Wonderland Trail Reservations Due April 1

If you've dreamed of hiking the entire 93-mile Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier, now is the time to plan your trip.

March? Yes, March--because backcountry reservations quickly fill up on the Wonderland, and there are only a limited number of slots available. The reservation system is now open, and you must fax or mail a completee reservation request form to the park by April 1 for first priority. All forms submitted between March 15 and April 1 will be processed in random order, so your best shot of getting the itinerary and dates you want is to make sure your request gets to the Park Service by April 1.

The park does set aside 30 percent of reservation on a first-come, first-served basis, but if you want to do the complete trail, you should definitely reserve ahead. The park usually receives between 500-700 reservation requests, so competition is stiff, and submitting after April 1 seriously reduces your chances of getting a complete circuit reserved. The complete Wonderland Trail is now open in its entirety after the floods of 2006 (although the Ipsut Creek campground is now managed as a backcountry site, and there are a few other closed backcountry sites).

I recommend you read this page on the Wonderland Trail and this page on the reservation system before going to this page to print out your request form. Reservations are taken by fax and mail only...you cannot e-mail or phone in a reservation.