Wonderland Trail
The Wonderland Trail circumnavigates Mount Rainier.
Plan Around Wonderland Trail
A good stop is not just something to read about. Once it belongs on the day, move into a saved trip and build the route around it.
Use this detail page to confirm that the stop is worth it, then carry that decision into a trip draft while the park context is still fresh.
Wonderland Trail Details
The Wonderland Trail circumnavigates Mount Rainier and gives hikers an incredible look at the many climate zones and ecosystems on the mountain, and close-up views of everything from a dense rainforest to wind-scoured, rocky ridges. It winds over passes, cuts across scree fields, skirts moraine fields, and offers stunning views of Mount Rainier and its glaciated slopes (keep an eye out for slides as you pass by the tongues of several glaciers). Bears, mountain goats, deer, elk, marmots, and pikas are also common sights along this hike, and fields of wildflowers and hillsides covered in huckleberries and blueberries abound come summertime. The trail will test even the strongest hiker's knees: It gains more than 27,000 vertical feet, yet is worth every step (trekking poles are strongly recommended). Most thru-hikers choose to complete the hike in eight to 12 days. Park signs and literature still claim the Wonderland Trail spans 93 miles, but with the many washouts and detours over the years, the trail length measures more than 100 miles as of summer 2015. Most hikers begin their journey at one of five main trailheads: Mowich Lake, Sunrise, Paradise, White River Campground, and Longmire, although other entry points can be found throughout the park, such as Cougar Rock Campground, Box Canyon, and the Carbon River Entrance. Hikers can mail or drop food caches at ranger stations along the route, at Sunrise, Paradise, White River Campground, and Longmire (no ranger station exists at Mowich Lake; however, you can mail your food to Carbon River and the rangers will drop it off in a bin at Mowich Lake). Hikers must obtain a backcountry permit and preregister for the limited backcountry campsites. Submit all applications for backcountry permits between March 15 and March 31 each year, and you will receive notification typically by mid May or early June.
Difficulty
High
Distance
100 miles
Estimated time
12 days
Region
N/A
Nearby Parks Around Wonderland Trail
Compare nearby parks around Wonderland Trail when deciding whether to expand the route after this stop.
Nearby Points of Interest Around Wonderland Trail
Use nearby POIs to quickly expand your options beyond Wonderland Trail while the map context is still fresh.
0.7 mi away
Carbon Glacier
The Carbon Glacier ranks as the third largest glacier by volume on Mount Rainier.
1.4 mi away
Russell Glacier
This mid-size glacier on Mount Rainier's northern side measures 1.3 square miles and eventually deposits melt water into the Carbon River.
2.2 mi away
Goat Island Rock
Goat Island Rock is located in the lower section of the Carbon Glacier.
2.9 mi away
Inter Glacier
This small glacier on Mount Rainier's northeast slope covers .3 square miles.
3.0 mi away
Winthrop Glacier
The second largest glacier on Rainier stretches from the mountain's summit to the 4,700-foot level of the West Fork of the White River.
