Forum Index > Trail Talk > Wonderland Trail planning/info
 Reply to topic
Previous :: Next Topic
Author Message
williswall
poser



Joined: 30 Sep 2007
Posts: 1963 | TRs | Pics
Location: Redmond
williswall
poser
PostWed Mar 10, 2021 4:30 pm 
Greetings everyone, I have updated the links in the "Links" section for everything on the Wonderland I offer on my website (no monetization or ads). This year I will hopefully crank out #33. Also, to make it easier to remember, I now point the url hikethewonderlandtrail.com to my site, as I've owned it for many years. Also, hikingthewonderlandtrail.com (not mine) has some good info for planning....and remember that this year walkups are back in play, where the park reserves 30 percent of the backcountry camps for the season.

I desire medium danger williswall.com
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Wazzu_camper
Go Cougs!



Joined: 06 Feb 2008
Posts: 550 | TRs | Pics
Location: Woodinville
Wazzu_camper
Go Cougs!
PostThu Mar 11, 2021 2:52 am 
Thanks for posting this. I'm hoping to take my family on the Wonderland this summer for our first time. I've always avoided it due to crowds and too much competition for permits, but figured the kids are old enough and it is really the iconic PNW backpacking trip so I figure I might as well try. I'll be going through each of your links gleaning what I can while keeping my fingers crossed we get a good early reservation number if we get one at all. Cheers and thanks again.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Joseph
Joseph



Joined: 13 Jun 2018
Posts: 257 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle
Joseph
Joseph
PostSun Mar 14, 2021 11:40 am 
You've hiked the WT 33 times? How do you normally get a permit, by walk up, or by lottery? Also, how do you ever have knee/back issues? I hiked the WT last year (2nd full trip, 4th attempt) and had a lot of pain in knees and back. I am truly impressed with how often you've done this trail and I honestly wished I didn't "discover" this awesome trail only 5 years ago. Been hiking in MRNP for 50 years, but didn't even consider hiking the WT until I was about to turn 50 in 2016.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Joseph
Joseph



Joined: 13 Jun 2018
Posts: 257 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle
Joseph
Joseph
PostSun Mar 14, 2021 12:09 pm 
There is also a pretty good FB page dedicated to the WT - lots of folks looking to get permits, asking questions, etc. and lots of veterans providing advice. Lots of photos and beta, too, as the hiking season nears.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
williswall
poser



Joined: 30 Sep 2007
Posts: 1963 | TRs | Pics
Location: Redmond
williswall
poser
PostMon Mar 15, 2021 9:58 am 
Joseph wrote:
How do you normally get a permit, by walk up, or by lottery? Also, how do you ever have knee/back issues?
I've always done a walk up permit, or (like last year) just stayed at Mowich Lake and White River. I'm lucky in that I've never had back or knee issues; I think staying at a stable weight over the years certainly helps. When I retired out of the airlines my uniform size was the same as a new hire, and I've been committed to lifelong fitness. A few days ago I did 4400' of stairs on the Academy Mini Incline, which did result in some soreness of the quads.

I desire medium danger williswall.com
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Brian R
Member
Member


Joined: 10 Feb 2018
Posts: 501 | TRs | Pics
Brian R
Member
PostMon Mar 15, 2021 10:49 pm 
williswall wrote:
I've always done a walk up permit,
WW, you'd better check the latest on this. Like you, I've liked the walk-ups for decades. But I've been told by MORA staff that ALL MRNP backcountry permits will be migrated to Recreation.gov permanently starting this year. In short, this means I will be using the park unpermitted, one last year here in WA, camping off the beaten path. As I did last summer.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
williswall
poser



Joined: 30 Sep 2007
Posts: 1963 | TRs | Pics
Location: Redmond
williswall
poser
PostMon Mar 15, 2021 11:26 pm 
Brian R wrote:
WW, you'd better check the latest on this.
And I did...from the NPS website: • Approximately one third of campsites are not reservable in advance and are issues on a first-come, first-served basis. • Walk-up permits can be obtained on the same day your trip starts or up to one day before your trip starts, but no sooner than one day. So 30 percent of the sites are available for walk ups.

I desire medium danger williswall.com
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Brian R
Member
Member


Joined: 10 Feb 2018
Posts: 501 | TRs | Pics
Brian R
Member
PostTue Mar 16, 2021 12:11 am 
Hmmmm, I was told otherwise. Recently. By the ranger at the Carbon River station. Explicitly, she told me that walk-ups/day-of permits are a thing of the past and reservations for overnight were going 100% to rec.gov. I was so incensed, I made calls and all confirmed her story. Maybe they've reconsidered. If so, good news.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
williswall
poser



Joined: 30 Sep 2007
Posts: 1963 | TRs | Pics
Location: Redmond
williswall
poser
PostTue Mar 16, 2021 9:23 am 
It's all right there on the NPS website. The ranger is uninformed. Roughly 70 percent of Rainier’s backcountry campsites can be reserved. Others are kept for free walk-up permits, available on the day of (or day before) the start of a trip. Here's an explanation recently published in the Seattle Times

I desire medium danger williswall.com
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
zimmertr
TJ Zimmerman



Joined: 24 Jun 2018
Posts: 1206 | TRs | Pics
Location: Issaquah
zimmertr
TJ Zimmerman
PostTue Mar 16, 2021 10:27 am 
Just because the information is on the website doesn't mean it's still valid. Especially if the decision was made recently.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
williswall
poser



Joined: 30 Sep 2007
Posts: 1963 | TRs | Pics
Location: Redmond
williswall
poser
PostTue Mar 16, 2021 12:29 pm 
zimmertr wrote:
Just because the information is on the website doesn't mean it's still valid. Especially if the decision was made recently.
Consider that the guidelines for 2021 permits were published weeks ago and the advance permit process has just started. Not sure why the guidelines would have changed before they even got started, but there is always the possibility. I have found over the years that rangers may not be the best informed. But hey, it could be true, this is the government we're talking about.

I desire medium danger williswall.com
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
babylero
Member
Member


Joined: 09 Oct 2020
Posts: 94 | TRs | Pics
Location: Tacoma
babylero
Member
PostTue Mar 16, 2021 9:10 pm 
ONP just changed all permits to online, per recreation.gov, releasing all High Divide permits to online. I could see that expanding to MRNP soon... In ONP it's because the WIC remains closed due to covid.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Brian R
Member
Member


Joined: 10 Feb 2018
Posts: 501 | TRs | Pics
Brian R
Member
PostWed Mar 17, 2021 4:37 am 
On the trail at MRNP B/C Ranger: Hello, where you guys camping tonight? Can I see your back country permit? Hiker: We're just out for a day trip. B/C Ranger: But you're ten miles in. And you're carrying full packs. Hiker: We're in training.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Wazzu_camper
Go Cougs!



Joined: 06 Feb 2008
Posts: 550 | TRs | Pics
Location: Woodinville
Wazzu_camper
Go Cougs!
PostThu Mar 18, 2021 10:20 am 
Brian R wrote:
On the trail at MRNP B/C Ranger: Hello, where you guys camping tonight? Can I see your back country permit? Hiker: We're just out for a day trip. B/C Ranger: But you're ten miles in. And you're carrying full packs. Hiker: We're in training.
We are going to start seeing more and more of this if changes aren't made. I don't know the answer but something has to be done to help with supply of front and backcountry sites. Going to a big NP in the summer to camp is insane. I've been at Glacier and had people walking around the campsites in the morning asking what time people were going to leave so they could take over their site. I know the Enchantments are an extreme example, but in 2019 they had 18,835 permit requests and only 385 permits given for the core zone. About 1.9%. With those odds you could conceivable enter the lottery every year you were truly able to backpack over the course of your life and never get a permit. That's not cool.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
jaysway
Member
Member


Joined: 16 Jul 2020
Posts: 345 | TRs | Pics
jaysway
Member
PostThu Mar 18, 2021 12:59 pm 
I agree, it is a problem with no easy solution. Realistically, I foresee more permit systems by the USFS, and more advance reservations and fewer walk-ups by the NPS. I would not be opposed to increasing the supply of front and backcountry sites where it makes sense. The reality is that even with backcountry camping, the human impact to the environment is small if most people are staying on trails and sticking to designated campsites. Overuse certainly can impact the environment, I am not denying that, but there is a difference between a) true ecological destruction, and b) small harms that might damage the aesthetics of a place, but are relatively benign in the scheme of things. Human-caused climate change, mining, deforestation, and other practices are exponentially more harmful to the environment than the occasional trampled meadow or visible piece of toilet paper.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
   All times are GMT - 8 Hours
 Reply to topic
Forum Index > Trail Talk > Wonderland Trail planning/info
  Happy Birthday kiliki, mtnmschist, adamcwatts!
Jump to:   
Search this topic:

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum