The Wonderland Trail is a strenuous 93 mile route that circumnavigates Mount Rainier. The cumulative 22,000 ft (7000m) elevation gain (and loss) passes through old growth temperate forests, subalpine meadows, glacial river valleys and alpine ridges, all while offering ever changing views of one of the most glaciated peaks in the contiguous US. Over 10,000 people each year vie for an opportunity to complete this bucket-list worthy hike.
We thru-hiked the Wonderland Trail in 9 days in September 2021 and again over a period of 12 days in August 2024.
How to Hike the Wonderland Trail
Wonderland Trail Overview
wonderland at a Glance
| Distance | 93 miles (150 km) |
| Elevation Change | 22,000 ft (6700 m) gain/loss |
| Avg Time to Complete | 7-10 days |
| Location | Mount Rainier National Park, Washington |
| Permits | Required |
| Type | Loop |
| Resupply Available | Yes |
Trail Stats
The official distance of the Wonderland Trail is approximately 93 miles with a cumulative elevation gain of over 22,000 ft (23,000 ft if hiking the Spray Park Alternative). The trail undulates up and over the alpine ridges and down into the glacial river valleys as it circumnavigates the mountain. The high point on the trail is Panhandle Gap, at 6,750 ft (2060 m), with the lowest point at 2,450 ft (747 m) along Ipsut Creek (the campground itself is about 100 ft lower, but a 0.3 mile detour off the trail; the lowest point is 2,540 ft (774 m) at Stevens Creek if taking the Spray Park Alternative).
The elevation gain (or loss) comes in 2-3000 ft (6-900 m) sections, either climbing up to a ridge or descending down towards a river crossing. Very little mileage of the trail is flat. This is considered a strenuous, non-technical hike with ~5-10% gradient. A few, short sections of trail have gradients above 10%.
Getting to Mt Rainier
The Wonderland Trail is located within Mount Rainier National Park, approximately 2 – 3 hrs drive from Seattle depending on point of entry. The closest airport is SEA (Sea-Tac International).
As of 2024, Mount Rainier National Park requires a timed entry reservation in addition to either an Interagency Park Pass or $30 vehicle entry fee to enter at White River or Longmire. If you secured a backcountry permit reservation, you’re able to use that to enter the park in lieu of a timed entry reservation one day prior to or the day of your start date. This allows you pick up your permit and deliver any food caches in advance.
Wonderland Trail Permit Information
Mount Rainier National Park requires wilderness permits for all overnight trips, including at the designated camps along the Wonderland Trail. There are three ways to obtain a permit: through the early access lottery, advanced reservation during general access, or as a walk-up.
EArly Access lottery
Applying for the early access lottery through recreation.gov provides the best chance at securing your ideal itinerary. To enter the lottery, all you have to do is submit an entry during the application window. You do not need to submit finalized details about party size, itinerary or alternate permit holder at this time. All you are doing at this point is entering your name into a randomized drawing to, hopefully, secure a virtual place in line to access the available campsite inventory and make a reservation.
If successful, you’ll receive a congratulatory email informing you of the date and time of your reservation window. There are four reservation windows per day during the early access period at 7am, 10am, 1pm, and 4pm PT with 15 applicants assigned to each one.
An early access time slot is no guarantee you’ll be able to secure your first pick itinerary. With 60 itineraries being created daily, prime campsites and dates fill up early.
As an early access lottery winner, you are able to review campsite availability throughout the early access period (note that if you are not a successful lottery awardee and/or not logged into recreation.gov account you won’t be able to see this). This allows you to keep an accurate account of possible preferred itineraries as well as several alternatives (see Itinerary Planning for more details).
Once you have an itinerary in mind, I recommend creating a spreadsheet with dates on the left hand column. Input the campsites for each start date. In the days leading up to your reservation window, review the availability campsite by campsite and strike out any dates they are booked. I then remove the entire itinerary from the sheet (for visual purposes, I’ve marked them in red).
This allows you to very quickly assess which itineraries are still tenable. In the minutes leading up to your reservation window, login to recreation.gov and select the camps for your top choice available itinerary. Begin by selecting the starting area for the campsite on your entry date (Carbon River, Longmire, or White River). Familiarize yourself with these prior to your early access window. Once you have the first night selected, continue in order until you’ve selected your entire route.
The minute your reservation window opens, click ‘Book Now’. This eliminates the otherwise stressful process of trying to piece together an itinerary while the clock ticks and other eager backpackers are, themselves, vying for the same limited number of campsites and dates as you.
Your campsites are now reserved for 15 minutes while you enter additional reservation details, size of party and information of an alternate permit holder. This is the person who is able to pick up and carry out your permit should you be unable to start your trip for whatever reason. After you checkout, your reservation is non- transferable meaning only you or your alternate can pick up the permit. At this point you have a reservation to obtain a permit; you still need to pick up the actual permit in-person at a Ranger Station no sooner than the day before your start date and no later than 10am the day of your start date. You can pick up your permit at the:
- Longmire Wilderness Information Center (WIC)
- White River Wilderness Information Center
- Carbon River Ranger Station
- Paradise Wilderness Information Center
Locations and operating hours can be found on the NPS Mount Rainier website.
General online Reservations
After the early access window passes, any unclaimed campsites are released for general online reservations. The only part of your advanced reservation that cannot be changed is the start date, so if you’re only able to reserve the first half of your trip or a less than ideal itinerary – do it! You can then try for walk-up availability or to see if there have been any cancellations from the rangers when you pick up your permit.
walk up Permits
Compared to the early access lottery, the walk-up permit process is much simpler. One third of the campsites at each site are retained for walk-up permitting and even though you can’t reserve a walk-up permit online, you can still see walk-up availability at recreation.gov. These are the sites indicated with a ‘W’ as opposed to a number (available to reserve in advance) or a 0 (not available for either advanced or walk-up permits).
To try for a walk-up permit, enter the park before 7am on the day prior to your intended start date. This way you 1) don’t need to get a timed entry reservation into the park itself and 2) you can be first in line at your chosen ranger station. Keep in mind that all permitting stations begin issuing walk-up permits at the same time, so even if you are first in line at your ranger station, there are potentially up to three other groups looking to get walk-ups at the same time.
If you’re already in the park and have flexibility in your start date, you can also check in the Ranger Stations in the afternoon to see if there have been cancellations from permit reservations that weren’t picked up.
It is absolutely possible to complete the Wonderland Trail on a walk-up permit but you’ll have greater success the more flexible you can be with your: exit date, entry point, and daily mileage. During my last hike around Wonderland, we ran into a walk-up hiker who – because she was willing to take a few very low mile days – was doing the complete circuit in 14 days, including nights at Golden Lakes, Indian Bar and Summerland. It doesn’t get much better than that!
Rangers can book itineraries that aren’t possible for you to do yourself online. They have the flexibility to issue ‘zero days’ (two nights in the same camp) as well as create trips that exceed the 17.5 mile/day limit. They can also suggest alternative camps that are close to, but ultimately off of, the Wonderland Trail. Come prepared to grasp whatever opportunity that presents itself.
Itinerary Planning
This is a trail best savored. Just because you can zip around the mountain in five days doesn’t mean you’ll want to. In fact, the most often heard refrain from hikers completing the circuit in 8 days or fewer is that they wish they had longer on the trail. I’ve done it in both 9 days and 12 days and hands down recommend the latter. It allows you to soak in alpine lakes, forage for wild berries, watch the wildlife and ultimately just slow down to observe the details that would otherwise get lost in the blur.
Short mileage days also mean earlier arrivals into camp, which means a better pick of the campsites. Side trips from the Wonderland Trail can be added for those hikers who want additional hiking time. Scenic excursions to the top of Skyscraper Peak, Burroughs Mountain or Freemont Lookout are all options. Ultimately, schedules and permits will dictate the length of your trip, but if you have the choice to slow down, take it.
Clockwise or counterclockwide
Most hikers aim to hike the Wonderland Trail in the clockwise (CW) direction. I’ve opted both times to hike in the counterclockwise (CCW) direction. While there are minor differences, prioritize whichever route allows you to get the best campsites.
The general consensus is that the uphill climbs are less steep in the CW direction, however that makes the downhill stretches less steep in the CCW direction. I find extended stretches of steep downhill harder on my knees than the physical toll of strenuous ascent. Both directions will see plenty of each, and you’ll get comparable views going either direction. No matter which way you choose to hike, just remember to periodically turn around and take in the view behind you.
Entry points
There are multiple entry and exit points along the Wonderland Trail. The most popular starting place is Longmire on the south side. Starting at Longmire has several advantages. Booking a room at the National Park Inn the night before your start date means you can eat a hot breakfast before hitting the trail early without a long drive. It is also the most populated part of the trail, meaning you do get the feeling of walking away from civilization at the start coupled with a sense of returning to it towards the end. For the photo minded, there is also great ‘Wonderland Trail’ sign which serves as an excellent prop for before/after pictures.
Of course, if you don’t start at Longmire, it means you’ll instead have access to a restaurant, running water and other Longmire amenities at some point midway through the hike. There is no campground at Longmire, but staying at the Inn is an option for those who need to ‘fill in the gaps’ of an itinerary.
The second most popular starting place is White River/Sunrise area on the northeast side of the mountain. These are technically two distinct places but are only a few miles away by trail as far as itineraries are concerned. The front-country campground at White River is located directly on the trail and also has a parking lot that backcountry hikers use. Sunrise has a significantly larger parking lot along with a Visitor Center, although you have to compete with day-hikers to get a spot and it’s not located directly on the Wonderland. There is also the nearby Fryingpan Creek Trailhead that provides access to the Wonderland Trail after a short spur, though parking here fills up very quickly.
If you’re crafting an itinerary later in the early access period or hoping to snag something as a walk-up or in the general sale, you can increase your likelihood of getting a suitable route by selecting one of the less popular starting points. On the northwest side, Mowich Lake is the only direct access point. The parking lot is located down a long, gravel road the conditions of which was once described to us by a ranger as “15 miles of loose rock, potholes, and misery.” If you’re up for that, you’ll very likely face less itinerary competition starting here.
Finally there is Box Canyon on the southeast side, between Nickel Creek and Maple Creek campgrounds. This is another underutilized starting point that is little more than a small pull-off along Stevens Canyon Road, but often allows for some walk-up permit magic in piecing together a full circuit.
The Wonderland Trail can also be accessed from more creative entry points with some additional walking. For instance, starting at Ipsut Creek campground is possible by parking at Carbon River trailhead and hiking five miles along a old roadbed. If you have specific campsites in mind, consider the different itinerary configurations you could create for a given date utilizing different entry points.
Spray Park AlternatE
The Spray Park alternate refers to the route between Carbon River and Mowich Lake that bypasses Ipsut Pass. Instead, it traverses up and over Seattle Park and Spray Park. During the summer, the Spray Park alternate can be awash with wildflowers as it brings you up close to the mountain.
The Spray Park alternate is considered more difficult than the Ipsut Pass route, but there is significant elevation gain along both. The Spray Park alternate has about ~800 ft (243 m) more and takes you up to 6400 ft (1950 m) while the elevation of Ipsut Pass tops out at 5150 ft (1570 m).
I’ve completed both, and the Spray Park alternate is hands down more scenic than Ipsut Pass in terms of mountain views and alpine meadows. That said, snow cover persists on the trail at Spray Park well after the trail has melted out down below. Which route your choose will largely depend on what time of year you are hiking.
Ipsut Pass
sample itineraries
| 7 day CW | 9 day CW | 10 day CCW | 12 day CCW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enter/Exit at Longmire | Enter/Exist at White River | Enter/Exist at Longmire | Enter/Exit at White River |
| S Puyallup River | Indian Bar | Maple Creek | Sunrise |
| Golden Lakes | Maple Creek | Indian Bar | Mystic Camp |
| Ipsut Creek (or Eagle’s Roost) | Paradise River | White River | Carbon River (or Cataract Valley) |
| Granite Creek | Devils Dream | Granite Creek | S Mowich River |
| Summerland | Klapatche Park | Dick Creek | Golden Lakes |
| Nickel Creek | S Mowich River | Mowich Lake (or Eagles Roost) | Klapatche Park |
| Ipsut Creek (or Cataract Valley) | Golden Lakes | Devils Dream | |
| Granite Creek | Klapatche Park | Paradise River | |
| Devil’s Dream | Maple Creek | ||
| Indian Bar | |||
| Summerland |
Wonderland Trail Backcountry Campsites
There are 18 backcountry campgrounds and two front country campgrounds located along the Wonderland Trail, with two more located along the Spray Park alternate. Campgrounds vary in size and some are more desirable than others. You can find my reviews of each campground on my post Best and Worst Wonderland Trail Campgrounds.
Campsite features
Every campground along the Wonderland Trail consists of several individual campsites, a toilet, and food storage in the form of either at least one communal bear pole or bear box. While campgrounds along the Wonderland Trail are reserved in advanced through the permit system, individual campsites within the campgrounds are allocated on a first come first serve basis. Sites are designed to fit at least two 2 person tents; some sites will easily fit three whereas others make it difficult to find two, good level spots.
The vast majority of campsites along the Wonderland have logs that provide places to sit around camp, and many have one or more flat rocks that can be used as camp kitchens.
Most campgrounds have a bear pole for food storage, though a few – Sunrise, Ipsut Creek and Mowich Lake – have bear lockers. A bear pole is essentially a tall metal pole with horizontal cross bars from which you can hang food bags. The bear poles on the Wonderland also have a metal rod that you can use to hoist your food bag up on the pole. You do not need to carry a bear canister, however you will need to keep your food in a dry bag that can be looped over the horizontal crossbars.
Mt Rainier National Park is one of the few national parks that also allows the use of Ursak bags for food storage. These can be looped to the base of the pole rather than needing to be hoisted up, so is a good – though more expensive – option for those concerned about upper body strength.
Wonderland Toilets
Every campground has a backcountry toilet, a real luxury given the hard work it takes to maintain them. Most are box style pit toilets (also know as ‘thunderboxes’), essentially a lidded box under which you’ll find a toilet seat. Depending on their location, these are either ‘open’ or shielded from view behind a low wall. Other campgrounds have your classic outhouse style privy and a few have solar composting toilets. The outhouse at Summerland even has a ingenuous conveyer belt ‘flushing’ system to separate solids from liquids. All backcountry toilets along the Wonderland Trail have toilet seats and lids (a few toilet seat covers from any public restroom really come in handy for this style privy).
Flushing toilets with running water are available at White River Camp, Longmire and Box Canyon.
Food Caching And resupply Logistics
Food caching
There are three locations to cache food and fuel along the Wonderland Trail: White River, Mowich Lake and Longmire. Even with our 12 day itinerary, the spacing of the cache locations meant we never had to carry more than four days of a food at a time.
Food caches can be mailed or dropped off in person at the White River WIC for White River, Carbon River Ranger Station for Mowich Lake, and Longmire Ranger Station for Longmire. The drive between cache locations takes several hours, so if hand delivering you’ll want to do this the day before your hike begins. Your permit reservation grants you access to the park so you do not need an additional timed entry reservation. They need to be stored in hard sided, lidded, plastic containers, so most hikers use 5 gallon buckets. You can only drop off food caches at the location where they will be picked up. The rangers transport buckets from Carbon River Ranger Station to Mowich Lake, but do not transport buckets from one location to another.
Caches at Mowich Lake and White River are available 24 hours a day in the cache bins located next to the patrol cabin and ranger station respectively. Caches at Longmire must be checked out from the rangers at the Wilderness Information Desk and therefore can only be picked up during open hours. There is also a “Hungry Hiker Box” located near the cache locations where you can leave (or obtain) unwanted items.
In addition to caching a selection of our homemade backpacking meals, you can also pack yourself some heavier shelf-stable treats! Canned or jarred items don’t make sense in the backpack but absolutely work in the cache bucket so long as you eat them on site and use the provided trash cans to discard the heavy packaging. You can also cache extra clothing (clean socks are always a good idea) as well as an additional power bank to recharge your electronic items. It’s possible to return your bucket back to the Ranger Station if you want to leave behind items you no longer want to carry with you but don’t want to throw away. You do have to make plans to pick it back up after your hike.
More information about food caching for the Wonderland can be found on the Mt Rainier Wilderness Office site.
Resupply options
There are two places to purchase food and other necessities along the Wonderland Trail: the Longmire Gift Shop and Sunrise Day Lodge. The National Park Inn Dining Room at Longmire is a full service restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Longmire Gift Shop has a small selection of freeze dried backpacking meals, snacks, refrigerated drinks and ice cream bars along with a few basics like bandaids, soaps, and a small assortment of medications. Options will be limited.
The Sunrise Day Lodge is less than a mile off trail from Sunrise Camp and has a limited selection of hot foods – essentially just hot dogs and soup – but a much larger selection of ready-to-eat cold meals such as sandwiches and salads. There is also a small supply of backpacking and camping gear for sale, along with chips, candies, ice cream and other miscellaneous snacks.
What to pack
In addition to the general backpacking gear you’d need for any trip, there are a few pieces of gear you’ll want to have for the Wonderland Trail specifically.
Waterproof Dry Sack. As mentioned, you’ll need to have a waterproof bag in order to hang your food from the bear pole. I have a 35L Lightweight Sea-to-Summit dry bag that is large enough to fit at least four days worth of food for a party of three; for a single person, you could go with 13L or 20L depending on the type of food you bring. The Lightweight version is flat bottomed and incredibly waterproof; it can take a lot of abuse. Sea-to-Summit also makes an Ultra-Sil dry bag that is about half the weight and less water resistant which other members of our party have used.
Hiking poles. The elevation gain and loss on the Wonderland Trail is no joke. If you haven’t already hopped aboard the trekking pole bandwagon, you will be after attempting this hike without them (we met a couple without poles on the trail hiking the opposite direction of us at Golden Lakes; by the time we met them again outside Indian Bar they had taken to using actual wooden sticks they found along the way – a veritable walking stick indeed!). I rely on hiking poles to take the weight off my knees during the descents and they can also be helpful to engage the upper body when climbing uphill. After witnessing a pair of Z-fold hiking poles become completely useless through normal use a day into our trip, I’ll never trust anything other than the carbon fiber traditional telescoping variety.
Water filter. The water sources along the Wonderland Trail are streams, creeks and other flowing sources of water, making gravity and squeeze style filters like the Sawyer Squeeze that require you to submerge a water bladder or bottle perfectly fine. The downside to the Sawyer is that freezing weather can render the filter ineffective, so on alpine hikes where weather can be a factor I rely on the ceramic filter of the MSR Miniworks EX. Yes, it’s a little heavier but it’s also super quick and reliable.
Bug repellent. When the mosquitoes and flies are out, you need DEET. That’s all there is to it.
Rain Gear. It’s highly likely you’ll have at least one day of precipitation on the Wonderland Trail. Even on days it’s not raining, low clouds can bring in a heavy mist that clings to foliage along the trail and causes water to drip down from the trees. I wear the Rab Arc Eco Waterproof Jacket which is the perfect length for my 5’7″ frame.
Preparing the hike the Wonderland Trail and have more questions? Ask below in the comments!