Wonderland Trail

The Wonderland Trail is a roughly 93-mile loop around Mount Rainier, usually backpacked over a week to 12 days. Starting at Longmire and following the clockwise itinerary, it climbs from lowland forest to alpine ridges and drops back through river valleys. The route links old-growth forest, rushing rivers, open meadows, glacier views and a high pass. The reward is seeing the mountain from all sides; the cost is about 27,000 feet of climbing and the same amount of descent, with some days gaining 3,000 feet under a pack.

Plan camp stops and daily mileage before setting out. The first Longmire-to-Pyramid Creek leg is 3.3 miles one way, then it is another 2.5 miles to Devil's Dream. The park's camp-to-camp schedule helps turn a long line on the map into manageable days, but the climbs still add up. Overnight hikers need a wilderness permit and must stay in designated camps; cross-country camping is not allowed. A day hike on one section can be a good alternative, but it is a different outing with its own start and mileage.

From Longmire, the route crosses forested valleys and the Puyallup River country, climbing out again toward Klapatche Park and Golden Lakes. Open meadows break up the tree cover before the path reaches Mowich Lake. Beyond Mowich, it climbs toward Ipsut Pass and drops to Ipsut Creek and the Carbon River, then rises again through the Mystic Lake and Granite Creek country. The north and west sides keep switching between shaded forest, exposed ridges and river corridors; don't mistake a campsite's short mileage from the previous one for an easy day.

From Granite Creek, the loop climbs toward Sunrise and crosses to White River. The east side feels more alpine: Summerland's meadows lead to Panhandle Gap, the route's high point at roughly 6,750 feet, then the trail descends toward Indian Bar. The park's segment table gives White River to Summerland as 7.0 miles and Summerland to Indian Bar as 4.7. At Indian Bar, a bridge crosses a creek above a waterfall, with glacier-carved ridges below Rainier filling the view.

From Indian Bar, the Wonderland crosses Cowlitz Divide, passes Nickel Creek and Maple Creek, then reaches Paradise River and Longmire. This side turns back toward forest and river crossings after the high meadows. The route's variety is the point: a day can move from rock and open tundra into flowered slopes or deep trees, and then end beside another creek.

In an average snow year, the route is mostly snow-free from mid-July through October. Earlier travel calls for expert navigation, ice-axe self-arrest and the ability to ford glaciated rivers. High water and seasonal bridge changes can make crossings consequential, so check current conditions before fixing a camp itinerary. Pets are prohibited on the trail. No food service is documented along the circuit, so plan meals as part of the backcountry trip.

Mountaineers first made a recorded circuit in August 1915; park crews, mountaineering clubs and Boy Scouts built and improved the route. In 1925, Eagle Scouts constructed a one-mile section from Longmire toward Rampart Ridge. For a photograph, Summerland is a natural place to frame Rainier above the meadow; dark conifers in the foreground make the glacier's scale easier to read.