The steep mountain overlooking Barnhartvale is called Sunrise Mountain by locals.   In older hiking books, it was also called Middle Mountain.   On the topo maps, the cluster of hills is called Juniper Hills.    There are several routes up to the top of these hills, but the most dramatic and satisfying is the north ridge of Sunrise Mountain.  It is steep, but there are great views the whole way up.    The best trail access is to go up Tod Road, then turn onto Ronde Lane.   Park at the end of Ronde Lane and look for a small trail starting near the last driveway.   If follows the top of an old flume, then angles up to a viewpoint on top of the ridge.   Once on the ridge top, stay on the crest and start climbing.

The whole route is only 3km each way, but it is steep all the way.   At times the trail may fade a bit, but stay on the crest and keep climbing.   Near the top, the trail angles toward a gully on the west side.   this is the easier route as it crosses the gully and comes around to the back side of Sunrise Mountain.   We placed some flagging tape, but any route up would work fine.   An alternate route is to go straight up the ridge without crossing the gully.   There is no trail, but the route is simple enough and it only takes about 15 minutes.   We climbed the whole way in 1.25 hours up and about 1 hour down.   This route is best done with good hiking boots and a trekking pole.  Did I say it was steep?

One winter day, I slogged to the top for the view: