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July 28th, 2025: S. Puyallup River Group Site to Golden Lakes Group Site (11.6 miles, 4,068 ft elevation gain)
One of the worst feelings is waking up before your alarm clock. It is even worse on trail, where every minute of sleep is precious. When I woke up and saw it was only 04:45, I may have uttered a bad word or two. Them’s the breaks, though. The silver lining was that I could get an early start to the day. When 05:00 rolled around, I sounded the morning call and awakened my comrades.
A routine among us was beginning to take shape. I’m a sucker for having a set outline to follow every single morning and night at camp. It maximizes efficiency and reduces the time spent thinking about what needs to get done. We ate breakfast. Kyle and Nick had their coffee. We packed everything up. For the second straight day, we were out of camp by 06:30. Despite the arduous hike the day before, our fellowship was in high spirits. A few small blisters and a little soreness were the only blemishes so far.
The day began with a bridge crossing of the glacial South Puyallup River, followed by a 2,000 ft climb. Normally, the idea of starting with a long ascent is not very appealing. However, completing half of the elevation gain early is a fair trade-off.
Like yesterday, all three of us were hiking the uphills at different speeds. Nick was ahead, followed by Kyle, and I would usually be further behind. I put some headphones in and listened to a podcast to pass the time. Frequently, when I am hiking alone, I try to save music and podcasts until after the morning. However, climbing wooded switchbacks can get monotonous.
Kyle and Nick waited for me near the top of the ridge. Some friendly hikers going the other direction have some jerky, which we gladly accepted. Back in the mountain meadows, the morning shadow still blanketed the land. The wildflowers were still wet with the drops of morning dew. The trees thinned out, and we finally saw our surroundings. To the west, jagged peaks cut into the sky like crooked teeth. We saw our first snow patch right off the trail. Before the trip was over, I hoped to hike over a small amount of snow. It would be nice to check that off the bucket list.
The subalpine terrain was gorgeous, and the flowers were once again abundant. I don’t think I noticed yesterday, but the floral smell of the trail was something I should have expected, but it took me completely by surprise. The Wonderland Trail was truly a trail for all the senses.
As the sun rose, so did the insects. They continued their relentless assault from yesterday. I managed to get by without many bites, so I was prepared with a good lather of permethrin to help keep them at bay. The bugs here are relentless; if you stop for even a half-second, they are on you.
Next up was breathtaking St. Andrews Park. Its namesake lake, with its emerald green waters, offered a perfect spot for a short break, bugs be damned. The path ran right alongside the lake, offering stunning views of Rainier rising above. It’s silly how many times the Wonderland Trail kept one-upping itself. Oh, you thought Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground was good? Well, take a look at this!!! I have to stress that, as someone who primarily hikes along the Appalachian Mountains (which are beautiful in their own right), I was not used to this much striking scenery.
After St. Andrews Park, the Wonderland Trail traversed a mostly level pathway, reaching Klapatche Park. This site is the most sought-after campground on the western side of the park, and it’s easy to see why. The nearby Aurora Lake provides some of the best sunset views of Rainier you will find along the trail. If you have spent any amount of time seeing pictures of Rainier, I’m sure you have seen a photo of it from Aurora Lake. During our brief stay, the water was calm and teeming with tadpoles. I captured the iconic shot of Rainier reflecting in its waters.
The only reason I did not book this camp was because it does not have a group campsite; otherwise, we would have done it. As beautiful as it was in the morning, I could only imagine how incredible it would be with the alpenglow in the evening.
From Klapatche Park, the path descended to the North Puyallup River Valley. The massive Puyallup Glacier hovered above. This descent was not too enjoyable. Massive blowdowns littered the trail and slowed us considerably. We spent the next few hours navigating fallen trees.
Once the trail evened out, we crossed a bridge over the crashing waters of the North Puyallup River. The power of these glacial rivers is equal parts wonder and terror. I was grateful that it had been a dry season so far, because in a rainy season they are dangerous. A good deal of Wonderland Trail thru-hike attempts have been cut short by overflowing rivers.
Our second climb of the day fooled me. It started relatively gently, and we were moving fast and talking among each other. But it kept going…and going…and going. Nick went off ahead, probably because Kyle and I were taking so many breaks. Though it was a bit of a slog, the forest was beautiful. Huckleberries were plentiful, and the canopy kept us relatively cool as the temps rose.
The trail halted its climb at Sunset Park, and the landscape transformed dramatically. The verdant forest was now replaced with bleached, stunted, skeletal trees. These twisted trees are all that remains from a wildfire that happened nearly a century ago. Clusters of flowers and small grasses littered the mostly barren ridge. The sun beamed down on us as we all met back up and took our final snack break of the day. Above us, the snowcapped Rainier looms over it all.
When we donned our packs and moved forward, we darted in and out of meadows, ridges, and subalpine tarns. It didn’t take long to reach the Golden Lakes Patrol Cabin and backcountry campground, our home for the night. The 100-year-old cabin is still in use today and sometimes houses NPS rangers. Our group site was near the cabin and right next to one of the beautiful Golden Lakes. We arrived with plenty of daylight left, so after setting up shop, we spent the rest of the day at the lake. The weather remained perfect and warm, with no clouds. I brought a small towel specifically for this occasion.
I dove into the lake as soon as I could. After three days of rugged hiking, the cold water was manna from heaven. I felt completely refreshed, and most of my aches and pains were numbed. I also felt a lot cleaner; Kyle and Nick went into the water shortly after.
As the evening approached, we ate dinner right by the lake. The still water reflected the forest that encircled it, and when the sun hung low in the sky, it did take on a bit of a golden hue.
When everyone went to bed, I set up my camera near the lake to do some astrophotography. So far, none of the campsites offered a clear enough sky for it, but the lake setting was perfect. I used an app called PhotoPills and was able to determine when and where the Milky Way was going to make an appearance.
After capturing some blue hour shots around 21:00, I left my camera in the same position. I caught 2 hours of sleep before waking back up around 23:00. By then, the stars were sparkling overhead, and there was no cloud coverage. I could see the spiral arms of the Milky Way in the exact position PhotoPills said they would be.
For the next hour or so, I captured a ton of shots of the Milky Way, and the water of the lake was so still that I was able to capture it perfectly reflected off the water.
The Wonderland Trail just gets better and better!!!
Camp Review
- MLG’s Camp Rating: 10/10
The group site was right next to a large, beautiful alpine lake. The bugs were minimal, and the toilet was not a long trek. The only reason this wasn’t my favorite camp on trail is because of how great a few of the future sites were.
- Kyle’s Camp Rating: 9/10
“This one came with a wilderness polar plunge restoration reservoir. PP&RR, I believe most people would call it (lake to us laypeople, though). The frigid rinse can’t be overstated in how well it reset some tired joints and muscles after three long days of hiking. The water made for a great dinner spot, where we watched dragonflies and enjoyed the sunset colors on the water.”
- Nick’s Camp Rating: 8/10
“Top Tier camping site. Comes with its own indoor pool. The cold water made my aches disappear. The bathroom is best used in the morning.”
Day 3 Top Highlight
I can tell you what wasn’t the highlight of today…the hike from Klapatche Park to the North Puyallup River. Those blowdowns sucked!!! Day 3 was dominated by subalpine lakes. St. Andrews and Aurora Lake were fantastic, but the highlight of today was our campsite at Golden Lakes. Swimming in the lake was refreshing, and finally getting to do some astrophotography was a lot of fun.
Notable Quote(s)
“If you’ve seen one lake, you’ve seen ’em all.” — Me, definitely not being sarcastic
Previously: Wonderland Trail: Day 2 (Paradise River to South Puyallup River)
Next: Wonderland Trail: Day 4 (Golden Lakes to Cataract Valley)