The Wonderland Trail encircles Mt Rainier, stretching 93 miles (150km) long with a cumulative elevation gain (and loss) of over 23,000 ft (7000 meters). There are 20 campsites located along the Wonderland Trail proper, along with two campsites located along the Spray Park Alternative route.
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Choosing the “best” and “worst” is inherently subjective. For the purposes here I have determined the “best” to be any campsite for which I would willingly adjust my mileage or itinerary for in order to secure a spot. These are campsites that are destinations in their own right, and are those I would – and have – hiked to on shorter trips for just such a purpose.
In similar vein, the “worst” campsites are those that I honestly would have rather hiked a few more miles to avoid. Most campsites along the Wonderland Trail fall somewhere in between, and their strengths compared to their limitations rather depends on where it falls within the overall route and the needs of your group.
Permits for the Wonderland Trail require all campsites to be pre-assigned ahead of time and do not allow for adjustments once the trip has begun. At the end of a long, knee pounding day full of strenuous elevation gain and loss, the best campsite could arguably be the one that allows you to complete the entire circuit without injury and without having to add mileage by detouring to a nearby, but ultimately off-trail, campground.
Wonderland Trail Campsite Reviews
The map of the backcountry provided by the NPS outlines the general direction of the trail and location of campsites for planning purposes. A detailed topographical map of the Wonderland Trail is always recommended for hiking in the backcountry.
Quick Links (in clockwise order): Summerland, Indian Bar, Nickel Creek, Maple Creek, Paradise River, Pyramid Creek, Devil’s Dream, South Puyallup River, Klapatche Park, North Puyallup River, Golden Lakes, South Mowich River, Mowich Lake, Ipsut Creek, Eagle’s Roost, Cataract Valley, Carbon River, Dick Creek, Mystic Camp, Granite Creek, Sunrise Camp, White River Camp
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the Best wonderland trail Campsites
Indian Bar Campground
Hailed as one of the premier Wonderland Trail campsites, Indian Bar is one of the hardest campsites to reserve. Boasting a view of the Ohanapecosh River as it cascades down from the rocks, the valley meadows are flush with wildflowers in the mid-Summer and the hills are plump with ripe blueberries shortly thereafter. You’ll lose the summit as you descend into the valley, but gain a reminder that the scenery of the Wonderland Trail offers so much more than views of Mt Rainier.
Campsite 2 is the choice spot, with a large flat area that will easily fit multiple 2-3 person tents and unobstructed views of the river below and mountain peaks above. The group site is also one of the ultimate backcountry luxuries within Mt Rainier, and boasts one of the most scenic thunderboxes in the entire park. A veritable loo with a view!
Even if you don’t end up snagging a reservation at Indian Bar Campground, you’ll most likely be stopping her for an extended break and to filter water before hiking up the ridge towards the Cowlitz Divide or towards Panhandle Gap, depending on which way you’re traveling.
Why You Want to Stay Here: Panoramic views, wildflowers, and glacial rivers. Indian Bar is located along a particular scenic stretch of trail, and camping here is like the cherry on top of the Wonderland sundae.
Summerland Campground
Rivaling Indian Bar for the most desirable Wonderland Trail campsite on the east side, Summerland sits below Meany Crest with clear views of Little Tahoma and Mt Rainier’s summit. At only 4.3 miles from the Frying Pan Creek Trailhead, the campground is located along a popular day-hiking route up to Panhandle Gap, but relative solitude can be found in early morning and late evening hours.
Summerland is also only 4.5 miles from Indian Bar, but early access lottery winners would be wise to slow down on this scenic stretch of trail and try to reserve both going in either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction.
Several campsites have partial views of Mt Rainier’s summit and over the years I’ve seen mountain goats, marmots, an endangered Cascade red fox and even a wolverine on the meadows in and around Summerland. In the spring, the meadows bloom with pasque flower,
Why You Want to Stay Here: Opportunities for wildlife, sunrise views of Mt Rainier’s summit and the abundance of wildflowers or fall foliage, depending on the season.
Klapatche Park Campground
The most lauded campground on the western side of the park is unquestionably Klapatche Park (pronounced kluh-patch-ee). One of the most remote campsites along the Wonderland Trail, the campground sits near the shores of Aurora Lake and the subalpine meadows of Klapatche Park, providing stunning views of the mountain, especially at sunset.
When conditions are right, the sunset turns the mountain dreamy shades of red and purple, and the phenomenon known as alpenglow – where sunlight is reflected back to the high peaks of the mountain after it has dipped below the horizon.
Why You Want to Stay Here: The alpenglow on Mt Rainier at sunset is unparalleled, and speaks for itself as reason enough to try to include this campsite on your itinerary.
Golden Lakes Campground
What makes Golden Lakes so special is not the mountain views, but the crystal clear alpine lake adjacent to the campsite itself. While you could easily walk into the lake waters from anywhere on the shore, there’s a deep swimming hole accessible right behind the patrol cabin. Even if you aren’t inclined to take a dip, the lakeshore itself is an excellent place to relax and watch the dragonflies flitter about.
The campsites themselves are relatively private, and several provide views from above down to nearby lakes.
Why You Want to Stay Here: Sunset views and dips an in alpine lake. On a clear day, the viewpoint near Site 5 lets you see all the way across the Puget Sound to the Olympic Mountains.
Sunrise Camp
Despite its proximity to the Sunrise Visitor Center just over a mile away, Sunrise campground still ranks among one of my favorite spots to camp along the Wonderland Trail. Much like Summerland, the crowds of day hikers thin during the most important times: sunrise and sunset.
The campsites sit above Shadow Lake, and a few have partial views of the lake itself. The campground is also short walk up the Burroughs Mountain Trail to a glacier overlook.
Why You Want to Stay Here: Large, campsites proximately located to a lake, viewpoint and amenities of the Sunrise area.
the Worst wonderland Trail campsites
Chances are, unless you’re an early permit winner who is also willing to put out some serious mileage to avoid these conveniently located campgrounds, your itinerary is going to include a night in at least one of these lackluster campsites. Don’t despair – just temper your expectations ahead of time.
Mowich Lake Campground
Campsite Review: Even with its proximity to the cerulean blue waters of Mowich (rhymes with cow–itch) Lake, the Mowich Lake campground has somehow managed to embrace neither the amenities-rich appeal of a front country camping nor the remote privacy of the backcountry.
The campsites consist of little more than a series of gravel tent pads, each barely largely enough to fit two tents even if crammed up against each other, scattered around a gravel loop road. Vehicles aren’t allowed to drive into the campground area, but the parking lot is a stones throw away. Bring your earplugs if you don’t want to hear the noise of every other camper (and dayhiker) in the area.
To its credit, there’s picnic tables and the privy style bathrooms are generally clean, spacious and stocked with both toilet paper and hand sanitizer. At least that’s something.
Why You Might Still Choose to Stay Here: With over 21 campsites, the sheer number available means this camp is often open long after others are fully reserved. It may be your best bet from a mileage perspective. This is also a resupply point, which could prove convenient depending when you expect to arrive.
Devil’s Dream Campground
Campsite Review: It’s all in the name. In the summer months this site is buggy as well as dry. It’s also the only campground where the campsites themselves are located alongside the Wonderland Trail, offering little privacy. A real trifecta. A few sites (4, 5, and 6) are located a short distance off the trail and are also nearest to the privy and bear pole. These are more tolerable, but it’s still the only campsite where the mosquitoes and flies made it impossible to cook, eat, and lounge at camp. There’s a reason most of my photos of this campground were taken from inside the tent.
Why You Might Still Choose to Stay Here: Once again, mileage considerations are the likely reason to land at Devil’s Dream. If you need a place to dive into your tent for the night, it serves that purpose well enough. Use the “trail telegraph” (hikers you meet going in the opposite direction) to get the scoop on water availability and mosquito levels from those who camped here recently. Your best bet is likely to cook dinner elsewhere, such as Indian Henry’s.
Paradise River Campground
Campsite Review: Don’t let the name fool you – while this campground may once have been located within earshot of the river, but after being relocated in 2021 due to hazard trees we have taken to nicknaming its new location “Hell’s Hill” (keeping in the spirit of the aforementioned Devil’s Dream). The blink-and-you’ll-miss-it entrance to the campground marks the beginning of a lengthy uphill climb that meanders so far off trail you’ll wonder if you didn’t accidentally head down an unofficial path instead. Spotting the bear pole and group site will reassure you that you are indeed at the camp, but the levelest campsites are even further uphill and the toilet is further still.
If the relatively gentle inclines between Longmire and Reflection Lake were causing you to become complacent, Paradise River Campground is there to remind you that on the Wonderland Trail, there is no such thing as a level trail. The only good water source is located a few paces down the main trail outside of the campground.
Why You Might Still Choose to Stay Here: The location of Paradise River makes for good mileage on a number of itineraries in both the clockwise and counterclockwise direction.
Cataract Valley Campground
Cataract Valley gets the honor of having the worst toilets anywhere along the Wonderland Trail in my experience. The cheerful eeps of the pikas inhabiting the adjacent rocks simply cannot make up for the “his and hers” design of the privy, where two open air toilets are curiously positioned back to back (or butt to butt). This was also the only privy site where the flies were prominent in all stages of development. That is the least-gross way I can describe it. For that reason alone, it has ended up on my ‘worst of’ list.
Otherwise, many of the campsites are themselves quite spacious and well designed, although most of the sites are located close to one another as well as to the group site. This campground also offers the unique layout requiring both a creek crossing and a log bridge across a secondary stream in order to get to the toilets from Sites 1 and 2.
Why You Might Still Choose to Stay Here: It’s location along the Spray Park Alternative makes this campsite logistically desirable, especially if traveling in a counter-clockwise direction. Unlike its counterpart on the other side (Eagle’s Roost), water is conveniently located within the campground itself.
Carbon River Campground
The most characteristic feature of Carbon River Camp is the abundance of fallen trees. It can also be quite a walk back to the water source of the cascades, toilet or bear pole depending on the site you select. Ever since the Wonderland Trail was rerouted in 2006, the Carbon River Camp is no longer accessed directly from the main trail. I always want to like this campground more than I do. But given it’s location in the old growth forest, and the beauty of the forests on the way to camp, the campsite itself is a letdown.
Why You Might Still Choose to Stay Here: Carbon River Camp is located just off the Spray Park Alternative, so if Cataract Valley is full, Carbon River is a good alternative. If hiking the classic Wonderland Trail route through via Ipsut Pass it requires a short quarter mile hike across the Carbon River suspension bridge to reach.
Perfectly fine WONDERLAND TRAIL Campsites
And then there’s the rest. Rounding out the lineup of Wonderland Trail campgrounds are the river valley and forested campsites. With a few exceptions, they are largely indistinguishable from each outside of their location on the trail. These are all good, and sometimes even better than good depending on which site you get. Those marked with an asterisk * are those in which I haven’t yet spent the night.
Mystic Camp
Some backpackers place this camp among their best desirable, and I’ll give it a solid Honorable Mention. The sites are large and flat and proximally located to a pretty little stream past Site 7 for water. However, don’t expect lakefront views such as those available at Golden Lakes. The campground itself is a half-mile downhill from the Mystic Lake and the Mystic Patrol Cabin.
What to Consider When Staying Here: The location to Mystic Lake provides scenic opportunities for dinner and/or breakfast snacks depending on direction of travel, but the campsites itself are treed with no waterfront views.
Granite Creek Campground
There is nothing particularly memorable about Granite Creek, which is perhaps it’s most remarkable quality. It’s a forested site that could be anywhere, and while there’s nothing spectacular about it there is equally nothing unpleasant. The three sites are large and well spaced from each other, and the nearby creek serves as a scenic water source. At the right time of year, wildflowers can be found blooming underneath the trees.
What to Consider When Staying Here: Granite Creek is conveniently located roughly halfway between the elevation change between Skyscraper Pass and Winthrop Glacier.
South Mowich River Campground
Camping at South Mowich River can be a real mixed bag. It’s essentially located on a island between two forks of the Mowich River in a shady, mossy nook. Despite being surrounded by the rushing glacial water, the campground itself is dry. Tree-fall has also created a messy, cramped feel at several of the sites, and yet it also offers the only first-come first-serve shelter site remaining in the park (there are group shelters at Indian Bar and Summerland).
When I was there last, there was only one other camper in the entire campground. Sleeping in the shelter was an enjoyable experience, and privacy was easy to come by. I loved the stay, even after having to schlep an extra mile round trip to get water. Had the campground been full, however, I could easily see this ending up on the ‘worst of’ list.
What to Consider When Staying Here: If traveling solo or if lucky enough to snag the shelter (Site 1) or riverfront site (Site 4), you’re in for a treat. If, however, you end up relegated to Sites 2 or 3, you may find it challenging to find flat spots for your tents. The best source of water is located half a mile away in a counter-clockwise direction.
North Puyallup River Campground*
North Puyallup River Camp (pronounced pew-Al–up, Al as in Albert) was originally planned as drive-in campground along the defunct Westside Road. In fact the group site is located on the old gravel roadbed. The other peculiarity about the campground is that there are no toilets or privies in the individual campsite area. There are, however, two toilets located 400 ft behind the group campsite but you wouldn’t know that from any of the signage.
The old hand-laid stone retaining walls, however, make the ideal spot to take a break. I usually aim to time my arrival through North Puyallup for lunch.
What to Consider When Staying Here: Toilets are located across the bridge, past the group campground approximately 0.2 miles from the individual sites. I’ve always found them to be well maintained, probably because few people realize that they are there.
South Puyallup River Campground
What makes the South Puyallup River Camp special is the huge columnar andesite lava formation that towers over the trail to the toilets. It breaks into boulders so square that they feel like they feel artificial. The campground is otherwise your typical, forested river valley site.
What to Consider When Staying Here: The lava formation is also known as the “Devil’s Pipe Organ” and is the terminus of a day hike that begins along the Westside Road. If in the campground midday, expect to see day-hikers present.
Maple Creek Campground
Located next to the creek crossing, which also serves as the water source, Maple Creek Camp feels either like a staging area for or an oasis from (depending on the direction you’re hiking) the narrow, rocky, wet and overgrown brushy stretch of trail below Stevens Canyon Rd. This section has been made even more tiresome with the slide area that detours the trail down to Stevens Creek. All that to say, I’m always relieved when I arrive at Maple Creek camp when hiking counterclockwise.
What to Consider When Staying Here: Not all campsites are created equal. Site 4 has a private view overlooking the valley, whereas Sites 2 and 3 are smaller and located inches away from the main path through the campground to the toilets and bear pole.
Eagle’s Roost Campground
Eagle’s Roost is the counterpart to Cataract Valley on the Spray Park Alternative. Located a short distance up the trail from Eagle’s Cliff lookout, Eagle’s Roost Camp offers partial mountain views through the trees on a clear day, with a particularly good view from the toilet. Less desirable is the fact that the water is located almost a quarter mile away which requires a decent amount of uphill climbing out of camp depending on which campsite you get.
What to Consider When Staying Here: Eagle’s Roost is located a tenth of a mile downhill from the Spray Park Alternative, off the primary Wonderland Trail. This campground itself is dry.
White River Backpacker Campground
The White River Backpacker Camp is located within the larger White River Campground, even though the reservation system is separate. It is essentially a few designated walk-in sites within the larger front country drive-in campground.
This is the only campground located along the Wonderland Trail that provides running water, picnic tables, flush toilets and bear boxes. It’s also predictably the loudest; it can be a bit jarring to be surrounded by generators and vehicles. Make the most of any White River campground stay by planning a luxurious resupply and some good meals for dinner and breakfast.
What to Consider When Staying Here: The walk-in section of the White River Campground is located behind a historic White River Patrol Cabin between the C and D loops.
Dick Creek*
Dick Creek Camp is another one of those “your mileage may vary” campgrounds. There are only two campsites at Dick Creek – one with a view of the Carbon Glacier and the larger one. On a clear day, you can see over the cliffs down towards the Carbon Glacier. On days where the weather is subpar, there is little protection from the moisture or the winds.
What to Consider When Staying Here: If traveling in a clockwise direction, camping at Dick Creek breaks up the uphill climb between Carbon River and Mystic.
Nickel Creek*
Many of the campsites at Nickel Creek have open expansive views of the meadows and creek below – if they were facing Rainier, it’d likely end up at on the ‘best of’ list. This is a really nice camp, despite the fact that Nickel Creek is often viewed as the consolation prize for those who unable to secure Indian Bar.
What to Consider When Staying Here: Nickel Creek is only 1.5 miles from Box Canyon. The water source of Nickel Creek Camp is is located a short distance outside the campground.
Pyramid Creek Campground*
Pyramid Creek’s most distinguishing quality is not being Devil’s Dream. Even when the mosquitoes were swarming further up the trail, Pyramid Creek was peaceful and bug free. It’s a nice quiet campground 4 miles from Longmire.
What to Consider When Staying Here: If you’re able to do the additional mileage, you can avoid Devil’s Dream by staying here instead.
Ipsut Creek Campground*
This is the only campground along the Wonderland Trail that I have no direct experience with because it’s located a 0.3 miles off the trail en route to Ipsut Pass.
Before the Carbon River Rd closed due to frequent washouts, you could drive in to camp at Ipsut Creek Campground. Even though it’s now managed as a backcountry site, it still has many of the amenities of a front country camp, including picnic tables and bear boxes.
What to Consider When Staying Here: As a former car camping campground, the sites are large and include more amenities than other backcountry camps along the Wonderland Trail. This campground is not on the route of the Spray Park Alternative.
Planning to tackle Mount Rainier’s ultimate thru-hike? Check out our Guide to Backpacking the Wonderland Trail