Wonderland Short: Stevens Canyon Washout Area

The devastating floods in Mt. Rainier National Park in November of 2006 caused the closure of the Wonderland trail for a while. The trail reopened in August of 2007 but the washout area in Stevens Canyon was still impassable, causing hikers to walk the road for that section. It was finally ready in August of 2008. This video does snapshot comparisons, starting with August 2008 (shortly after the trail reopened), August 2012, October 2018, and finally August 2023.

Wonderland Short: 2015

For every action there is an equal and opposite…..2011 was a huge snow year. 2015 was not, with Paradise measuring its lowest annual snowfall on record; 266 inches. On February 18th I was able to park at the Crystal Mountain turnoff, bike up the closed Mather Memorial Parkway (highway 410) and into the park, finally dismounting the steed a mere 1/2 mile from the Fryingpan Creek trailhead. From there I hiked an incredibly snow sparse Wonderland trail to Summerland. There was snow there, but consolidated enough for me to practically run back with no postholing, utilizing the winter route which bypasses the switchbacks below Summerland. Summerland camp had dirt showing around trees. But wait, there’s more! I hiked the west 57 miles of the Wonderland (Longmire to Sunrise CW) over June 9th and 10th. The Mowich Lake road wasn’t even open, and no maintenance had been done a’tall. To cross the bridgeless Mowich Rivers I found downed logs and stayed feet dry. There were a few problem areas, like a washout of the trail after crossing Winthrop Creek and I had to bypass Skyscraper Pass which did have snow with steep slopes. I was in the dark from Mystic Lake on but incredibly Sunrise Park road was open so was picked up by a friend late that night. A memorable year indeed!

Wonderland Short: 2011

2011…HUGE snow year. 907 inches at Paradise, putting that year easily in the top 10 percent. An extended La Nina affecting the entire west coast. Lower than normal temperatures most of the summer, further delaying meltoff. Of note, SEATAC only had 28 “mostly clear” days from June 1st to September 30th. Yes, over a 4 month span! To top it off, only 4 of those days could be classified as “cloudless.” Official reports say that melt out didn’t end until August 27th (whatever that means). I hiked a bit of the Wonderland with my daughter on Aug 13/14 and still had to contend with snow on the switchbacks leading up to Summerland. The Cowlitz Divide was completely covered. Ohanapecosh Park was completely covered (we transited here from 10-11 PM on the night of August 13th). September 9th still had a butt load of snow. When I put feet back on the Wonderland on October 9th, I was already contending with fall snows. 2011 hiking season….snow, snow, snow.