crystal mountain scenic gondola ride

This was my first visit to Crystal Mountain. I really enjoyed the ride on the way up. Snowcapped mountains all around and the views are breathtaking.

This is a favorite place. Views are incredible. My daughter was 3 years old when visiting this location. Three years later, she still talks about it! We particularly love the perfect patch of green grass located near the base of the ride. We rested there for hours, basking in the sun and eating juicy peaches.

Caught the 2:30 ride up and enjoyed unbelievable scenery. Low snow totals this year but playing tour guide today, this was awesome! My guests from DC and Florida were absolutely amazed.

Now the Lazy Adventurers have a great view of Rainer and Adams! Sure anyone can slap a backpack on and stroll uphill for 5.6 mi to the top of the resort and plop down at a table and gaze lovingly at Rainer, but why not do it with style, and a lot less sweat! Enter the gondola. For a few pieces of silver (that you mined from Silver Queen) You can be whisked to dizzying heights to the top. On our trip we were entertained by the concrete pouring aerial ballet put on by a Huey. At the top you get to see the same sights that those aforementioned hikers are seeing, but with out the sweat! Be advised you will still have nowhere to eat if you have not made a reservation (learned the hard way) and that if the wind is 25 knots, it will be a bit cold at the top (check out the noaa wind chill chart) But the views will be unparalleled. So escape the city hit the slopes and eat at the base at the Alpine Inn, in the sun and no wind!

if you've seen the view of Mt Rainier from Sunrise and Paradise, drive up to Crystal Mountain and take the gondola up to the top for a view of Mt Rainier that is priceless!

The gondola (entirely enclosed) ride up the mountainside was very smooth and offered a great view of Crystal Mountain. However, when you reach the top of this 9-10 minute ride, you have a fantastic view of Mt. Rainier directly in front of you, and also several other more distant mountains(Mt. Baker, Mt Adams, Mt. St. Helens) as you turn and enjoy this 360 degree view. You feel as though you're up as high as these mountain peaks even though you're at 6872' and Mt. Rainier is 14,411'!! This is not the closest, but it is the best overall view of Mt. Rainier. Try to visit on a clear day, so you are able to get the best view of Mt Rainier and also be able to see the more distant peaks. This area is "canine friendly" so your dog can take the trip to the summit with you(watch for inviting ground squirrels near the mountain edge-too steep to chase them. Much of the area at mountain summit is gravel and therefore not a place for wheelchair visitors, but if you are able to walk short distances,the views are definitely worth your time and money. We toured the Seattle area for two weeks, and this day trip turned out to be at the top of my list of every sight and experience we enjoyed. This is UNFORGETTABLE!!!

We were fortunate to enjoy this experience on it's last day of the summer season. Beautiful sunny and warm day which just added to the amazing views of the ski resort and then Mt Rainier once you arrive on the summit. Stunning, with views of Mt St Helens and Mt Adams... For someone with height issues I didn't mind the Gondola, felt very safe and had no fears as we rode up the mountain.

This is a fairly new attraction at Crystal Mountain. It gives you a huge change in elevation up to the top where there is a Mt. top restaurant that you need reservations for. The view is awesome and inspiring of MT Rainier in clear weather. You can see some of the glaciers on this 14,000 foot inactive volcano. The price was reasonable for the whole experience.

If you can't hike to the top the gondola is the only way to get to the top for a fantastic view of Mt. Rainer. But is it worth 22.00 per person???? I wouldn't pay it, but I can hike it.

The view at the top of Crystal Mountain is spectacular on a clear day. We were able to see from Mt. Baker (near the Canadian border) to Mt. Adams (in Oregon). It gives one of the best all-around views of Mt. Rainier. If you're driving around Mt. Rainier, this is a worthwhile stop. You won't get as good an overall perspective from Paradise, which is one of the stops within the park.Some people have said the ticket price is too high. It's still about 25% less expensive than the gondola ticket at Vail and 50% less than the gondola ticket at Whistler...and those two places don't have Mt. Rainier to look at.

Took a trip to go hiking. Had breakfast at the Alpine Inn before going to the top. The Gondola ride is very cool. You can see far if the weather is good. The price was very reasonable. The views at the top are breathtaking. If you're going to hike, make sure you have plenty or water, good shoes and a trekking pole. The soil is loose in many areas and the pole is a great helper. Very nice place to spend the day alone or with family. Pet friendly too.

My wife wanted to go on a picnic forever and I finally gave in. I figured that I might as well blow her socks off. I saw the forecast was for 80 degrees and sunny. Sounds like great weather for seeing some hill tops. By hilltops I mean Mt. Rainier, Mt St Helens and Mt. Baker. We have been to both Paradise and Sunrise and they are both beautiful views of Mt. Rainier. Going to Crystal Mountain is something we hadn't done. While both other locations are great the Gondola ride and view @ Crystal mountain top them both. The Gondola ride was great and the views from the top are spectacular. We had an awesome time it is a must do day trip.

While visiting the MT. Rainier do not miss this, especially if you are a first time visitor. Its scenic, quiet and a smooth ride .We really enjoy the ride, taking us to 8000+ feet high .We can view the Mount Rainier and the cascade range from a closer distance.How ever, it would have been better if there could have been some area covered for protection from scorching sun and rains ,from where visitors can view and enjoy the scenic beauty of the mountains IT IS NOT THERE. If we have to the summit House restaurant,(Top of the gondola) w need advance reservation.

Beautiful, this is our second time visiting Crystal Mt, well worth the drive. Wildflowers in bloom along the roads heading to the MT. If you go on the weekends, be sure and make reservations at the restaurant at the top, its well worth going to. Request to be seated outside on the patio.

This is a very pricey trip for the short 9 minute ride to the top. Also, the gondola never stops moving, so you have to hop on and off a moving gondola. This was not good for our friend with knee issues. This is also not explained when you buy your tickets. The people working here do not assist the elderly or people with mobility issues on or off the gondola, so you need to be steady on your feet. The gondola does slow down for you to get on and off, but if you have several people traveling together, you have to be very quick! The view at the top is beautiful, but you can get a beautiful view on the Sunrise trails at Mount Rainier. We also ate at the Summit House Restaurant at the top of the Gondola Ride -- the restaurant is awful!