Washington State’s Hiking Permit System Crashes

Every year, thousands of hikers set a goal of circumnavigating Washington state’s Mount Rainier, the most glaciated peak in the lower 48. The Wonderland Trail, aptly named, shows off the mountain from every perspective, traipsing through old growth forest, volcanic moonscapes and wildflower meadows. It’s serious bucket list material.

The permit system for this trail — as well as every backcountry campsite in the park — is competitive, with thousands of people applying to reserve about 70 percent of the available backcountry campsites. There are far more applicants than sites, so dreams are dashed each year.

This year, though, the computer system that doles out the reservations crashed. All reservation requests were lost in the process, and the park announced it will hand out permits on a first come, first serve basis. Anyone who applied early is now on equal footing with those who have procrastinated.

The park has been working with the University of Washington on a new online reservation system, but it won’t be launched until next spring. For now, everyone who wants a permit must show up at a park office early in the morning and hope for the best.