November 12, 2026: the Wonderland is closed as a full loop. After the 2026 Grand Park 2 and Garda Falls fires, Mount Rainier says "No full Wonderland Trail circuit permits will be issued until further notice," and the trail is closed from the Carbon River to the White River. The park hasn't said whether that carries into 2027, and it hasn't posted 2027 lottery dates. The lottery covers every wilderness permit in the park, so it still matters if you're planning sections or other Rainier trips. Sign up below and we'll email you before it opens, and update this page when the park announces 2027.

Last updated: November 12, 2026

The Wonderland Trail circles Mount Rainier in about 93 miles, with roughly 27,000 feet of climbing. Getting a permit takes more planning than most trips do. You book a specific camp for every night, in order, and the best dates are gone within weeks of the lottery.

Wonderland permits, in short:

• Early access lottery: every February on Recreation.gov. Winners get a time slot to book one trip, starting in late March.
• General on-sale: what's left goes up in late April (April 25 at 7:00 a.m. PT in 2026).
• Walk-up: about a third of permits are held for first-come, first-served, in person, the day of or the day before your start.
• Cost: $6 to apply or reserve, plus $12 per person per night. Ages 15 and under are free.
• Itinerary: a designated camp every night, up to 13 nights on one permit, at most 5 people at a standard camp.

2027 dates

The park says only that the early access lottery "opens in February each year" and to check Recreation.gov for dates. Until 2027 is posted, 2026 is the best guide:

How the early access lottery works

Winning the lottery gets you a booking slot, not an itinerary. Up to 1,800 winners each get a date and time, starting in late March, when their booking window opens. When yours comes up, you build a trip from whatever camps are still available. Later slots see fewer open camps, so go in with a second and third itinerary.

The $6 application fee isn't refunded, but winners don't pay another $6 when they book. You can make one reservation during early access and more once the general on-sale starts. Recreation.gov won't let you plan more than 17.5 trail miles between camps.

General reservations and walk-ups

About two thirds of wilderness permits can be reserved in advance; the rest are held for walk-ups. For the Wonderland in July through September, the park puts it at about 600 reservable trips and 300 first-come, first-served. Reservations have to be made at least 2 days before the trip starts.

Walk-up permits are issued in person only, the day of or the day before your start, and cost the same $6 plus $12 per person per night. They aren't issued by phone, and stations take cards only. In 2027, summer walk-up permits run May 28 to October 11 at the Longmire, Paradise and White River Wilderness Information Centers.

The itinerary: a camp every night

Full-loop hikers camp only in designated camps, and only at the camp on their permit for that night. The loop has 18 trailside wilderness camps plus 3 non-wilderness camps (Mowich Lake, White River and Cougar Rock). There's no camping at Longmire, and Cougar Rock is reserved separately on Recreation.gov.

One permit covers up to 13 consecutive nights (14 days), with no more than 4 nights in a row at one camp or zone. The park doesn't require a direction.

Before your booking slot opens, work out a night-by-night plan you can actually hike: daily miles, the climbs between camps, and where your food caches are. Then pick backups for the camps most likely to be full.

Group size

A standard trailside camp takes up to 5 people and 3 tents. Groups of 6 to 12 need a designated group site; 25 camps in the park have one, but Pyramid Creek, Klapatche Park, Dick Creek and Eagle's Roost don't. A large group can't split into smaller parties on the same itinerary to get around the limit.

Picking up the permit

Your reservation isn't the permit. Pick it up in person the day your trip starts or the day before. The reservation is held until noon, or until 5:00 p.m. if you choose late pickup when you book; after that it's cancelled. The ranger checks the reservation holder's photo ID and gives you a printed permit.

Food caches

From July through September you can cache food at two places on the loop.

At the Longmire Wilderness Information Center, drop-off and pickup run 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Ship by UPS or FedEx, since the Postal Service no longer delivers to Longmire. Fuel goes in a separate fuel locker, and you have to deliver it in person.

For White River, ship by USPS, UPS or FedEx to the White River Wilderness Information Center. Rangers move caches to a bin behind the White River Campground ranger station, and you pick yours up there.

Mowich Lake doesn't take caches while the Fairfax Bridge is closed, and Sunrise isn't a cache site. Pack each cache in a plastic container, up to five per group per location, labeled with the permit holder's name, the pickup location and the pickup date. Mail it to arrive at least two weeks ahead. Fuel can't be mailed, and unclaimed food is donated to local food banks.

Rules on the trail

Hang food, trash and anything scented from the camp's bear pole, or use an approved canister. The park strongly recommends a canister for cross-country and alpine travel, and you'll want one in October, when the poles start coming down.

Fires, pets and bikes aren't allowed in the backcountry, and neither are stoves that burn wood. Every trailside camp has a pit or composting toilet. You'd need a climbing permit above 10,000 feet or on a glacier, but the Wonderland stays below both.

Season and roads

The trail is usually mostly free of snow from mid-July into early fall. In an average snow year, the park advises waiting until mid- to late July.

Check the roads before you plan a start point. There's no public access to Carbon River or Mowich Lake while SR 165's Fairfax Bridge is closed, and the Summerland Trailhead is closed for bridge construction through 2029.

Other permit guides

If you're entering more than one lottery this winter, the Enchantments permit guide covers Washington's other big one (February 15 to March 1), and the Havasupai reservations guide covers the tribe's February sale. No lottery at all on the Lost Coast: the Lost Coast Trail permit guide covers its 90-day reservations and the tides.