Introduction
I won the Wonderland Lottery for 2024 but I was given the last window to make an itinerary before reservations were open to the public. I spent weeks logging on before my reservation window to check what was available. I built itineraries just to see them disappear the next day.
I gave up trying to find a trip in August. However, based on the historically low snowpack winter 2023-2024 I looked to July to steal an early-season trip. As 7:00 a.m. approached the morning of my reservation window I was extremely nervous.
After successfully making my reservation, I couldn't believe I got a six-night itinerary spanning the west and north sides of the Wonderland that included Klapatche Park, Golden Lakes, and Mystic Lake.
This series of posts is about my amazing six-night trip on the Wonderland Trail's west and north sides in mid-July 2024.
Day 3: Klapatche Park to Golden Lakes Camp
Destination:
Getting Started
The temperature only dropped to 48°F overnight, despite it being the first half of July and Klapatche Park Camp being at 5,500 ft. elevation. When I first booked the trip, I knew we had to prepare for possibly nasty and cold weather. Conversely, the weather was great. I woke up early, hoping to catch the sunrise, and took some gear to Aurora Lake to make coffee and take pictures.
I took a timelapse of mist dancing around the top of the water on Aurora Lake while the sun rose behind Mount Rainier. When the sun finally rose it split the crests in the center of the mountain.
Everyone in the group slept better but we still took our time getting things together and enjoying our morning before breaking camp a little after 9:30 a.m. Despite being a little late to break camp, with another hot day forecasted, spending more time at Klapatche Park was well spent.
The Hike
We had, what I thought was, just over seven miles to hike (it ended up being closer to eight miles). The hike starts by descending from Klapatche Park to the North Puyallup River over the first three-ish miles. From there, the hike traverses the ridge to Golden Lakes Camp.
It was another beautiful morning. We immediately started our descent toward North Puyallup. We passed a few small streams that could have provided filterable water and navigated a few snow patches, which were hardly worth noting.
After the trip, I read a trip report from someone who backpacked in the opposite direction and had to hike up to Klapatche Park from North Puyallup. They complained about the partially overgrown trail, destroyed or washed-out areas, and the steepness of the climb. They were right!
All those things were at play on this stretch of trail. However, we didn't notice them as much because we were going downhill. The trail seems to work down a drainage area, and water causes trees to uproot and damage parts of it. There were a couple of washed-out areas, too, that took some careful navigating. I was happy to walk in the direction we were walking.
After two and a quarter miles descending we came across a wonderful little stream in the forest. The area was shaded, and a nice footlog crossed the water. We took a break and filled up on some water. The stream isn't far from the south side of the North Puyallup. I felt the most "in the wilderness" on this stretch of the trail. There weren't many groups on the trail.
North Puyallup River Camp to Golden Lakes
We stopped to check out North Puyallup River Camp, the waterfall, and the group site, and to eat some food and get water before ascending. The North Puyallup River Camp, I believe, is the terminus of the old Westside Road. The group site for the North Puyallup River Camp is the remains of the old parking lot.
The North Puyallup River Camp is not exciting. The valley provides little views and the sites run up against the hill between the trails' edge making them seem a little cramped. The interesting part of the North Puyallup River Camp is the rock walls constructed for the Westside Road as it heads west out away from the mountain.
We started the ascent to Golden Lakes and the trail was amazing. It was soft, shaded, and gently sloped. I noted many huge trees and it felt like an old-growth area of the park. Eventually, the trail steepness increased. With our later start, it was beginning to feel hot, even in the shade.
Just under two miles past North Puyallup River Camp, we approached a large stream. Coming down the trail was a group of backpackers who stayed at Golden Lakes the night before. They warned us the water at Golden Lakes Camp clogged their Katadyn BeFree water filters and the stream we were about to cross was the best water they had seen in a long time. I was a bit surprised because we were still three miles from Golden Lakes Camp. We noted the warning and filled up what we could.
The stream is just above a waterfall and has areas to filter, sit by the water, or dip your feet in to cool off. We took a break in the shade and ate some food.
The trail turned uphill and the hiking was difficult. It was hot, the trail was more exposed with rockier footing. On my map, there is a creek that comes off Sunset Park closer to Golden Lakes before the burn area. It's about two miles from Golden Lakes Camp and appears to be fed from lakes higher up. This is not the case. It was mostly dry. There was some water, but it was difficult to get to and not flowing much. Again, I was surprised because it was early July.
We entered the exposed burn area of Sunset Park. Every now and then we felt a breeze but in general, it was hot. The fire that burned this area happened back in the 1930s. It was the only place on our trip where I noticed Western White Pines. Moving through the new landscape we were reacquainted with Mount Rainier popping its head out above the green meadows and wildflowers.
A side-trip I planned to possibly go on from Golden Lakes was up to the Sunset Park Lookout Site or Sunset Benchmark above Golden Lakes. I read up on it and found two older routes up. One from Swift Creek, closer to Golden Lakes, and the other further out on the old burn area. I found, what I believed to be, the trail splitting off the Wonderland that heads up to the Sunset Benchmark from the south. The coordinates I marked are 46.86954 N and -121.90140 W.
The trail leveled out as it approached Golden Lakes. We could feel ourselves getting closer now that we were done with the climbing.
We started passing more groups hiking in the opposite direction. It was later in the afternoon now and I was continuously checking our distance to Golden Lakes Camp.
Bear(s)
Later I concluded that hiking from Klapatche Park to Golden Lakes was the most difficult day on the trail for me. It's unclear why. Maybe because it was the third day, and I needed to get over the hump. Or, it was because I was carrying trekking poles instead of using them. Also, we hiked at a pretty slow pace that day stopping and starting a lot.
We stopped to talk to two backpackers roughly 0.5 miles out from Golden Lakes Camp and I wasn't much for conversation. I wanted to get to camp and be "done". The couple told us they walked up on a bear and two cubs not far from camp. Normally, this would be exciting. Instead, after we began walking again, I turned to my cousin and said, "I wouldn't even be excited if I saw a bear at this point".
I was hiking a little out in front of my cousin and uncle when I finally saw the Golden Lakes Ranger Station. We made it. The trail comes in above the ranger station from this direction before dropping down to a boardwalk over a meadow outside the station. After stopping to take a picture I continued walking down the trail toward the boardwalk.
Suddenly, from behind the brush just below me on the trail, a bear, with two cubs in tow, was also moving toward the meadow next to the boardwalk. Immediately, I U-turned back up the hill checking to make sure the bears were still moving away from me.
The bear stopped in the meadow outside the ranger cabin and the two cubs ducked into a raised island of trees next to the meadow. My uncle and cousin caught up and we watched the bear from the trail. I attempted to get the bear to move on with some "Hey, bear!" calls. I also tried making noise with my trekking poles. It didn't budge.
Eventually, my uncle decided he was ready to walk across the boardwalk to the ranger station. My cousin and I agreed to follow. Getting to the ranger station was a relief but to get to camp we would need to make another pass by the bear. For now, we sat in the shade outside the ranger station taking pictures.
I, again, tried to get the bear to move using a plastic water bottle, which made it jump backward but it remained munching on snacks in the meadow. After a few more "Hey, bear!" calls I looked for an alternative route along the lake into camp. It was no good. When I came back to the ranger station my cousin told me the bear wasn't very happy with my rummaging around in the woods.
The older couple we talked to on day one joined us outside the ranger station. They were also staying at Golden Lakes Camp. This added a new dimension to my troubles. Not only did I want to get past this bear into camp, but I wanted to do it before this other group.
Again, my uncle was ready to make a move and he resolved to move past the bear along the trail. Reluctantly, I agreed to follow. Making—my now signature "Hey, bear!" calls, we slowly moved down the trail. The bear watching our every step.
As we reached our closest distance to the bear it relented and began moving up the brush toward the island of trees making small grunting sounds. We believe it was communicating with the cubs. It sat down in the shade and we slid by into camp.
The following day I would report the bears ighting to a park ranger who nodded, knowingly, and told me they call the bears the "Golden Lakes Lawn Mowers".
The stats for our hike from Klapatche Park to Golden Lakes are below:
Length: 8.03 miles
Duration: 6 hours 20 minutes
Asc.: 2,725 ft.
Desc.: 3,281 ft.
Max. Alt: 5,638 ft.
Min. Alt: 3,554 ft.
Golden Lakes Camp
Some camps have obvious "best" sites. For example, it's known that site 1 at Klapatche Park is special. Similarly, most recommendations for Golden Lakes Camp say try to grab site 4 or site 5. Sites 4 and 5 sit at the back of camp right on the edge of the cliff looking west. This is beneficial for several reasons. The first is that it's not by the lake where bugs and humidity may be a nuisance. Second, they sandwich a viewpoint area that looks west toward Puget Sound and the sunset. From this same community area, a camper can also turn around and see a small slice of Mount Rainier. It's a cool spot and I'll talk more about it later. The major downside to sites 4 and 5 is they are a bit of a walk to the backcountry toilet and bear pole.
Ok, getting back to our entrance into camp. The camp is split. A few sites are near the entrance and are close to the bear pole and the bathroom. It's convenient but may be smelly. Then, moving further back into camp you cross the group site which is right up on the lake and can surely be very buggy. Oddly enough, the group site bear pole was not up. After climbing up, away from the group site bear pole, you can find sites 4 and 5.
I knew we wanted one of these sites and was discouraged to see site 4 occupied. I was ready to accept it just wasn't my day, when, to my delight, site 5 was empty. I quickly celebrated by sitting down and resolving not to move, ever again. It was nearly 5 p.m.
Water
The water source for the camp is typically the lake behind the ranger station. However, early in the day a group warned us they had trouble with their Katadyn BeFree filters in the lake. Despite the group's warnings, and after taking a look at the lake water, we determined the water actually looked pretty clear. This was another benefit of the early season trip.
Luckily, my cousin brought his pump Katadyn Hiker Microfilter so we were able to get down by the lake and filter all the water we needed.
I bring an empty gallon water jug on trips to have water in camp. Filling up this container helped us only make one trip to the lake.
Bear Pole
The bear pole is a walk from site 5. It was also pretty close to the bear and cubs. The group site bear pole is closer but it wasn't up. I decided I would try to walk back to the ranger station and get the group site bear pole so we could use it.
I couldn't tell if the bear was still in the meadow. The trail comes around a blind corner and a small rise obscuring the view of the meadow and the ranger station. As I made my way around the corner I heard movement and grunting. I began walking backward, keeping my eyes forward not sure if the bear would come racing around the corner. I was a bit startled and wanted to make it back up the hill to get the high ground. My stumbling backward turned into a full retreat back up the hill. My heart was racing and I could now see the bear, looking up at me from the meadow.
The older couple came out from their camp. They hung their food and were curious about the bear. We chatted for a bit before I went back to tell my uncle and cousin about my failed attempt. They were filtering water by the lake as I retold my story. Not long after finishing my story, we saw the older couple over by the ranger station across the lake meaning they had successfully made it past the bear. I was embarrassed.
We ended up using the individual site bear pole. The camp was not full that night, surprisingly, so there was plenty of room.
Site 5
We lucked out getting Site 5. The open air was refreshing. The bugs were a bit annoying, but not as much as down by the water. Our stay at Golden Lakes would be the only time on our trip we wore bug nets. There was enough room to fit both our tents and I found an area to hang my hammock.
Site 5 is the last in camp meaning no one ends up walking past your site or disturbing your sleep in the morning.
It's slightly alarming how close this camp, and the trail to this camp is to a massive cliff. It drops off severely. I imagine it wasn't always this way and erosion has made the situation worse. I could see the park service decommissioning this site or maybe the current trail to the site soon.
One issue at site 5 was the weeping trees. Small flakes of pitch fell from a tree and eventually made unprotected gear feel sticky. It was a small price to pay.
Back at Camp
Arriving in camp late, and dealing with the bear situation, meant I did not have the energy or enough time to go on a side-trip. Instead, we prepared for the early start the next day. Around 7:30 p.m. we walked the short distance to a hang-out spot between sites 4 and 5 to make food. The area looks west over other lakes and forests. It's a great view and is another reason why sites 4 and 5 are desirable.
After preparing, enjoying, and cleaning up dinner we tidied up camp. It would have been an earlier night but we were waiting for the sunset. Around 9:00 p.m. we went back to the overlook and sat for the sunset. I set up my phone and recorded a nice timelapse video.
Through bug nets we watched the sun turn to red and drop below the horizon. Its rays reflected off parts of the Puget Sound far away and we tried to determine what part of the Sound we were looking at. As it got dark, city lights appeared down in the blue valleys. We were way up in the mountains, and the rest of the world was way down there.
It was getting late and I told everyone we needed to start early because tomorrow we would need to ford and navigate the crossings of the Mowich rivers. My uncle and cousin went to bed but I stayed for a little bit longer. This was our third night on the trail, officially the longest trip I had ever been on. I took an extra moment to appreciate how lucky we had been with the weather conditions and getting the sites that we did.
I was pretty tired after the long day and knew falling asleep would be no problem.