Crystal Mountain

Ed and I went exploring looking for great photo opportunities. We found so much more! We arrived at Crystal Mountain Resort located in the Cascade Mountain Range. We had a wonderful time exploring the resort. 

There are shops, restaurants and numerous hotels at the base. Crystal Mountain offers winter and summer entertainment which include skiiing and hiking. 

When you arrive, you can either purchase tickets for the gondola ride to the top at the booth or you can purchase them from the website while in the parking lot like we did to save time and keep away from the lines. The scenic ride up the mountain was worth the money. The views were breathtaking. Mt. Rainier was standing tall on the other side of Crystal Mountain is a sight. Ed did get great pictures on the trip and I had a glass of wine on the top and enjoyed watching the visitors and the mountain views. 

Although I was unable to do the hike up the mountain, because I was getting ready to have knee surgery, we did talk to several people that were hiking up and taking the gondola down. They all said the hike was a great day trip! According to Washington Trails Association the round trip hike is 6 miles and the elevation increase is 2450 ft. Everyone that we spoke to including children said it was a great hike!