Comments on: How to Get a Permit to Backpack Rainier’s Wonderland Trail https://thebigoutsideblog.com/how-to-get-a-permit-to-backpack-rainiers-wonderland-trail/ America’s Best Backpacking and Outdoor Adventures Mon, 16 Feb 2026 14:53:25 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 By: Michael Lanza https://thebigoutsideblog.com/how-to-get-a-permit-to-backpack-rainiers-wonderland-trail/#comment-239507 Sat, 07 Jan 2023 22:23:46 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=51184#comment-239507 In reply to Robin.

Hi Robin,

I agree with your suggestion for a points system to elevate the chances of people who’ve applied for a permit in the past. Mount Rainier N.P.’s optional Early Access Lottery, which has only been in place for a couple of years, is an improvement over the previous random system, but it remains entirely random, no matter how many times you’ve applied and failed in the past.

I also think the entire National Park System could sensibly adopt one universal system for backcountry permits by evaluating the pros and cons of the many different permit systems now in place in most national parks. Some operate with efficiency and a good degree of fairness and others are simply inefficient and maddening.

Thanks for the comment.

]]> By: Robin https://thebigoutsideblog.com/how-to-get-a-permit-to-backpack-rainiers-wonderland-trail/#comment-239506 Sat, 07 Jan 2023 21:51:07 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=51184#comment-239506 I have entered the lottery every year for the last 12 years and have yet to get a permit. They should do a points system for multiple attempts to give priority to those people. The way they do ultra races. I know many people that have gotten a permit first try and multiple times. It doesn’t seem fair to me.

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