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July 26th, 2025: Box Canyon Trailhead to Paradise River Group Site (9.5 miles, 2,785 ft elevation gain)
The day was finally here. After over a year of planning, prepping, and training for the 93-mile Wonderland Trail, it was time to do the damn thing!!! Yesterday, Nick picked me up from the airport, we drove to Longmire, and picked up our official permit. The only thing to do now is put one foot in front of the other…a bunch of times. After we acquired the permit, Kyle arrived and walked through downtown Seattle wearing his entire pack and more. I was a mix of impressed and bewildered. We spent the night weighing our packs (Nick won the lightest pack award) and going over last-second gear changes. Emily, if you are reading this, thanks again for letting us take over the living room and turn it into a temporary storage facility for our gear.
Before Nick, Kyle, and I left Nick’s condo in downtown Seattle, I woke up early and got one last hot shower in. If all goes as planned, the next time I would be showering would be in a week. I don’t know if it would make much of a difference, but I thought I might as well put off the inevitable stink as much as I could. I used my bivy stick to send a test check-in message to all of our significant others. Service would likely be nonexistent during the next 8 days, so having a working satellite communicator was essential. It was my job to send the messages every few hours, letting them know we were still alive.
The 2-hour drive to the park was MOSTLY uneventful. We spent the time catching up and chatting about the normal hiking stuff. Which day would be hardest? Water source reliability, etc. We picked up some McDonald’s (shouts to the Sausage Egg & Cheese McGriddle), and we arrived at the Box Canyon parking lot around 08:45. There was some road work going on around the park, but even with a Mini Cooper, we had no issues with the well-maintained roads.
The lot had plenty of space. I expected there to be more people since the weather was nice and it was a weekend, but we only saw a few cars and even fewer people. Box Canyon had some facilities, so after a quick bathroom break, we did a final gear check and set off. Spirits were high; however, I did have a bit of anxiety that this was going to be my longest hike since I completed the Long Trail in 2022.
Almost immediately, we saw Rainier in the distance, peeking through the clouds that were beginning to encircle the mountain’s summit. We crossed the bridge that rose above the 115-foot-high slot canyon. The sounds of the Muddy Fork Cowlitz River thrashing below echoed up. Though this first section lacked the alpine scenery that would dominate the latter half of our trek, it made up for it with its dense, lush forests. I’ve hiked through plenty of green tunnels on the Appalachian Trail before, but this one was way more picturesque.
The trail itself was a delight to hike on. Its tread was gentle, the spongy forest floor offered great protection for our feet, and there were plenty of creeks, streams, and waterfalls that helped introduce me to hiking in the Pacific Northwest. Kyle and Nick are both experienced PNW hikers and are accustomed to this style of scenery. The WT trail on day 1 was very similar to other forest trails they have hiked in the region. This was my very first time hiking in this area of the country.
Eventually, the forest gave way to talus slopes, and the landscape opened up. Around 4 miles in, we came upon a notorious washout section on the WT. In years past, hikers have often been forced to road walk Stevens Canyon Road to get through this part safely. Recently, trail crews have built an alternate path around the washout. A series of steep, somewhat sketchy switchbacks travel down to the rock-strewn valley below. The new path was marked with cairns alongside Stevens Creek. We followed the cairns a short distance until another series of switchbacks brought us back to the proper trail.
Martha Falls was the next point of interest; this towering water feature is where we took our first extended break. The spray from falls cooled us off as the morning sun was warming things up.
After our rest, we had our first real steep climb. The trail rose about 1,000 ft in a mile to Stevens Canyon Road. I found myself out of breath sooner than I would like. The Wonderland Trail was said to be up, down, and rarely flat, and so I was prepared to be more tired than usual. Once at the roadway, we walked a gentler path alongside the road past Louise Lake and the famous Reflection Lakes. Mobs of people were trying to get a glimpse of Rainier’s perpetually glaciated peak shining off the lake. When we arrived, Rainier was acting shy, and the clouds obscured the view for the entire 45 minutes we were there.
Our little hiking group did give the crowds something else to look at, though. We got plenty of stares, and an individual even asked to take a photo with us. Maybe it was all the gear we were carrying, but the people were intrigued by what we were doing.
Leaving the crowds behind for just a moment, we continued our trek, which took us back into an old-growth forest. The trail became a sharp descent before leveling out around mile 8. With only 2 miles to go before camp, and it being a little past noon, we decided to take a short, 0.2-mile spur trail to Narada Falls. Widely considered one of the prettiest waterfalls in the park, Narada Falls was more than worth the minimal effort it took to reach them. The cascades plummeted approximately 160 feet below and cast large swaths of mist. Rainbows near the base of the falls shimmered in the sunlight.
While I was squeezing in between people, trying to get a good shot, Kyle and Nick spoke with another WT hiker who was on her last day. Apparently, she was extremely fatigued and ready to be done with the trial. She snapped one quick photo and immediately left, trying to finish her thru-hike. When they told me this, I couldn’t help but wonder if our fate would be the same. Would we be broken, bruised, and over it by the end?
The last 2 miles of day one were a quick jaunt through the forest. Just before camp, we collected and filtered water at the clear and cold Paradise River. It was a perfect place to stop for a water break. We packed enough to last the night since the water source was a bit of a hike (pun intended) from our site.
It was around 16:00 when we strolled into camp. I was impressed at how quickly we had gotten there and happy we could spend more time recovering. Day 1 proved to be surprisingly easy. It was good to get some of the more “touristy” sections done first. The days ahead would be much more difficult but also give us a truer wilderness experience. As we enjoyed our hot dinners, I went over tomorrow’s itinerary on Farout. The goal was to be in bed by 20:00 and be out of camp by 06:30 tomorrow morning. Kyle and Nick designated me as the keeper of the alarm clock, so it would be my job to wake everyone up.
Camp Reviews
I decided to add a campsite review section to end my posts, mostly because, well, I can. Ranking things is objectively fun.
- MLG’s Camp Rating: 7/10
Paradise River Camp isn’t regarded as one of the best backcountry camps along the Wonderland Trail. It is in a dense forest surrounded by trees with no real views to speak of, but I found it to be a great spot to set up for the night. It was far enough off the trail to silence any nearby foot traffic, and our group site was more than big enough for the three tents we brought. Insects were pretty much non-existent, and the bear pole to store our food was close by. The only negatives were that the privy was far away (though that means the smell was also far away, which is nice) and the closest water source was back at Paradise River (around 0.3 miles away).
- Kyle’s Camp Rating: 7/10 (Kyle mostly had the same sentiments as I did regarding Paradise River, but he added that the group site was dual-tiered, which allowed for good seating options.)
Nick’s Camp Rating: 6/10 (“too many trees.”)
Day 1 Top Highlight
Notable Quote(s)
“Numbers are just numbers without any Context” -Me
Previously: Wonderland Trail Planning Guide
Next: Wonderland Trail: Day 2 (Paradise River Camp to South Puyallup River Camp)
I’m glad your friends came along with ya, you should do that more often with them. Makes me feel better when you have some company with ya. Loved reading your adventures on this hike. ( I always love reading your experience when u tackle a new Trail). Loved the pic’s and video u took.. Another trail in the books.. so proud of you- ❤️MOM