The section of Wonderland Trail from Box Canyon to Reflection Lakes is either an uphill section hike (the stats shown above) if you start at Box Canyon, or mostly downhill if you start at Reflection Lakes, or a long day if you hike it out and back.

Complicating factor: there's a sketchy washout roughly halfway through this section, where the trail crosses a slide area that changes with pretty much every rainstorm. When I crossed here on my 2021 Wonderland circuit, I thought it was no big deal. In October 2023, I'd rate it 9/10, where 10 is the sketchiest thing I'd agree to cross. But I'm a wuss where sketchy scrambling is concerned, so take that for what it's worth. If you don't like the sound of this, you could hike the section out-and-back from either of its ends.

This is not the most famous section of the Wonderland, but I think it's underrated. The trail follows up the side of Stevens Canyon, with Stevens Creek flowing below. Reasons to hike here:

• Fall foliage colors are spectacular: a valley filled with red huckleberry bushes and vine maples.
• Occasional summit views, plus many dramatic cliffs along either side of the canyon.
• Lush forest closer to the Box Canyon end.
• Martha Falls is very pretty. Sylvia Falls too, although views of that are partially obstructed by trees. The spot where the trail crosses a bridge over Stevens Creek is just delightful.