It flows through the Shuswap Highland region north of Kamloops.

[5] In 1828 Hudson's Bay Company fur trader Archibald McDonald named the mouth of the river Barrière because rocks there were an impediment to navigation.

Another possibility is that the name relates to fish traps placed across the river by the Secwepemc people.

[15][16][17] It is joined by Leonie Creek just north of the town of Barriere.

[22][23] In the early 19th century the Barrière River was often difficult to cross by fur traders travelling the Hudson's Bay Brigade Trail between Alexandria and Kamloops.