I hiked from Sunrise to Mowich as the last section in my (successful!) effort to section-hike the Wonderland Trail. I started around 5:40am from Sunrise, sleeping in my car the night before and wow, the trail was beautiful as the sun rose. I very much enjoyed the exposed area around Sunrise, and there were views of Rainier my first few hours. I saw a mama deer and two babies and a couple marmots. 

After about three and a half hours, I came to the Winthrop Creek crossing. I posted a photo below. The crossing is doable, and the log there is level and wide enough for both feet. There is water splashing across the top of it and you certainly don't want to fall down. I was scared to cross but I made it (by myself and sans trekking poles), and it's more of a mental test than physical.

The other difficult part was Isput to Mowich -- the elevation gain is real, and I was hiking uphill for two straight hours and the views weren't much to write home about. Wouldn't recommend this section unless you're doing the entire trail. 

Total mileage was around 22.6 according to my Green Trails map, and it took about 11 hours, including any stops or rest. I carried and drank about three liters for the duration, though note there is plenty of water along the way. 

I hiked from Mowich Lake to South Puyallup camp, then down a side trail to Westside Road to my car as part of my efforts to section-hike the Wonderland Trail. 

Logistics: My partner and I spent the night at Mowich before setting off from there around 5:40am the next morning. I asked that he hike the first four miles with me, until the "hazardous" South Mowich River crossing before going back to move the car to Westside Road. The ranger I called earlier in the week said the crossing was doable but to hike about 200 yards upstream. I hiked probably even further upstream than that, following some cairns, to where it looked "safer" to cross. The thing about the crossing is that it's not just one river -- the way the river bed spreads, you're likely to make 5-6 crossings of about 10 feet apiece. Most of the crossings were about ankle-height, though one was knee-level. The water was freezing. I am certain that I could've crossed the river on my own, but I'm not sure I would've as I get scared and it certainly looks intimidating. So it is doable but be careful. 

After that, smooth sailing on the Wonderland Trail. (Another thing to note: There seems to be no running water after the South Mowich River for probably five miles or so?)The entire time along the Wonderland, my pace was about 2 miles/hour. By the time I got to the incline around Klapatche, I was very tired. I didn't get a good glimpse of Mount Rainier until around Golden Lakes (yes, more than five hours into the hike) -- that's when the scenery gets very pretty. Tons of wildflowers, open spaces. St. Andrews Lake was my favorite part of this section and perfect for a dip. 

Trail conditions: I counted about 23 downed trees on the trail, mostly between Mowich Lake camp and Golden Lakes, but none were difficult to go over or under. There were a few snow patches around the Klapatche area but so minor, it's hardly worth mentioning. You shouldn't need to do any route-finding anywhere in this section. 

When I got to South Puyallup camp and took the side trail to Westside Road, I was completely beat. Luckily, my partner had stashed a bike at Westside and we cruised all the way down to the car.
Total mileage for the day: 25.6 (23.4 of that on Wonderland), according to my Greentrails maps

Took the Paul Peak trail from the trailhead down to the Wonderland trail, then took Wonderland the remaining half mile to the north fork of the Mowich River. Trail was clear and pleasant, with a great viewpoint down the length of the south fork of the Mowich about halfway down.

We encountered very few other hikers, so this is a great, easily accessible alternative if the trails around Longmire start feeling crowded.

The Mowich River bridge was listed as washed out at the trainhead, and while the log/railing combination still stretched across the river, it definitely looked unstable.