Wonderland Trail Permit Link

Ah great good to know! I'm planning on doing the Wonderland in July and will be needing to fill out a permit soon.

Have fun on your hike and keep an eye on the snowpack. Could be a little sketchy depending on when you go in July.

Thanks for posting this. I'm going to be applying for a permit for the first time this year, probably shooting for the second or third week of September as dictated by my work schedule. Does anyone have any advice for success? How many versions or alternates do you submit? I'm thinking about submitting my ideal trip for the second week of september with week 3 being the first alternate, but then submitting a couple of versions or maybe counter-clockwise alternates since they seem to welcome having options. Any suggestions from people who have successfully gotten permits before?

Last year I received my first choice; just luck of the draw. I mailed it instead of faxing. I have no idea if this helps or not; I suspect not.

I mailed an explanation of what I was looking for in case they couldn't accommodate either of my itineraries (eg Please no more than X miles between camps and maximum X days total on trail) etc.

If you're planning on doing big miles on your first day, I'd recommend that you show up the day prior to get your permit so you can leave at a time of your choosing day one.

I'm submitting two possibly three routes this year. The first starting at Mowich, second starting at Longmire, and haven't developed the possible third yet.

I'd avoid caching food at Sunrise Visitor and cache at White River instead. PM me if you want to know more about this.

Whether or not you get a permit will be dependent on how flexible you are. This includes walk-up permits as well. If you don't get the itinerary you want, I'd still plan on getting a walk up.

Thanks Ian,

I think we're looking to do it in 5-6 trail days averaging 15-20 miles/day. I don't really want to rush it because I want to make sure we have time to take it all in, but I also want to spend more time hiking and less time camping each day.

With a Longmire start, how is the hike between Longire and Indian Bar (either on the first day or the last depending on direction)? I'm trying to spend a night at Indian Bar due to overwhelming recommendation. It would be a 23 mile day with about 6,000ft total elevation change. It seems to be an easier fit if starting at Sunrise. How is Sunrise as a place to start?

Longmire to Indian Bar is very doable. The feet you’ll climb will mostly be on a well-defined trail so you should be able to make good time. As you may have heard, Cowlitz Divide, which is between Nickel Creek and Indian Bar, is relatively speaking the driest section of the Wonderland. Tank up at Nickel creek and carry a full liter or two. There is a small creek less than a ½ mile after Nickel Creek (counterclockwise) if you happen to forget but nothing after that until you make your descent to Indian Bar. Normally I’d be fine with a liter but temps were well into the 80*s when I was there last September so two liters would have been better for me.

In my opinion, the southern section of the trail is not very scenic. A couple photo ops of Rainier after you leave Longmire counterclockwise but you can get them from the road so no big deal. If you want to get a head start and take on the Wonderland in a counterclockwise direction from Longmire, I’d hike this section pre-dawn so you can spend more time at Indian Bar later in the day. If you keep hiking past Indian Bar counterclockwise, I saw several mountain goats in the low ground to the east so keep your eyes open for them. Shouldn’t have to hike too far up to get a pretty good view of that area.

If you hike from Indian Bar to Longmire in a clockwise direction (I hiked this section counterclockwise), there’s a short but steep climb from Indian Bar to the top of Cowlitz Divide and another steepish climb from Maple Creek to the road. Again, the trail is in good shape in this section.

Either way, Indian Bar is gorgeous so plan on arriving early enough so you can enjoy it during daylight hours.

Just wanted to say thanks again for the great info. I've got my itinerary sorted with several alternates. If I'm successful at getting a permit, I'll be back in touch with specifics and probably more questions. We're shooting for mid September, 6-7 days. Fingers crossed.

Ian,

I was contemplating a 5 day trip to Mt Rainier in the last week of July. I'm specifically looking at the Northern Loop trail. I'm going with my brother and our two teenage sons.

Should we be okay by then relative to the snowpack in late July? Also, I've read mixed views on mosquitoes this time of year. What should I expect/prepare for?

Appreciate any advice you might have.

Thanks,
-Skip

Hi Skip,

My experience is limited but I'll share what little I know.

I've only hiked a couple sections of it and both were in August and September. Some places like Indian Henry's Hunting Ground, we had our headnets on and didn't dilly dally. Devils Dream is notorious but it was raining hard enough that they didn't mess with us as we hiked through. Other places were mosquito free regardless of weather. I'd plan for the worst and hope for the best.

I've heard July can be sketchy but this winter has been so strange, and I haven't been up to Rainier or White Pass recently to know how the snow is hanging in there, that I'd hate to give you bad information. From what I've been told, later in July tends to be better but early July can be sketchy.