Summerland - Panhandle Gap — Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020

Arrived at the park entrance around 8:40am Saturday and had to wait about 45 minutes to get into Mt. Rainier because of the line. (There's not anyway to cut around this or split the line meaningfully into passholders versus day visitors.) There are portable toilets along the road, and real toilets right inside the park gate. 

There was parking along the road close to the trailhead but the dozen or so actual spots were full. But it was fine. There's no bathroom at the trailhead.

Anyway, we started at the trailhead around 9:40am. All the signage is very clear, and the trail is easy to follow. It took us about two hours to get to Summerland camp (another toilet there that's enclosed). You take the trail to the right of the camp to stay on the Wonderland, and it was a bit more than three hours before we reached the Gap. We saw marmots, goats (near the small lakes closer to the Gap), and pika along the way; no bear sightings, though there was plenty of warnings about them. 

This trail wasn't crowded at all. I saw about 20-30 people along the whole way, including several trail runners. The incline is tough because it's ongoing but as gradual as can be. It's doable for all levels IMO. The top of the Gap was socked in when we got there but the rest of the trail was sunny, so still worth doing! 

Total hike clocked in at just over six hours and 12.8 miles, according to Strava.