Mount Rainier National Park officials are no longer taking reservations for hiking the Wonderland Trail for this summer because of an “overwhelming and unprecedented demand.”
This year, the park received about 2,600 reservation requests as of March 31, the majority are for hiking the Wonderland Trail. That’s far more than can be reserved at backcountry camps along the trail this summer, said a news release. Before 2013, the number of wilderness reservation requests received at Mount Rainier during the first two weeks of the reservation window averaged about 800, said the release. That number jumped to 1,400 in 2013 and then 2,000 last year.
The park’s current reservation procedure provides that reservations received between March 15 and April 1 each year are processed in random order starting on April 1, said the release.
“Visitors may still seek walk-up reservations throughout the summer.” The best locations for a walk-up permit are the ranger stations at Longmire, White River and Carbon River, said the release. Another option is to hike the Wonderland Trail in smaller segments, which will improve chances of getting a permit both by reservation and in person.
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I am Jeff Clark, founder of Internet Brothers, producer of this blog, and passionate about hiking. I live in Western NC near the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains. Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are just out my door, so the content will focus on these areas, but let me know what you would like to see on the site. 
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