Backpacking Mount Rainier’s Wonderland Trail—A Photo Gallery

By Michael Lanza

On the first afternoon of a five-day, late-summer backpacking trip covering much of the 93-mile Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier, two friends and I were making a long ascent through meadows bursting with lupine when we spotted two mountain goats staring at us from rocks partly hidden by bushes—and within seconds, we counted nine goats. Not much later, the morning fog finally lifted, revealing Mount Rainier in all its glory, a vast mountainside of ice and snow rising nearly 8,000 feet above us. Crossing endless wildflower meadows in warm sunshine, a light breeze, and just about perfect hiking temperatures, we reached Panhandle Gap at 6,750 feet—the highest point on the Wonderland—with its expansive view of The Mountain. Below us, at least 18 mountain goats grazed in a flat meadow carpeted in green grass.

And that anecdote encapsulates scenes that occurred daily on the Wonderland Trail.

The Wonderland Trail certainly belongs on any list of America’s best backpacking trips—and I have hiked most of the best (some of them multiple times) over more than three decades, including many years running this blog and previously as the Northwest Editor of Backpacker magazine for 10 years. The Wonderland possesses virtually all of the qualities that make for a great multi-day hike—including repeated views, from all sides, of the most heavily glaciated peak in the Lower 48, 14,410-foot Mount Rainier.

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Check out the photo gallery below from backpacking trips I’ve taken on the Wonderland Trail and my story about the 77-mile, late-summer hike I took with two friends, “American Gem: Backpacking Mount Rainier’s Wonderland Trail.” Like many stories at The Big Outside, including most stories about trips, that one requires a paid subscription to read in full.

For as special as it is, the Wonderland ranks among the hardest backpacking permits to get in the country. See “How to Get a Permit to Backpack Rainier’s Wonderland Trail” and “10 Tips for Getting a Hard-to-Get National Park Backcountry Permit;” and get my e-book “The Complete Guide to Backpacking the Wonderland Trail Around Mount Rainier” to learn everything you need to know to plan and take this classic trip.

And see my Custom Trip Planning page to learn how I can put together a completely customized plan for you to backpack part or all of the Wonderland Trail or for any trip you read about at this blog.

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If you’re looking for a beautiful introductory backpacking trip at Mount Rainier National Park, you could hardly do better than the three-day, 22-mile hike from Mowich Lake to Sunrise, much of it on the Wonderland Trail. Crossing the northern tier of the park, you’ll enjoy some of the best wildflower displays you’ve ever seen in Spray Park and Berkeley Park, get a close-up look at the massive Carbon Glacier, and gaze up awestruck at Rainier’s ice- and snow-clad north face from spots like Mystic Lake. See my story about taking that trip with my family when our kids were young, “Wildflowers, Waterfalls, and Slugs at Mt. Rainier.”

If you’re more interested in seeing the best parts of the Wonderland on dayhikes, see “The Best Hikes in Mount Rainier National Park.”

If you have backpacked the Wonderland or have other questions or suggestions about it, please share them in the comments section below. I try to respond to all comments.

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I’ve helped many readers plan unforgettable backpacking and hiking trips.
Want my help with yours? Click here now.