Crystal Mountain offers year-round, mile high fun - and more

It’s easy to forget that a whole mountain of fun gets buried under the snow at a winter-focused ski area. But take a summer trip to Crystal Mountain and you’ll find more than just rocks emerging from the ice.

The centerpiece of the resort’s transformation to a year-round recreation destination is its new $8 million gondola that opened in January. It whisks riders 2,500 vertical feet up from the main lodge in a little over nine minutes. While the open-air lifts quit running when the ski season closed July 16, Crystal has kept the gondola running this summer. And that has opened a whole new world for folks without boards attached to their feet.

Breathtaking vistas, a restaurant and wildflowers await the visitor at the end of the line, 6,872 feet high. The round trip isn’t cheap, but the only other way for sightseers to get higher in Washington is to hoof it. It also provides easy access for children and others not ready for mountain hiking. But not everything at Crystal costs money. Hiking, disc golf and mountain biking will only cost you the gas to get to the parking lot.

The gondola

The fully enclosed gondolas comfortably seat six – or eight if you really know each other. On the Sunday that I visited, riders ranged from whole families to singles, and there was never a line. Getting in and out is easy, and operators can slow or stop the system.

This gondola line never gets too high off the ground – about the height of a tall freeway overpass. When I arrived at the top I was greeted by the deep White River valley, snow-covered ridges and one really big mountain. That would be 14,411-foot tall Mount Rainier, just 12 miles away.

On the day of my visit, I left a cloudy Tacoma to arrive on the summit ridge under partly cloudy skies. Rainier’s peak was poking out from the mist. Below me, clouds swept through valleys.

The gondola will run daily through Sept. 11 and then switch to Saturday-Sunday only through Oct. 2. Then the gondola closes until the ski season starts again. The resort will offer non-skiing sightseers the same summer ticket prices during the ski season.

Summit House

Just a few feet from the gondola disembarkation point is Washington’s highest restaurant. The ambience here is altitude. If the on-top-of-the-world views aren’t enough for you, wood paneling and antler chandeliers complete the look in the 104-seat dining room. Lunch is served 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Entrees range from steak and fries ($19) to mac and cheese ($13). Dinner is served Friday and Saturday, but unless you’ve already made reservations you’re out of luck for the season. A Sunday brunch buffet is $39 and includes the gondola ticket.

Outside on weekends and if the weather is good, staff will set up a grill for burgers, brats and hotdogs from 10:30 a.m-3 p.m. I sat at a picnic table to enjoy my medium rare burger ($7) with fresh tomatoes, lettuce and onions. Twenty-ounce sodas are $3. Wine and an impressive selection of beer (and always Rainier brand I was told) are on ice.

On a clear day visitors also can see Mount St. Helens, Mount Baker and Glacier Peak. Comfortable canvas chairs are lined up on the precipice, oriented toward Rainier. Chipmunks were voguing for photographers. There’s no railing, but you’d really have to work to fall down the mountain. That didn’t keep one woman from shrieking at her grown daughter every time the younger woman came within 15 feet of the slope.

Ranger-led hikes

The U.S. Forest Service, from which Crystal leases the land it uses, has begun free regular weekend interpretive hikes on the ridge-top. I met up with Ian Cary, a uniformed and personable 23-year-old ranger. He told me his tours range from 30 people to just three – as it was on the one I took.

Cary said he’s been able to lead the hikes, which generally follow the ridgeline, for only the past five weeks due to the late snowmelt. But, that means it’s still spring on the mountain, and the wildflowers were busting out all over.

Cary modifies the hikes based on age and interests, and they generally last about half an hour. On our walk to emerald-colored Elk Lake he pointed out flowers, mountains and geology. Cary observed that this is one of the best spots to view Rainier: close, but without all the looking up.

“You’re 12 miles from the mountain so your neck doesn’t hurt as much,” he said.

In coming seasons, the Forest Service has plans to develop the program with more rangers, volunteers, interpretive signs for self-guided hikes and better signage for the trail system down from the summit. Currently, guided hikes are at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Friday-Sunday starting from just outside Summit House.

Unguided hiking

There is no one-way ticket option for the gondola, but don’t let that stop you from hiking back to the lodge. The wildflowers, creeks and changing scenery are worth the effort. And it’s all downhill. Get a hiking map from any one of various locations in the lodge before you start out. I stayed off the service roads – the footing is slippery.

The types of wildflowers change with altitude and snow melt. On the ridge, I saw magenta paintbrush, blue lupine and aster. In the subalpine regions I saw red paintbrush, pink monkeyflower, pasqueflower and the ridged leaves of false hellebore.

Dog owners can rejoice, dogs (on leash) are allowed on all of Crystal’s trails and can ride in the gondolas.

Disc golf

Two courses (a total of 30 baskets) are located in the upper and lower levels. There is no fee to use the course, but you’ll have to provide your own discs or buy one at the sports shop.

As I descended from Summit House, I ran into the father-son team of Casey and Julio Castillo who were just heading to the first tee. When a throw went well it garnered a “Dude!” from the other. When their discs disappeared into the trees, which they frequently did, it was followed by a “duuuuude ... I’ll see you in the parking lot.”

The Castillos, from Burien, are new to the sport but were fully outfitted with cases holding a dozen different discs. Though they spent a fair amount of time looking for tees, baskets and their discs (and finding new ones) they gave the course, with its mountain air and vistas, a thumbs up. At one point Julio, 13, engaged his father in a snowball fight.

Mountain biking

Bikes aren’t allowed on the gondola, which makes this an automatic free activity, but be prepared for some steep grades. Trails range from easy to difficult. A popular ride is uphill on Silver Creek trail to the summit, along the ridgeline and downhill on Northway trail.

Horseback riding

Crystal Mountain Outfitters offers one-, two- or three-hour rides at $30 per hour. All-day, fishing, customized and meal options also are available. Rides run 8 a.m.-6 p.m. and riders must be at least 5 years old. Call 509-895-9120 for reservations, but they are not required. The horse facility is located in the upper C parking lot.

Dining and drinking options

Glacier Express Window/Chinook Cafe in the main lodge at the Sun Deck offers snacks, sandwiches, espresso, beer and wine. You can pack your own lunch (I saw one family haul out a large cooler) for dining on the deck or on a neighboring grassy area.

The Alpine Inn Restaurant across a foot bridge from the main parking lot offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. Lunch items include a turkey BLT ($10) and a Caesar salad ($9).

After my hike down to the lodge I headed to the lower level of the Alpine Inn to the Snorting Elk Cellar. The bar was filled with visitors and off-duty Crystal employees. I quaffed an Elysian Immortal IPA – one of 10 beers on tap in the alpine-themed bar. The bar menu offers items such as warm pretzels ($5) and crab cakes ($12).

Spending the night

Crystal is an easy day trip but if retiring to a camp spot or a hotel bed seems easier than driving home, there are numerous options. Accommodations include luxury condos, standard lodging, camping and RV spots.

Craig Sailor: 253-597-8541 craig.sailor@thenewstribune.com