Wonderland Trail hopeful

I received a response for a 1-nighter, got it.

I understand that they were so inundated with permit requests this March that they are only accepting walk ups. This is a recent response. I was planning to go next year but now I am not so sure. To complicate things, they are closing part of the trail in July due to removal of deadwood, so hikers wanting to go will be backed up.  How did this trail get to be so popular suddenly?

From the website:
Note: The park is no longer accepting reservation requests for the entire 93 mile Wonderland Trail. Between March 15 and April 1 we received a record number of requests. We will not be able to fulfill many of the requests we received in that time-frame, much less those that would arrive afterward. An alternative to getting a reservation is to attempt to get a first-come, first-served permit based on availability.</h3>

I imagine there are some similar areas that don’t require permits.  Perhaps some of the PNW people can point you to a similar loop without the crowds.

If you’re up to hiking a few days on some low traffic, infrequently maintained trails, consider a 1 week loop hike around Glacier Peak instead of going around Mt. Rainier. You still get to circumnavigate a large Cascade volcano, but the surrounding country is much more dramatic and scenic IHMO. You can start from the East on Chiwawa River Rd and Little Giant Pass, or start from the West at Suiattle Trail. Either way, half the hike is on the PCT, a quarter on lightly used by recently maintained trail, and a quarter on less maintained and overgrown trail (Indian Creek Trail). If you want to avoid Indian Creek Trail, there are some other exit options with a short car shuttle on the East side.

Lester, how many miles would that loop be? Would it be wise to just carry food for the week or could I just send some to one of the ranger stations?  I may look into this option. I just want to hike out there for a week or so.

There are several options to hike a circuit around Glacier Peak, between 80 and 100 miles, depending on route and side trips. Resupply would be challenging as there are no towns near the trails. I’ve only been on the PCT and the North Fork Sauk Trail in that region, but here are a few options based on your preferences:

3/4 circuit from Buck Creek to Cady Ridge:
All on fairly well maintained and well-traveled trails, although the first 2 miles or so of Cady Ridge trail is supposedly steep and a little rough. You’d be coming down Cady Ridge at the end of trip with light pack by hiking this semi-loop CCW starting at Buck Creek. This semi loop would require a short car shuttle or some hitchhiking on less frequently traveled dirt roads.

Full circuit out of Buck Creek:
All the way around Glacier Peak, but uses some poorly maintained trails with no recent maintenance (either the upper White River trail, or the Indian Creek trail in particular). There are also a few more rougher trails (W side of Little Giant Pass, N side of Boulder Pass). And there would also be a crossing of the Chiwawa River, which is best crossed in mornings for lower flow, although Aug to Sep will have less flow anyway. As with the first option above, hiking CCW has you on the roughest trails toward the end of the trip with light pack.

For any loop route, you could add a side trip to Image Lake (classic view of Glacier Peak reflected in lake) or lengthen the trip by going over Spider Gap and Cloudy Pass via Lyman Lake (some easy off trail).

The PCT in this section is good but does have lots of vertical gain and loss. Same looks true for the other trails used to complete a loop or semi-loop (Not unlike Wonderland Trail). Best to be in strong physical condition, or shorten your anticipated daily mileage accordingly. If you’re interested, I can send you some KML files for Google Earth showing various options.

I did the whole trail in October a few years ago. I had to carry all of my food, but the weather gods were kind, and it only rained any significant amount the last day. We walked up and got all of the campsites we wanted. Some nights, we were the only ones there. If you’re willing to take a gamble on the weather, postpone your trip until the crowds die down. The fall colors were quite nice:

Adam and Lester,

Thanks for the options.  I received my rejection email the other day.  I am doing my backup hike, The Big SEKI loop.

Thanks

Eric

Eric:

I received a rejection letter, too.  I didn’t give up though.  I emailed an alternative with alternate dates to both emails (didn’t you receive rejections from two places as well?).  Within two days, I was happily greeted with a response from a ranger letting me know that they found a way to make my newly proposed dates and itinerary work (with a little tweaking).

Moral?  Don’t give up!  Contact them back and see if they can help get you on the trail!  :)