Willis Wall

Visitation in the park has increased substantially since I did my original series on the Wonderland Trail backcountry camps in 2012. It has become increasingly common for hikers to select camps that are off the Wonderland Trail in order to complete a circuit. Therefore I am mapping all the other backcountry camps in the park so hikers can view the alternatives. Currently only Shriner Peak and Three Lakes are not included. The other 16 camps are listed here in the same heading and order found on the NPS website.

The KEY to the right applies to all of the following camp videos. The moving red arrow on each map is the viewer’s position in the space. Caltopo provides the maps, annotations are added.

Happy Hiking!

LONGMIRE/PARADISE AREA CAMPS

• LAKE GEORGE Lake George is often used as an alternate camp for Wonderland hikers when transiting the west side of the park and Wonderland camps like South Puyallup and Klapatche Park are not available. Access is via the South Puyallup Trail (2 miles), then the Round Pass Trail (.5 miles) and finally to Lake George (.8 miles). This camp has 5 individual sites, a group site, plus a shelter and is fairly spread out, allowing for some privacy. Filmed in 4K/run time 11:49.

• SNOW LAKE Snow Lake Camp is located on the south side of the Stevens Canyon road near Lake Louise. It can be accessed from the Wonderland Trail where it brushes against the road; the hiker has to walk the road to the Snow Lake trailhead, approximately one half mile. From there it is 1 mile on trail to the turnoff for the camp. Filmed in 4K, run time 6:52.

EASTSIDE CAMPS

• BERKELEY PARK. Berkeley Park Camp is one of the camps along the Northern Loop Trail. It is fairly close to Sunrise so is convenient if getting a late start. Its proximity to the Wonderland Trail makes it a viable option if unable to secure a spot at Sunrise Camp. Filmed in 4K, run time 6:02,

• DEER CREEK Deer Creek Camp is located on Mt. Rainier's East Side Trail near the intersection of the Owyhigh Lakes Trail, where that trail head is .4 miles from Highway 123. It has two sites not far from where Deer Creek joins the Ohanapecosh River. Filmed in 4K, run time 4:41

• DICK’S LAKE Dick’s Lake resides on the Palisades Lake trail, which starts at Sunrise Point. To get there from Sunrise, one must hike 2.7 miles on the Sourdough Ridge trail, then proceed on the Palisades Lake trail to Dick’s Lake camp, another 2.5 miles. This is a small camp with just one site, but is very serene, located between Dick’s Lake and a sister lake.

• FIRE CREEK Fire Creek is only viable if the hiker is incorporating the Northern Loop Trail (fairly common) into their Wonderland itinerary. It’s a half mile hike into the camp, and the camp is spread out, great for privacy but those in site #3 are close to a mile in from the NLT. Also of note, Fire Creek is the only fresh water readily available between Berkeley Park and James Camps, so plan accordingly. Filmed in 4K, run time 8:42

• FOREST LAKE Forest Lake Camp is 2.5 miles from Sunrise on the Huckleberry Creek Trail. It sports 1 site; expect bugs in July and into August. Filmed in 4K, run time 3:36.

• GLACIER BASIN Glacier Basin camp is just over 3 miles up the trail from White River. There has been significant bear activity at the camp in past years so there are no bear poles, screw top bear barrels are provided for food storage. The sites are clustered together so don’t expect privacy. Of note, the group site is sizeable. It’s a walk to the privy so don’t delay if you have the urge. Filmed in 4k, run time 8:04.

• JAMES James Camp is on the Northern Loop Trail, between Fire Creek and Yellowstone Cliffs. With Lake James being on the boggy side, the area is notorious for bugs. Filmed in 4K, run time 10:49.

• LAKE ELEANOR Lake Eleanor Camp is less than a mile from the parking area on FS Road 73, or about 3 miles from the intersection with the Northern Loop Trail. Right near the lake, it has 3 individual sites and 1 group site. Typical for these lakes in summer through August, expect bugs. This camp is most fitting when one is hiking the Northern Loop Trail. An excellent loop from Sunrise is the Huckleberry Creek Trail (where one can use the Forest Lake Camp) to FS 73, then through Grand Park and Berkeley Park back to Sunrise. Filmed in 4K, run time 6:04

• LOWER CRYSTAL LAKE Lower and Upper Crystal Lakes Camps share the same trail. The trailhead is on Highway 410 a short distance before the turn off for the White River entrance of Mt. Rainier. Lower Crystal Lake is just over 2 miles from the road. This parking area is also used by hikers branching off for Crystal Peak or continuing on to the PCT. Filmed in 4K, run time 4:42.

• OLALLIE CREEK Olallie Creek Camp lies 1.3 miles down the Cowlitz Divide Trail from the intersection with the Wonderland Trail, making it a good alternate camp for Wonderland hikers if, for instance, Nickel Creek is not available. This video was filmed in June 11, 2025 so there was some snow to contend with and Olallie Creek was raging. I amended the video with scenes from September 3rd so make sure you see the later part for a more typical view during the summer season. Filmed in 4K/run time 13:25.

SHRINER PEAK (coming soon!)

• TAMANOS CREEK Tamanos Creek Camp resides on the Owyhigh Lakes trail. For Wonderland Trail hikers, one must walk the road from the Fryingpan Creek trailhead (to Summerland) to the Owyhigh Lakes trailhead, a distance of .7 miles. Then it is a 1,400’ climb and 2.8 miles to the Tamanos Creek Camp, which has 4 individual sites and 1 group site. Filmed in 4K, run time 7:48.

THREE LAKES (coming soon!)

• UPPER CRYSTAL LAKE Upper Crystal Lake Camp is 3 miles up the trail head located on Highway 410 just before the turnoff to the White River Entrance. It is less than a mile past Lower Crystal Lake. This camp is fairly spread out, with site 1 very near the entrance but site 2 and the privy are a good walk continuing from there. Of note, the bear pole is right next to the toilet so those in site 1 have a bit of a walk to hang and/or retrieve their food bag. For the map, see the prior writeup on Lower Crystal Lake. Filmed in 4K, run time 7:49

• UPPER PALISADES LAKE Upper Palisades Lake Camp is accessed from Sunrise Point. The 3 miles to the camp passes a number of other lakes along the way, including Dick's Lake [Camp], and in July travels through meadows teeming with lupine. It's an "end of the road" camp, meaning the trail essentially ends here, branching off a short distance to Brown Peak. When I filmed not a soul was around and the 2 sites were situated close to a water source which feeds into the lake. In my opinion, this is one of the nicer backcountry camps in the park, and the short journey to get there is well worth it. Filmed in 4K, run time 11:00.

• YELLOWSTONE CLIFFS Yellowstone Cliffs Camp is on the Northern Loop Trail. It’s a long way in and there are but 2 sites, but the setting is cool. If traveling CCW, this is the last camp on the NLT before intersecting the Wonderland Trail part of the loop. Filmed in 4K, run time 8:23.