Towards the end of summer, we caught backpacking fever and knew the only cure was more backpacking. However, since we are Kookz we are typically not prepared with a set scheduled itinerary. This makes getting permits in popular national parks, like Mount Rainier a very difficult task. We only had a few days in the area and the online permit system didn't have many openings so we made a decision to hike up to the Wonderland Trail for a one-day backpacking strike mission.
There weren't many overnight camping availabilities online so we had to just make the best judgment call. Make sure to use the Wilderness Trip Planner before scheduling your adventure. We decided on Devils Dream Camp solely because it was available and it was close to the Longmire entrance. We were able to score two nights at Devils Dream Camp so the plan was to get up there and day hike the Wonderland Trail and hike back to the camp. Well, mother nature didn't cooperate and it rained on us for the majority of the trip so we decided to head back feeling defeated by mother nature.
However, we did learn a few things during this trip. The first tip we are going to share is that even though we didn't stay the second night at the campsite we did stay in the Longmire Parking Lot. Our permits told us to park in the lot and our license plates were in the system so we figured we were good to go as long as we stayed in the lot for the night. So tip #1 is if you want to camp in the park just reserve a backcountry permit and stay in your van in the lot. The second thing we learned is to always be checking the recreation.gov website to get your permits ahead of time.
We know how difficult it is to have a plan while on the road. The permit system really doesn't work in the nomadic vanlifers’ favor. But we can’t have it all.
Happy Trails!
