Historic Trails

Early trails around Mount Rainier included native paths, game trails, mining roads, and the first wagon roads and tourist paths, such as those blazed by James Longmire in the 1880s or Bailey Willis in the Carbon River/Spray Park Area. The first government-built trails initially sought to improve existing trails, such as the route to Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground which was worked on by rangers in 1906. In 1907, U.S. Army Engineers Hiram Chittenden and Eugene Ricksecker suggested a continuous trail around the mountain to aid in policing the park, with a secondary benefit of tourist access. During the early 1910s, fire was a major concern and a driving force for trail construction. With better trails, rangers could more quickly respond if a wildfire broke out in the remote forests of the park. By 1915, a rough around-the-mountain trail system was completed, forming the Wonderland Trail. This early version of the Wonderland Trail was at lower elevations than the one that exists today. The Mountaineers led the first group around the Wonderland Trail in 1915 and also played a role in scouting out and building sections of the trail.

Park service landscape architects subsequently incorporated the trail into the master plan for the park in the 1920s. The first use of the name “Wonderland” was in 1920 when Superintendent Roger Toll recommended trail signage and the park concessionaire Rainier National Park Company (RNPC) started to promote the trail, advertising 12-day-long saddle and pack horse tours of the mountain. The RNPC route at higher elevations was more similar to today’s routing of the Wonderland Trail than the 1915 version. Superintendent Toll also advocated for a series of shelter and patrol cabins along the trail, that was realized during the 1920s-30s under Superintendent Tomlinson (1923-1941).

Although it has been relocated in places and maintained and rebuilt when required, the Wonderland Trail as a whole has extensive integrity and is one of the most significant and historic trails in the national park system. The Wonderland Trail corridor, with its associated historic elements, is counted as one structure. Its period of significance is from 1907-1942, when the trail was planned and established. Many of the other trails in the park, like the Eastside, Spray Park, and Northern Loop trails, follow previous versions of the Wonderland Trail.

Contributing Structures

• Wonderland Trail

  • Date Constructed: Circa 1916
  • Builder: The Mountaineers, Department of the Interior, National Park Service
  • The 93-mile Wonderland Trail follows much of the proposed route of the “round-the-mountain" road. It was first blazed in 1915 by a series of outings sponsored by The Mountaineers, following a route just below glacier line. The trail was later incorporated into the park’s master plans. The Wonderland Trail is made of many trails, and includes the Northern Loop Trail, a historic routing of the Wonderland.

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