You may choose to hike either clockwise or counterclockwise and you may begin your hike from wherever you would like. Remember, your permit governs where you camp, not where you start/end. A campsite costs $20 per night. When I was putting together my walk up itinerary with the ranger, she informed me that ‘record precip’ was expected over the next couple of days. There is a $20.00 reservation fee if made in advance. BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Unfortunately, this is not an option. At the end of the day, this doesn’t really matter. A campsite costs $20 per night. There’s no fee for walk-ins. Camping along the Wonderland Trail is only allowed in one of the 21 designated campsites (18 backcountry and 3 frontcountry). Campsites along the spray park trail traveling clockwise from Mowich Lake include: This 15.5 mile trail forks off from the Wonderland Trail near Sunrise and meats back up in the Carbon River Valley between Carbon River camp and Ipsut Creek. The rain added to the atmosphere. You should probably invest in the, Carrying a phone? If you can get to Tacoma, Washington, it's about $100 for an Uber to Longmire (or $150 from Seattle) – not terrible if you're a group of four. The closest Wonderland Trail camp is probably Nickel Creek. I’ll also outline the camps of the Spray Park Trail and the Northern Loop in case you decide to hike an alternate route of the Wonderland Trail. You are required to have a permit to camp on the trail. You may want to schedule fewer miles for these days. In Longmire, you can access the internet at the wilderness information center, use flush toilets, visit a small shop for supplies, and get permits. Copyright 2020 - Where The Road Forks. Hopefully, you found this post useful. Review of Summerland Campsite: As one of the two most popular campsites on the Wonderland Trail (the other is Indian Bar), it is undoubtedly scenic, with a great view of Mount Rainier especially at sunset. Rainier, since we will be pulling in so late? Luckily, there are three frontcountry campsites spaced fairly evenly around the Wonderland Trail, Mowich Lake Campground, Cougar Rock Campground, and White River Campground. Unlike other trails in the Pacific Northwest, the Wonderland Trail doesn’t just require a permit, it also requires you to choose your campsites in advance of your trip. Each camp offers some kind of food storage, a basic bathroom, and a nice flat place to pitch a tent. With over 23,000 ft / 7,010 m of elevation gain (although my GPS recorded 25,293 ft / 7,709 m), that works out to just under 250 ft of elevation gain per mile (48 m per km) – assuming you're climbing for all 93 mi / 150 km. Here is a list of all the campsites along the Wonderland Trail with distances to the next campsite (in each direction). Is it the greatest thing ever and should you be crushed if you don't end up getting a permit? Spray Falls (via the Spray Park Trail) is also a popular day hike from Mowich Lake Campground. Use this unofficial tool to plan your hiking itinerary for the Wonderland Trail. The Spray Park Trail is 7.8 mi / 12.6 km long and bypasses 8.5 mi / 13.7 km of the Wonderland Trail – making it 0.7 mi / 1.1 km shorter. Wonderland Trail itinerary planner Build a custom itinerary for hiking Mount Rainier's Wonderland Trail. To stay a bit more dry, the ranger helped me choose camps that were at lower elevations with good tree cover. Hundreds of people do it every year without incident. For more general information, check out my guide: How to Plan a Wonderland Trail Hike. The campground is signed right on the trail, and each site within the space has a number. Camping along the Wonderland Trail is extremely popular throughout the summer and wilderness camping reservations are essential for many of the most popular campsites. As you would expect from a national park, the physical trail is brilliantly maintained and there is infrastructure for every water crossing. The link for applications doesn't go live until March 15, and you can find it on the Mount Rainier National Park wilderness permit page. The bear hang for the individual sites can get crowded though. Box 423 The permanent glaciers surrounding Mount Rainier (which, hopefully, you will see plenty of during your time on the Wonderland Trail) are a testament to this. When you apply for a permit you’ll have to choose the campsites that you’d like to sleep at. On the southern side of Mount Rainier (between Longmire and Nickel Creek), there are a fair number of waterfalls, the most impressive of which is Narada Falls, a quick 0.1 mi / 160 m detour off the Wonderland Trail (worth the detour). Because of rodents (the threat is real, one got into my car at Mowich Lake Campground), all food caches are required to be in a plastic and clearly labeled container. The sites are first come, first serve. During that time, everything soaked through and never dried out. warmer temperatures), you probably want to invest in some repellant as mosquitoes can be bad (I am a big fan of, The location the cache is being picked up at, The approximate date the cache is being picked up (if known), You must mail or hand-deliver your food caches, The park suggests mailing your cache so it arrives. The closest major cities are Seattle, Tacoma, and Yakima in Washington or Portland, Oregon. Avoiding Wild Animals, Insects, and Injuries, Poncho Vs Rain Jackets for Hiking: Pros and Cons, guide to avoiding bear encounters while hiking, How to Get a Wonderland Trail Walk-Up Permit. There are also two backcountry campsites located along the Spray Park Trail, Eagle's Roost and Cataract Valley. Get the, If you're hiking in the middle of the summer (i.e. Along the trail, you’ll find 18 wilderness camps and 3 non-wilderness campsites. We both decided on the Salomon Agile 17 litre, a stretch-fit pack designed for running with one main compartment, mesh side pockets along with pockets on the waist harness, and Salomon’s usual ‘4D pole holder’ for our running poles – yes, running poles… The first thing we started to nerd out on was our packs. Between Mowich Lake Campground and Carbon River Camp there is a popular alternative to the Wonderland Trail via the Spray Park Trail. Campground is signed right on the Spray Park Trail is not climbing one ridge it... Allow for up to twelve add a couple of miles to your itinerary of protection from the rain I! Site within the boundaries of Mount Rainier for Wonderland Trail six weeks to process ( mid-May ) Northern loop out! There is no way to reach the Wonderland Trail full-service Campgrounds ( toilets... Wonderland traverses a rugged wilderness environment, with all of the nearby Creek is great to out. 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