The snow is melting quickly here, there’s still enough that we post holed in places, but not enough to want to wear snow shoes. It’s patchy pretty much to the end of the trail and the river banks are pretty melted out. 
We spent a few hours painting by the river and I got a few mosquito bites😭

We explored the MRNP for spring break, taking advantage of less crowded weekday visits. We enjoyed a quiet early afternoon walk through the giant woods with constant murmur and the occasional views of the Nisqually River.

Almost all the trail was covered with packed snow and we walked the entire section of the Wonderland Trail with yaktrax or microspike. There was one short section, where Nisqually River runs very close to the Paradise Valley Rd, that we felt sketchy for our very novice kid to pass safely as the pass was very narrow and a little slip could lead to a vertical fall down to the River.

As it was overcast and the temp in early 30s' with occasional peak-a-boo of blue sky and the sun, the meandering through the big, tall trees worked out great. Before hitting this trail we strolled through the forest road 012 to the suspension bridge and enjoyed the view of Mount Rainier.

This was a snow-camping field trip with the Mountaineers. The road into Longmire was plowed and sanded, but still had a layer of packed snow and ice. I used 4WD to get in and I don't know that I would have felt safe without it. We met at Longmire at 9:30 and our trip leaders got the backcountry permits for our group so we could stay out overnight. When you get your permit, the rangers will tell you where you can camp and where to park, so I'm not going to include that in this trip report. The road to Paradise was closed due to the massive amount of snowfall the park received; the road looked pretty plowed, so I imagine this was due to avalanche danger as opposed to road conditions.

The Wonderland Trail is pretty well-trodden at this time, so it was no issue following it. I would recommend wearing snowshoes, even on the packed portions of trail as there are some surprisingly soft parts. And, even if you don't mind post-holing, you're punching holes in the trail, which makes travel more difficult and less safe for everyone else on the trail. We passed a few groups coming down the trail, pretty much everyone was masked and stepped aside to let our group pass.

We reached our destination and set up camp. There was another group in the area practicing avalanche rescue, otherwise it was just us! We had specific activities planned as a part of the field trip, so that took up the majority of our daylight hours. We had patches of sun throughout the day that felt wonderful. Overnight temperatures were in the high 20s and we were in a clearing surrounded by trees, so we didn't get much wind. It snowed lightly overnight, so I occasionally woke up to the sound of snow clumps sliding off my tent. But all around, it was a pretty comfortable night of sleep!

The next day was completely overcast and a bit warmer than the previous day. The snow was wetter and more compacted and we had to watch out for giant clumps of snow falling from the trees. The weather started dry, then we had a light dusting of snow, which then changed to a misty rain. After completing the day's activities, we packed up and made the trek back.

We crossed paths with quite a few groups on the way down, most of whom were wearing masks. Those who weren't wearing them were kind enough to step off trail and turn away as we passed. Usually, downhill travelers yield to uphill travelers on trail, but a few members of our group were pulling gear sleds, which did not allow for them to step off trail. We really had to watch out for falling snow on the trail. The clumps falling from the trees were large and wet and heavy. So, especially if you have smaller children, watch out for this on warmer days. 

Back at the parking lot, pretty much everything had melted out from the previous day. The lot was quite busy with cars and snowshoers coming and going. All around, this was a really great experience for my first snow backpacking trip and I'll definitely have to do it again!

The drive up to Longmire was completely snow free. I think the heavy rains washed it all away. The road to Paradise was closed so we, along with everyone else, explored Longmire in the rain! We started at the Longmire WIC and took the Wonderland Trail toward Cougar Rock Creek Camp. It was mostly muddy and wet trail until the Paradise River. We saw A LOT of people in this section. We passed a new group of people every couple minutes.

The bridge is still over the river and safe to cross, though it is a bit slippery. After this point, the snow is consistent and slippery.  I'd recommend some traction, but you don't need snowshoes. We didn't see as many people on this side of the bridge. The falls are going strong!

We turned around before Narada Falls because the snow got deep and we were running out of light. I put on my snowshoes for the return trip. There were a lot of pretty steep hills and the snow was the consistency of wet sand; a perfect recipe for slipping and fall on your butt. I wanted traction! As we passed Cougar Rock Camp again, we heard some large, wet avalanches on the other side of the river. Eek! But also, cool! We got back to the lot just in time for it to get dark. We were staying at the Inn, so we checked in at this time.

What a gorgeous day! 

Took the Wonderland from Longmire to Carter Falls, then did the Trail of the Shadows trail to round out the day.  Gaia had the day's totals at 7 miles with 1013 ft elevation gain.

Looks like more snow is on the way for late Christmas Day through the weekend, so most of this trip report has a pretty limited shelf life...

Arrived at the trailhead a little after 10 AM.  Roads to Longmire were in good condition with no snow. Parking lot at the Museum was only about half full when we arrived; it was completely full when we left.  Restroom buildings were open, clean and stocked with TP and soap (thank you to the Park Rangers!).  Gift shop looked to be open, though we didn't go in.  Also, while the Museum Building is closed, there is a Ranger staffing a window off the porch (stand on the porch facing the door and the window is on your left) to answer questions on trail status and such.

LONGMIRE TO CARTER FALLS

Wonderland Trail from Longmire to Carter Falls is mostly snow covered.  There were a few isolated spots that were snow free, but these were wet and muddy.  Either way you're going to want some good boots to see you through.  Snow cover on the trail at first is light (0 to 0.5 inches) but it does get deeper as you travel towards the falls.  The entire trail was very well packed, however.  Snow shoes were not required.  We did put on microspikes shortly after crossing the Nisqually just after a short but somewhat steep section taking you up out of the river valley to continue up to the falls.  This had been worn a little slick, and while we made it up without spikes fine, decided we might as well put them on.  While the trail was easier with spikes, they were definitely not necessary.

The bridge over the Nisqually was not bad to cross at all when we did so; we took it slow and got across fine. Wouldn't want to try it if it was extremely icy, though.

Because the trail was so well packed it was very easy to follow.  If you are among the first to take it after a new snow, however, I could see several sections that would be tricky to follow unless you know the trail well or have GPS.  The rocky area before the Nisqually crossing I would be particularly concerned with if the trail was not clear, as there were wells around some of the rocks that I would not want to accidentally step into.

Also, keep in mind that as the day heats up, all those beautiful trees in who's midst you're hiking through are just waiting to dump a load of mushy snow (or at least large water drops) down the back of your neck.  I was wearing a hat with a 360 brim and was very glad for it! Saved me from a cold, wet neck more than once on the way back.

Saw about 20 people on the trail, though 9 of them had just parked at the Carter Falls parking area and walked down to the Rainier viewpoint to take photos.

There were two blowdowns on the trail; one about 0.8 miles from the Museum parking lot that was about 8-10 inches in diameter (though very branchy) and one about 1.6 miles from the Museum parking lot that was about 16 inches in diameter.  Both were fairly easy to get over.

Falls were flowing well.  Best view of Carter Falls is up by the section of wooden fence.

A great trail for a beautiful day - river, falls and a great view of the Mountain.

THE TRAIL OF THE SHADOWS

A nice little loop on the other side of the road from the Museum.  Again, trail was either snow covered or wet and muddy; the first spring was overflowing onto the trail, too.  Otherwise trail was in good condition. 

Saw about 8 people on this trail... not counting the snowmen, they took it up to around 12.