Indian Bar Trail

Indian Bar Trail is a strenuous 14.5-mile out-and-back from Box Canyon, following the Wonderland Trail over Cowlitz Divide and down to a subalpine basin beside the Ohanapecosh River. The destination earns the long approach: a wide green meadow, waterfalls, a stone shelter and open views back toward Mount Rainier. Allow about 10–12 hours for the whole walk if you do it in a day; some hikers split it into an overnight. This is a serious hike, with repeated climbs on the divide and a steep drop to Indian Bar that you have to climb back out of. The reported total climbing varies from 3,700 to 5,074 feet; a coarse elevation profile along the mapped corridor suggests roughly 4,000 feet for the return trip, so treat any single number as an estimate.

Park at Box Canyon on Stevens Canyon Road and cross the road to the signed gravel Wonderland Trail. The paved path from the lot is the short Box Canyon Nature Trail, a different walk. The first mile is a fairly gentle warm-up through forest to Nickel Creek. There's a smaller creek about half a mile farther along, but Nickel Creek is the last reliable water before Indian Bar; the smaller one can be seasonal. Fill up there and treat water before drinking it.

From Nickel Creek the trail climbs steadily through shaded forest, gaining about 1,800 feet on the way to the divide. The grade steepens toward the junction: stay on the Wonderland Trail for Indian Bar, because the Cowlitz Divide Trail branches east toward Olallie Creek. Above the junction, the route rolls over several bumps, alternating between forest and open meadow. Mount Adams and Goat Rocks appear through the openings; the full southeast face of Rainier arrives from the 5,914-foot knoll. That high point is a good place to pause before the descent, and the outward-and-back return makes you cross the same rolling ground again.

From the knoll, the trail loses about 800 feet to Indian Bar. One steep section uses stairs, then the route turns and the whole basin opens below. The last stretch winds through meadow and berry plants to the Ohanapecosh River and the group shelter on its west bank. A bridge crosses above Wauhaukaupauken Falls just below the shelter; established campsites and a toilet are also in the basin. For a photo that shows the place rather than just the shelter, stop at the bend before the drop and include the meadow, river and falls together.

Indian Bar is a broad subalpine meadow divided by the Ohanapecosh River, with small remnants of the Ohanapecosh Glacier at the head of the valley. In early summer, waterfalls spill over the lava cliffs; the flow is most dramatic when snow is melting. On the divide, lupine, paintbrush, bistort, alpine daisies and corn lilies flower around late July and early August, with berries coming later. Stay on the trail through the fragile meadow. Late August nights can bring bull elk bugling in the basin.

The stone Indian Bar shelter was built in 1940 by the Civilian Conservation Corps under NPS architect Edwin A. Nickel. It still gives this high basin a useful place to stop, and Nickel Creek takes its name from the same builder.

Park entry fees apply, pets aren't allowed on park trails, and all natural water needs treatment. Camping overnight at Indian Bar or Nickel Creek requires a wilderness permit; the shelter is a backcountry facility, not a food stop. Box Canyon has a seasonal comfort station and picnic area, but no potable water. Check current trail and water conditions before setting out, especially early or late in the hiking season.