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6	Indian Bar and Cowlitz Park

RATINGS	Scenery 9 Difficulty 8 Solitude 2
ROUND-TRIP DISTANCE	15 miles to Indian Bar; 16 miles to Cowlitz Park
ELEVATION GAIN	4,000' to Indian Bar; 3,900' to Cowlitz Park
OPTIONAL MAP	Green Trails Mount Rainier East (No. 270)
USUALLY OPEN	Late July–mid-September
BEST TIME	Late July–mid-September
AGENCY	Mount Rainier National Park, nps.gov/mora
PERMIT	Required. All cars must also display an entry permit for the national park. Reservations are strongly advised: Mount Rainier National Park makes only 30% of its backcountry permits available on a first-come, first-serve basis. The rest are for hikers who made advance reservations. Because obtaining a permit for popular areas, especially on summer weekends, is extremely difficult, it is highly recommended that you reserve a permit in advance. Reservations are accepted starting on March 15, through the online request system only; you cannot make a reservation over the phone. The cost is $20 per group and is nonrefundable. To obtain a reservation form and for further information, go to nps.gov/mora/ planyourvisit/ wilderness-permit.htm.

Highlights

One of the classic beauty spots in Mount Rainier National Park, Indian Bar is a fairly small but spectacular basin of abundant wildflowers, streaking waterfalls, and outstanding mountain scenery. There may be no more beautiful location in the Pacific Northwest backcountry. Unfortunately, there are only a handful of designated backpacker campsites at Indian Bar, and the place is justifiably popular, so it can be very hard to get a permit. Apply for a reserved permit well in advance, although even then it helps to be lucky.

For those willing to put in the extra time and effort required to visit a cross-country area, however, there is another option. Not far southwest of Indian Bar sits the off-trail camping zone of Cowlitz Park, a rolling land of alpine meadows, wildflowers, and numerous waterfalls. Although Cowlitz Park is harder to reach, it actually has a better view of the mountain than does Indian Bar. It is usually possible to obtain a permit for Cowlitz Park, but it is not a sure thing. The park currently allows only three parties a night to stay there, so it is often full as well, especially on weekends. Have an alternate plan in mind.

Getting There

From I-5, 67 miles north of Vancouver, Washington, take Exit 68 and travel 72 miles east on US 12 to a junction with WA 123, about 7.5 miles past the town of Packwood. Turn left, following signs to Mount Rainier National Park, and drive a little over 5 miles to a junction with Stevens Canyon Road. Turn left, immediately passing through an entrance station for the park, and drive 10 miles to the Box Canyon Trailhead, just before a bridge over Muddy Fork Cowlitz River.

GPS COORDINATES N46° 45.937' W121° 38.088'

Hiking It

The trail departs from the north side of the road across from the parking lot and soon comes to a junction with the Wonderland Trail. It is worthwhile to turn left here and make a 0.2-mile side trip to check out Box Canyon, an extremely narrow cleft where the waters of the Muddy Fork Cowlitz River shoot through a steep-sided gorge.

After the short side trip, return to the junction and follow the Wonderland Trail as it gradually ascends a mostly forested hillside and then loses a little elevation before coming to a bridged crossing of Nickel Creek at 0.8 mile. There is a designated backpacker camping area on the left. The sites here are pleasant, but the camp area has poor drainage, so it tends to turn into a shallow lake after a hard rain.

After crossing Nickel Creek you make a long, switchbacking, generally viewless climb that gains some 1,500 feet in 2 miles to a junction with the Olallie Creek Trail at a wooded pass atop Cowlitz Divide. Keep left on the Wonderland Trail and climb in the forest 1 mile to a grassy knoll where you gain the first really nice views of the hike. From this point you can see Mount Rainier to the northwest as well as the rugged Cowlitz Chimneys to the north and down into the heavily forested Ohanapecosh Valley to the east. To the southwest is the jagged Tatoosh Range.

The trail’s next section is wildly scenic as it descends to a saddle and then goes up and down (mostly up), never straying far from the top of Cowlitz Divide. The route is a mix of meadows and partial forest with frequent views that continue to improve as you get closer to the park’s massive, glacier-clad centerpiece. Wildlife is common in this area. Look for black bears, elk, deer, and a variety of mountain birds. At 6.1 miles you come to the top of a knoll where the views of Mount Rainier are absolutely spectacular. With wildflowers in the foreground and trees framing the scene, this is a favorite spot to photograph the mountain. You can also look south to distant Mount Adams. From the knoll, the trail makes a moderately steep descent, following a ridgeline to the northwest 0.4 mile before leveling out in a rolling meadow.

If you are headed for Cowlitz Park, leave the trail at this meadow and go left (almost due west) through mostly open, rolling terrain. The hiking isn’t overly difficult, but as with all cross-country travel, your progress will be slower and more challenging than it was on the trail. You soon cross two small creeks and then ascend rather steeply on a mostly rocky slope before passing on the south side of a small knoll. Continue west, now on more level terrain, and make your way gradually uphill, going west-southwest another 0.5 mile until you reach the drainage of Basalt Creek in the lower reaches of Cowlitz Park. On your left is a steep cliff over which creeks tumble in long drops. The most impressive of these cataracts is Trixie Falls on a small side stream feeding into Basalt Creek. Some of the best camps (there are no official or established sites in this off-trail zone) are along the lower reaches of the creek well above the cliffs. As always, choose a site well away from water and with a hard surface to avoid damaging the fragile alpine vegetation. You should expect to spend considerable time looking for a suitable site. It is worthwhile to explore the upper reaches of Cowlitz Park to enjoy its fine views of Mount Rainier and plentiful wildflowers.

If you have a permit to stay at Indian Bar, continue on the Wonderland Trail from the meadow where the Cowlitz Park route took off, and go downhill at a moderately steep grade until you come to the south end of Indian Bar. Just before the trail crosses the Ohanapecosh River, which here is only a creek, a trail goes left to a picturesque stone shelter. Camping here is generally restricted to groups of six or more people. The main trail crosses the “river” just above where the water plunges over thunderous Wauhaukaupauken Falls. Unfortunately, it is almost as hard to get a good look at the falls as it is to spell the name. Immediately after the crossing, a signed trail goes right on its way to the designated campsites of Indian Bar.

After setting up camp, take the time to do a bit of exploring. At a minimum, walk up the Wonderland Trail across the lovely and amazingly flat expanse of Indian Bar, with its waving grasses, gravel beds, and acres of wildflowers. The surrounding cliffs and ridges that enclose the basin host several impressive but unnamed waterfalls on small creeks that drain from the permanent snowfields and small glacier above. If you have the energy for a longer adventure, continue on the Wonderland Trail as it ascends a ridge above the green expanse of Ohanapecosh Park and then climbs over rocks and semipermanent snowfields to the views from Panhandle Gap, 3 miles from Indian Bar. Keep an eye out for wildlife, as Panhandle Gap is one of the better places in the park to see mountain goats.

WARNING Although the route to Panhandle Gap is very scenic, the way is often covered with snow and difficult to follow before about mid-August.

Mount Rainier from Peak 5,930 along Cowlitz Divide, Mount Rainier National Park

photo by Douglas Lorain