The south side of Mt Rainier is home to Paradise and Longmire, two of the developed visitor areas within the National Park (the third being Sunrise on the park’s north-east corner). Celebrated destinations like Comet Falls, Panorama Point, Myrtle Falls and the Skyline Loop are all popular day hikes that originate from this area. In its circuit around Mt Rainier, however, the Wonderland Trail largely sticks to forested lower elevations, bypassing many of the highlights but without managing to bypass the crowds.
The tradeoff is a long stretch of relatively easy hiking, with low elevation change, wide trails and proximity to a number of amenities. It’s a distinct contrast from the remote and isolated ruggedness of the West Side. I counted eight road crossings or trailhead access points in the less than 20 miles between Devil’s Dream and Box Canyon.
We’ve hiked this section of trail twice – first in Sept 2021 and most recently in August 2024 as part of our Wonderland Trail backpacking trip. This is the trip report from our most recent thru-hike.
Table of Contents
Wonderland Trail Day 8: Devil’s Dream to Longmire
We hoped to break camp as soon as the sun roused us, eager to get packed and on the trail before the mosquitoes became too active. It was largely a fools errand, knowing that mosquitoes tend to start stirring at dawn, but we still minimized our exposure with a quick breakfast of oatmeal and tea/coffee from within the confines of our tents. In nearly two decades of hiking and camping, this was only the second time I’d ever experienced bugs to this degree (the only time prior was during our first ever cross-country road trip in Wisconsin, where the mosquitoes began to swarm so ferociously I swear they chased me all the back to the car and ricocheted off the window cartoon style as I slammed the door; we didn’t end up camping there).
The roughly five miles to Longmire continued through the woodlands we entered yesterday, and the rays of early morning sunlight cast an ethereal glow on the trail. The hike out from Devil’s Dream followed a soft dirt trail through the woods on the descent down to Pearl Creek and Pyramid Creek Camp.
Click on the any photo within the galleries to view full screen and read the captions.
The water crossings into Pyramid Creek Camp were easy to navigate, with study log bridges in place at the time of our hike. The crossing on the other side would be a different story.
During the flood of 2006, debris blocked Kautz Creek’s active channel and the river diverted through the forest. Nearly twenty years later, the route across changes a little bit every year.
The water crossing went fine – we found an area to cross that was a little tenuous but still nothing but dry feet in the house. We turned right along the banks and crossed the remnant of an wooden bridge long embedded in the mud that now doubled as the trail.
I guess we were supposed to head into a grove of alders from there but if there was a ribbon marking the way like there was across Mowich River we missed it. Instead we started across the rocks. In times past, the trail has actually crossed the boulder field and there are sections of old sandy trail that come and go which gave us reassurance we’d pick up the trail on the other side. There was even a cairn placed on one of the furthest, highest rocks – but looking beyond the cairn, there didn’t seem to be any way out of the wash.
At this point we realized we had completely lost the trail. I headed over into the wash and saw a few footprints of other hikers who had recently ventured this way, but still nothing that resembled and trodden path. Eventually we saw a hiker downstream, but up quite far up the bank, enter the forest via what was clearly a trail – at least we knew where the trail picked back up! We had to bushwhack through some more alders and then climb up the eroded embankment but we made it. What should have been a forgettable five minute jaunt had become an exhausting thirty-minute ordeal.
Heading in the clockwise direction, the trail cut in the bank was too obvious not to miss. We mentioned the lack of signage in the counterclockwise direction to a ranger we met hiking up Rampart Ridge who said he would address it when he got there. This was the third wilderness ranger, not including the volunteers and the intern, that we’d encountered checking permits on the trail over the past week.
Now back on the well worn trail, we entered some of the most accessible old growth forests, with tree trucks whose diameters were nearly as wide as we were tall. And then . . . a road! The shoulder of which we were unceremoniously dumped onto a half mile from Longmire.
Longmire to Paradise River
We had intended to stop in Longmire for lunch, but arrived while the breakfast menu was still being served at National Park Inn‘s restaurant. While the thought of omelettes, hash browns and bacon sounded more appealing that burgers and sandwiches anyway, I was surprised that I wasn’t actually hangry for any “real food.” It felt like a testament to the satiating quality of my homemade backpacking meals that I felt completely fulfilled by the flavor, variety and heartiness. Even so, I had planned for one fewer backcountry meal today so we filed into the mostly empty dining room straight from the trail.
The dining room attendants were particularly welcoming, and not only allowed us to start recharging all our battery packs and cell phones right then and there using the outlets in the dining room, the front desk even let me borrow a USB-outlet converter. Their only stipulation was that I had to return it; I said no worries, I definitely don’t want to carry the extra weight.
We ended up spending a lot of time in Longmire, even more than time than we’d spent resupplying in Mowich on account of the availability of electricity and running water. We plugged in as many devices as we could before going about all the other chores.
There was a very limited first-aid section in the gift shop where we tried to find suitable cold medication (there wasn’t any) and large bandages (they only had some very expensive blister pads) but they did have shampoo, so I was able to wash my hair proper in the sink of the women’s bathroom. I was mindful to clean up the sink area and step away as others cycled through to wash their hands, but everyone was very understanding once they realized I was eight days in to a 12 day backpacking trip. I heard one little girl ask her mom, with an unmistakable tone of awe in her voice as she was leaving the restroom, “Is she really hiking the entire Wonderland Trail?!”
After eating ice-cream sandwiches on the porch of the Inn while we waited for our devices to charge a little further, checking out our resupply bucket from the rangers at the Wilderness Information Center, taking sink baths and otherwise cleaning out and repacking our packs, we spent a total of four hours in Longmire.
Then we were maybe half a mile down the trail when Andras asked me where my other camp shoe was – I’d had them both tied to the back of my pack, one on each side. I assumed it had fallen off while we were resupplying, maybe when we were packing back up, but that it’d be pretty easy to spot so I took off jogging back to Longmire, looking everywhere along the trail.
After retracing our steps in the Inn, across the parking lot, and even asking at the ranger station if anyone had turned in a shoe (that one garnered me a few odd looks), I had to abandon all hope of locating it. Some later forensic analysis (ie: looking at photos we took) suggest that I lost it crossing Kautz Creek – most likely it got tangled in some brush while trying to get back onto the trail.
While I was off searching for my sandal, my dad and Andras discovered a windfall of red huckleberries growing along the banks of the Nisqually River, and had busied themselves picking all they cared to eat along with some extra handfuls for me. It’s the red huckleberries that I first became familiar with as a kid – more tart than their blue cousins – and when someone says “huckleberry” I still think of these first before remembering that most of the country associates with the word with the sweeter purple berries that are often mistaken for blueberries.
From here we entered the most populated part of the trail, as it intersects with several day-hike trailheads as well as the spur to the Cougar Rock drive-in campground. The trail became a veritable superhighway, remnants of an old carriage road, as we joined the ranks enjoying a hike to Carter Falls.
We almost walked right past Paradise River Campground as the brown sign blended in with the brown soil of the adjacent hill and, again, was slightly angled towards the clockwise hikers. The campsites themselves have been cut into the hillside and are unquestionably the least scenic of the entire trip. The whole thing still has a make-shift feel to it after the original Paradise River Camp – which was presumably by the river – was re-located after a flood in 2021. It was a good decision not to rush out of Longmire to get here any earlier.
My dad had hiked on ahead while Andras and I lagged behind a bit at the falls, and we now worried that he’d missed the turnoff altogether as we hiked deeper along the rough cut path without seeing him. Eventually we caught a glimpse of his pack and called up to him – turns out he had almost missed the sign and was worried we would! It was at that point I realized that the water source must have been back down where we started, a bit further down the Wonderland Trail proper. I begrudgingly went down to filter water, not looking forward to re-hiking the route into camp.
Dinner was my “pad Thai” peanut noodles, made better with the real lime I’d acquired in the resupply. While the TrueLime suffices, I wanted to see if the ‘real deal’ made that much of a difference. Maybe if the lime had been juicier, but apart from adding a nice pop of color I can’t say the weight was worth it this time.
Wonderland Trail Day 9: Paradise River to Maple Creek
We awoke knowing that today would be one of the least interesting sections of the Wonderland Trail, but for the time being we could enjoy the beautiful morning forest light. After another round of fruited oatmeal to accompany our coffee/tea, we packed up and headed towards the first in a series of waterfalls that would serve to mark our progress.
The other campers we chatted with at Paradise River were heading clockwise to complete their circuit at Longmire, and by the looks of things when we passed the group site on the way out, those folks wouldn’t be leaving for a while, so we had the entire trail to ourselves up until Narada Falls.
Just shy of the falls we started to encounter day trippers – not even day hikers, because the falls is only 150ft from the parking lot, even though the Wonderland Trail doesn’t actually meet up with the road.
Past Narada Falls, the Wonderland climbed for 0.8 miles (our big uphill of the day, which was minuscule compared to any other day) before following below the road for a while. The pika – known in some locales as a “rock rabbit” – make their dens in the rocks supporting the roadbed, and announced our arrival with a series of high pitched eeeps. We also saw our first view of the mountain peeking through the trees as we reached a crest.
A couple was leaving the sole bench in the area as we arrived at Reflection Lake. It was a bit early for lunch (only 10:30am) but when you get a great spot with a view, you take it! We knew from experience that there wouldn’t be a ton of great places to stop between here and Maple Creek – maybe at Martha Falls, but that was it. It wasn’t a very strenuous day, so rehydrated peanut-butter and crackers it was.
There was a light breeze, so we didn’t get the full reflection of the mountain in the water, but it much better than the last time we were here when it was so socked in you couldn’t even see the water, to say nothing of the opposite shoreline, much less the summit! Today we had a clear view of the mountain and could see trout jumping in the lake. Stocking the lake with fish stopped in the 70s, and fishing isn’t allowed, at least not by humans. We saw a great blue heron on the shoreline who I’m sure had other plans!
Then it was down, down, down, down, down to Maple Creek. My least favorite part of the trail and perhaps my least favorite section of trail in the entire park. We met some people hiking up who were headed to Louise Lake – they were just a few minutes away and so relieved. As much as I dislike this section going down, I’d hate it even more going up.
At the road crossing we affirmed our decision to attempt the Stevens Canyon Washout rather than detouring to the road walk, which also allowed us to see Martha Falls.
Navigating the Stevens Canyon Road Washout
The entire season we’d been antsy about the washout and slide section between Martha Falls and Silvia Falls. There’d been a lot of confusion about whether the trail was open or not, and in what condition. For part of the year the trail was closed entirely, and the reroute was a 4 mile road walk along Steven’s Canyon Road and then, since we were camping at Maple Creek, another 2 mile backtrack to camp. This stretch may be one of my least favorite sections of the Wonderland Trail, but it would still be a lot better than that.
The rangers at Longmire had informed us that they’d been able to cut in temporary switchbacks down the talus field, although a measurable number of hikers were rerouting to the road. The signs left up at the trailheads still said it was ‘closed’ but then had a picture of the slide area and trail across it further adding to the confusion. Intel from the few clockwise Wonderlanders we passed led us to believe it would be manageable, even if what used to be a short, level minute or two of walking now required a scramble all the way down to the Stevens Creek basin and back up.
Photos of the Stevens Canyon slide area
Beginning of the Stevens Canyon slide reroute facing counterclockwise on the Wonderland Trail. 
The down slope reroute heading toward the Stevens Canyon Creek 
Switchbacks crossing the talus field on the Stevens Canyon slide area 
The trail passes along the riverbed of Stevens Creek 
The steep climb up the washout from the Stevens River 
Beginning of the Stevens Canyon slide reroute facing clockwise on the Wonderland Trail.
What we ultimately found was that the original trail was indeed closed – but the off-trail reroute down the talus slope and then up the other side of the slide area was open. Getting down to the river was slow going, but straightforward. Climbing up the other side required some serious effort – the dirt slope was very steep and had been eroded by CW hikers sliding down in the dirt. It was basically a vertical scramble up the hillside. Still worth it to avoid the road walking and extra mileage but was exhausting.
Once past the slide area there was still several miles of narrow rocky trail overgrown with brambles, valerian and corn lily. To compound the matter, we encountered numerous trail runners in this section which necessitated a lot of one-way traffic control.
There were, at least, places where the thimbleberries were ripe. Like a raspberry, these are hollow in the center, unlike the red salmonberries which are solid, more like a blackberry.
There was also one area near the base of a talus slope where you could feel drafts of cool air blowing out of the rocks. It was like a natural refrigerator and felt great on a hot day. We hypothesized there must be a spring somewhere flowing in the slope sustaining the temperature difference, but haven’t been able to find anything else about it. And of course, more pika in the rocks! Eep eeep!
When the trail finally broke into a grove of evergreens, I had to remind myself that there was still another mile to go, even though it feels like this would be a perfect place to camp. I let out a brief exclamation when I started to see maple saplings line the trail – surely a sign we were getting close! We were the first campers to arrive in Maple Creek Camp when we arrived a little after 2pm, so got our full pick of the sites. Site #1 was decently sized and exceptionally flat but we ultimately decided on Site #4 – the only one with the view and same one we camped in last time for our first ever night on the Wonderland.
After setting up camp, we went back to Maple Creek near the entrance of the campground. Thru-hiking the Wonderland over a longer period of time really allows you to enjoy the full Mt Rainier experience, not just the hike. It’s not only refreshing to take off your boots on a warm day and soak in the mountain waters, it’s also therapeutic. The icy water constricts the blood vessels in the feet and ankles, reducing swelling and inflammation and thus pain. After a few minutes submerged, the exertion of the day floated away downstream and my legs felt completely revived. It really made me really miss my camp shoes.
Then we kicked back into our camp chairs for the evening. Dinner was another round of homemade backpacker burritos, this time with more fresh lime and fresh avocado.
Wonderland Trail Day 10: Maple Creek to Box Canyon Road
Today would be one of our biggest days, heading up and over the Cowlitz Divide into Indian Bar Camp. We fueled up with breakfast burritos and the last slices of avocado. I was really making the most of the resupply and the upcoming availability of trashcans that I knew would be at Box Canyon. Unlike the lime the other night, the addition of the avocado really elevated both breakfast and dinner. I’d definitely consider taking an avocado on an overnight backpacking trip where I didn’t have far to carry out the pit.
But first, a short 2 mile warmup to Box Canyon and the comfort station off of Stevens Canyon Road. Growing alongside the trail en route to Stevens Creek was a new-to-me red berry with leaves like a strawberry. My dad insisted it was a wild strawberry because of the leaves, but I insisted that the it’s not a strawberry due to the formation of the fruit. Turns out it is called a strawberry leaf raspberry Rubus pedatus or what I’ll refer to from now on as trailing brambleberry (also known as five-leaved bramble and trailing raspberry), so in a way we were both right, although the fruit doesn’t look terribly like a raspberry to me.
Past the creek we began the short climb out of the canyon. At one point we heard what sounded like rocks crashing through the canopy, so stopped to identify the source of the noise before proceeding. High up in the tree tops was a squirrel bombarding the trail with the dense pinecones of a fir tree (fir cones?). They struck with such force that I was legitimately concerned they might cause an injury, but we hurried through the section unscathed.
We made it to the road within an hour. To our dismay, the comfort station was closed; they’d temporarily installed some porta-potties but all hopes of running water were dashed. With no reason to linger, I said goodbye to my lone camp shoe at the trash-bin and we started up the Cowlitz Divide.
Read more backpacking trip reports from Mount Rainier’s Wonderland Trail!
- Days 1 – 3: The North Side: White River to Cataract Valley
- Day 4: Spray Park Alternative: Cataract Valley to Mowich Lake
- Days 4 – 7: The West Side: Mowich Lake to Devil’s Dream
- Days 8 – 10: The South Side: Longmire to Box Canyon – that’s this trip report!
- Days 10 – 12: The East Side: Summerland, Indian Bar and Completion – coming soon!
Planning your own trip along Mt Rainier’s Wonderland Trail? Check out our Guide to Backpacking the Wonderland Trail
Have you hiked this section of the Wonderland Trail or are you planning to backpack the Wonderland Trail in Mount Rainier National Park? Let us know what questions you have in the comments!