Willis Wall

Back in 2016 I published an article titled “How to Enjoy Mt. Rainier National Park in Short Segments.” One of the loops I wrote about is the Western Loop. I'll warn you up front, to complete this loop without backtracking you will be hiking 11 miles of the West Side Road and finishing up with about 2 miles on the main drag to return to your vehicle parked at the Kautz Creek trail head. However, in that article I explain that the west side of the park is the most inaccessible due to the closure of the West Side Road to vehicular traffic. It also sports some of the best scenery on the Wonderland. At that time I hadn’t actually done the Western Loop per se, but I gave it a go on August 7, 2024. If you want the condensed version (13 mins), you can see the video and the blog article here. But if you want the full meal, I have produced a this more immersive video. The “Extended Cut” version is only viewable here, with time stamps so the viewer can get a feel for doing this loop in one shot. Campsites along the way are the usual Wonderland Trail camps (So. Puyallup, Klapatche Park, No. Puyallup) as well as Lake George off the West Side Road. However you choose to enjoy the west side, either as this loop, a Wonderland thru hike, or even day hike forays from the West Side Road, you won’t be disappointed.