I never knew Crystal Mountain had a Gondola ride to the top- I found out via Twitter when Mount Rainier tweeted about it. I purchased tickets online and set out for Crystal Mountain.
The drive in was uneventful except for all the beautiful forest on hwy 410. The resort parking lot was relatively full but still had plenty of spots, even towards the front. The line leading up to the gondolas was pretty short- and within minutes I was on a gondola riding to the top of the mountain.
I'm a little squeamish when it comes to heights. The ride up wasn't all that bad, though. The cab swayed back and forth a little in the wind as I neared the top and they stopped all the cabs every so often to give others a little extra time to board down at the entry point. As I neared the top, the cab docked perfectly and I was on the summit.
The views of Mount Rainier are spectacular. I could also see Mount Adams, Mount Baker, and Mount St Helens.It's pretty uneventful at the top unless you like music, gift shops and beer. There was quite a bit of people meandering about taking selfies and family pictures with Mount Rainier standing tall behind them.
The ride down was nice and quiet. The parking lot was near empty when I arrived at the bottom. I arrived at 4pm and left around 6pm. Not bad for a Sunday.
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