How We Drew a Wonderland Trail Permit (and Three Things Most Guides Skip)

The Wonderland Trail (93 miles around Mt Rainier) takes a backcountry permit, and the early-access lottery odds are roughly 1-in-7. Here's the strategy spread that's gotten our team on it twice in three years.

1. The early-access lottery

Apply in mid-March. Rangers release dates by zone. We always apply for August or early September — that's when most of the snow is gone and the wildflowers are still in. Strategy: apply with three flexible itinerary options instead of one rigid one. Our hit rate doubled when we did this.

2. Walk-up permits at White River

Two of our team members got on by walking up at the White River Wilderness Information Center at 7am on a weekday. They had to do a different counterclockwise variation and skip Indian Bar, but they got on. Less competitive than the lottery, more competitive than people will tell you.

3. Cancellation watch

Refresh the recreation.gov page on Sunday evenings. People who apply for September dates and then realize they have a wedding cancel constantly. We picked up a five-day permit in 2024 from a cancellation 11 days out.

Three things most Wonderland guides skip

Bear pole logistics. Some camps have steel poles; some require canisters. Plan one or the other before the trail, not at the campsite.

The river crossings change yearly. Tahoma Creek and South Mowich can be sketchy after a hot day. We always check the trip-report board at the WIC the morning of departure.

Resupply at Longmire is real. You can drop a bear can at the Longmire General Store and pick it up on day 4. Saves carrying 8 days of food.