The John Muir Trail passes west of this peak, providing an additional approach to the mountain.

Bolton Coit Brown gave this mountain its descriptive name in 1895 when he later wrote: "That nearest the pass is strikingly barred across its steep craggy summit with light streaks.

[8] Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel east toward the Sierra Nevada mountains.

As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range (orographic lift).

Precipitation runoff from this mountain drains west into the South Fork Kings River, and east to the Owens Valley via Goodale and Taboose Creeks.