther south near Pt. 6000 as there are numerous large crevasses in that area. Staying near the center of the glacier is the safest route. Once in the Gorge continue south past the east face of Barrill until your directly east of the Japanese Couloir and then head west. This is typically the easiest and safest place to cross the crevasse field to Barrill.