Hiking the Wonderland Trail: The Complete Guide to Mount Rainier's Premier Trail Paperback – July 24, 2012

We finished the Wonderland yesterday- this book was instrumental in planning and is highly recommended. In a somewhat bullet format I'll add a few notes...I think it is better to deliver your food caches rather than mail them- discuss with the rangers THE ACTUAL PICK-UP POINTS, and have your map with you- they will give you current trail and water conditions, this proved to be very valuable.We opted for a 12 day hike, after just a few days we realized that we had underestimated our hiking ability and changed out schedule to a 9 day hike. The rangers were very good about helping us with the changes, keep a slower plan and a faster plan in mind as the hike progresses (don't forget to get word to the rangers to re-date your food caches if you change your schedule).Thank those rangers and back country guys when you see them-the trail is in splendid condition, the maintenance is ongoing. When you meet a man wearing a pack-board with a 55 gallon drum lashed to it and he is going to muck out one of the outhouses on the trail is really makes you think about all the steps that you are traversing, the water bars, the brush...on and on with the list.Trail-trash... and I'm not talking about litter, there are some not so nice people on the trail who think nothing about leapfrogging a campsite because they "didn't like it" or the day was too long / short. That means that if you are a late arrival at a camp all the sites may be taken, then you have to ask to see permits and engage in eviction, the rangers need to hear about these guys and they leave the park "With extra paperwork:". One party we met started as a party of 3, but one of them became ill and suffered a fall resulting in an injury- so she was abandoned at Golden Lakes to fend for herself... dumped on the rangers. Point being, know your trail team- when you look at the map note where the roads are close by the trail should you need to get help.The authors mention bugs... perhaps once or twice... they talk about deer flies and horse flies... but as much as they talk about it is still under emphasized, there are legions, hordes, armies of bugs at some of the campsites DON'T IGNORE THESE WARNINGS.There was a great tip about putting apples / oranges / pears in your food caches- after a couple of days without fresh fruit these were a huge bonus. We also included some of the Hormel dinners- already hydrated and a nice break from the normal trail food.All in all, this is essential equipment in planning your hike.The Wonderland is aptly named- this one of the high churches in the outdoor religion, you will be constantly amazed!!

To plan my Wonderland Trail hike, I bought three different books, including this one. Tami's is by FAR the best. It offers great summaries of different sections as well as detailed descriptions. So many details are covered: permits, the Spray Park and Northern Loop options, packing, caching, conditioning, etc. There are numerous maps, and all of the charts at the back really helped me plan a well-informed itinerary. Great book!I used a hard copy edition of this book to plan my Wonderland hike (since I still really like good old-fashioned books) and then downloaded the Kindle version to my phone to use for reference on the trail. After a quick read each night, I could hit the trail the next morning well-prepared for the day ahead!I should point out that I did also bring along a Green Trails map of the Wonderland Trail, which I really only wanted to identify mountains, etc.

This book is outstanding! Even though we backpacked the Northern Loop instead of Wonderland, there were sections in the book covering some of the camps we hiked to over our five nights in the back country. And then I ran the Wonderland Trail over three days the following week, so I was eagerly reading each night in my tent to see what I would be discovering on the trail. The author is a very good writer, knows her craft extremely well, and has obviously spent ample time in this absolute treasure of a national park. Thank you so much for writing such a valuable book.

A wonderful book with great pictures and rich details on the trail experience. Highly recommended. For me, it brought back rich memories of a family-group hike 38 years ago: my mother at 78, myself at 44, my brother at 40, a young adult friend in her thirties, three teen-age boys (two during one section, a different one during the rest). and three daughters (14, 10, and 8). It was a great experience for us all. Get the book as a valuable enticement and guide, and go for it!

I read this before backpacking the wonderland trail (the book is too heavy to bring along!).There were many great pictures and helpful tips.I gave it a 4 instead of a 5 because:it had elevation profiles for only some trail sections.It did not really prepare me for how truly awful the trail is north of Indian Bar (although i guess it tried).It didn't give enough information about water source locations (although the ridge south of Indian Bar turned out to be the only real waterless part).

If you're going to hike the WL this is the book to get. Lots of very, very useful details, and some humor. She really understands trail hiking. Hint: to save weight download it to a Kindle. (I'm not really an Amazon employee!). Then, read the information about the section you will be hiking next in the evening before or first thing while you're eating your oatmeal. ps: The WL trail is challenging but incredibly worth it. Get the book but more important, hike the trail.

I love this book. it is very clearly written with lots of helpful hints. I love that it is in color, It makes all the difference.