Hike Indian Bar - Cowlitz Divide via Box Canyon

Lewis County, Washington

Save

View all 6 photos

All 6 photos

Save Review Directions Add Photo

Details

Distance

14.64 miles

Elevation Gain

4235 ft

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Joe Kiesel

Hike with great views of the valley, Mt. Rainier, waterfalls, rivers, and more.

There are multiple ways to access Indian Bar. This one starts at Box Canyon.

From the parking area at Box Canyon walk across the road and follow the signs for Wonderland Trail.

Head up the Wonderland trail through the trees to the split with the Cowlitz trail. Continue on the Wonderland Trail to the left and head up to Cowlitz divide. After a short while, the trees start thinning out and the views of Mt. Rainier, the valley, Mt. Adams, and wildflowers start to pick up. Wildflowers are usually present from June - August (sometimes a patch or two will last into September).

About 4.5 miles in blueberry bushes become plentiful. This area is a great place to spot black bear. Continue over the hills and get some great views of Rainier on your way down to Indian Bar.

Once at the bottom, there is a sign; left to bathroom, group campsites, and shelter, or right to cross the bridge over Wauhaukaupauken Falls to continue on the Wonderland trail or towards some backcountry campsites.

Download the Outbound mobile app

Find adventures and camping on the go, share photos, use GPX tracks, and download maps for offline use.

Get the app

Features

Camping

Photography

Backpacking

Hiking

Bathrooms

Easy Parking

Forest

River

Scenic

Waterfall

Wildflowers

Wildlife

Reviews

Have you done this adventure? Be the first to leave a review!

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Snow Lake Trail

Snow Lake is a beautiful lake in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. You can do the 2.6 mile roundtrip hike to the lake as either a day trip or as a backcountry camp. To camp at one of the two sites on the lake you must secure a permit from the permit office at Longmire. The hike to the sites does have some elevation gain (700ft) as it goes up and down a few small hills. The hike also g...

Canyoneering Olallie Creek, Mt. Rainier

Disclaimer: Canyoneering is a dangerous and technical activity. Don’t enter any canyon without the skills to match it, or the knowledge to navigate it. Be sure to check the flow of Olallie creek to ensure that it's safe. In an area where canyoneering isn’t hugely popular, here lies a canyon that is relatively unknown. This means you have the place completely to yourself. And you get to enjoy it...

Hike the Grove of the Patriarchs

This trail is an easy trail to hike to the end and back. With very little to no elevation gain, some comfy shoes is all you need. There is a great opportunity near the start of the trail to walk down onto the beach and get right next to the river. Shortly after that there is a suspension bridge that crosses the river. Sometimes there can be a bottleneck as it is suggested to keep the bridge tra...

Trail Run to Silver Falls

This is a trail that could easily be done by your older family members but also could be a nice trail run or quick hike for you. The trail starts from Loop B in the Ohanapecosh Campground and after a quick section, you will be walking over the hot springs in the area. They ask that you stay off the hot springs as they are not supposed to be utilized by people at this point. You will continue fo...

Hike Pinnacle Peak, Mt. Rainier NP

This trailhead is easily accessed at the parking lot at Reflection Lakes in Mount Rainier National Park. A short but sweet hike (1.3 miles one way) that leads to beautiful views of Rainier, Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens, and if clear enough, Mt. Hood (Oregon). Pinnacle itself can be climbed to summit but it's an off-trail (class 3-4) scramble up crumbling rock, but well worth it. Just be mindfu...

Lakes Trail Loop

The Lakes Trail Loop can be accessed two ways. You can either start in Paradise and find one of the multiple points along the Skyline Trail or you can begin at Reflection Lake. My recommendation for a nice day hike is to begin at Reflection Lake. If you arrive by 8am you should have an easy time finding a parking space. Even better, if you show up for sunrise you will find yourself able to enj...