Crystal Mountain is Washington's largest ski resort, tucked into the Cascades on the northeast edge of Mount Rainier National Park. On clear days the Mt. Rainier Gondola lifts you to a summit deck with a jaw-dropping view of the 4,392 meter volcano rising across the valley. Big, wet Cascade storms bury the upper bowls under deep snow through the heart of winter, and the scenery alone makes the trip worthwhile. It sits less than two hours from Seattle, reached through the small town of Enumclaw.
Crystal Mountain is a ski resort with genuine ski-in/ski-out hotels in United States, in the Cascades. The village sits at 1341 m and the lifts top out at 2137 m, with 53 km of pistes and 11 lifts. Its BestSnowHotels snow score is 88/100, and the season usually runs Nov 27 → Apr 27.
How we score and classify resortsResearched by the BestSnowHotels team
Run counts and piste kilometres are indicative. Green runs only exist in France, Spain, Andorra, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Japan, the United States, Morocco, Algeria, Lesotho, South Africa, Egypt, Canada, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Chile; Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Germany start at blue. Indicative average snow depth near the top of the resort, in cm.
A handful of well-rated hotels in and around the resort. Pick one, then compare live prices across Booking, Expedia and Hotels.com.
Great · 354 reviews
A dependable, well-reviewed choice for a stay in Crystal Mountain.
Guests rate this hotel as great (4.1/5 from 354 reviews). A mid-range option for Crystal Mountain, with live nightly rates shown for your exact dates so you always see the best price.
Great · 171 reviews
A dependable, well-reviewed choice for a stay in Crystal Mountain.
Great · 123 reviews
A dependable, well-reviewed choice for a stay in Crystal Mountain.
Good · 68 reviews
A dependable, well-reviewed choice for a stay in Crystal Mountain.
Ratings from Google, prices indicative per night. Live availability and rates via our booking partners.
Crystal Mountain has a small slopeside base with a handful of true ski-in, ski-out options at Crystal Mountain Hotels, so some guests can step from the door onto the snow. The base cluster is compact, however, and there is no real village, so the majority of visitors day-trip from Enumclaw or the wider Seattle area.
Crystal spreads across 2,600 acres of Cascade terrain with around 85 named runs, so there is room for everyone: gentle learning slopes near the base, long blue cruisers down the middle of the mountain, and a serious helping of steep, technical lines up high. Expert skiers come for the chutes and bowls of the King and Queen and the wide-open backcountry feel of Northway, which combine with frequent deep snow to make Crystal one of the most respected steep resorts in the Pacific Northwest. The eight-passenger Mt. Rainier Gondola carries skiers and sightseers alike to the summit, where the deck and the Summit House restaurant frame Mount Rainier head on. Crystal is owned by Alterra and offers unlimited access on the Ikon Pass and Ikon Base Pass with no blackout dates. The base area is small, with a compact cluster of lodging, dining and the Crystal Mountain Hotels rather than a full resort village. Most travelers treat Seattle, less than two hours away by car through Enumclaw, as the gateway and either stay slopeside in limited numbers or drive up for the day.
Hotels and apartments around the lifts. Compare prices on Booking, Expedia and Hotels.com.
Everything on our site connected to Crystal Mountain: its area, the lists it makes, head-to-heads and trip guides.
Crystal Mountain offers 53 km of pistes across 11 lifts, from 1341 m to 2137 m. Whether it suits beginners depends on the dedicated learner zones at the base of the slopes, so check the local ski-school options for green and blue run access.
The season runs from Nov 27 to Apr 27, with a snow score of 88/100. Snow is usually most reliable in the heart of that window, deep in winter, while the closing weeks bring longer days and softer afternoon snow.
Crystal Mountain has a small slopeside base with a handful of true ski-in, ski-out options at Crystal Mountain Hotels, so some guests can step from the door onto the snow. The base cluster is compact, however, and there is no real village, so the majority of visitors day-trip from Enumclaw or the wider Seattle area.
Crystal Mountain has 53 km of marked pistes served by 11 lifts, between 1341 m and 2137 m of altitude.
Crystal Mountain counts about 57 marked runs in total. The colour breakdown above shows how they split by difficulty, a good guide to whether the resort fits your level.
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