Crystal Mountain Loop (Silver King) — Sunday, Jul. 6, 2014

Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410

Both of us nursing some achy joints - we wanted to get up into the mountains, but were dreading the idea of hiking back down. So we were attracted to the idea of hiking up a few thousand feet and being able to take a gondola down. We weren't sure what to expect, but this hike turned out to be very worthwhile. The highlight for this wildflower-lover was avalanche lilies - lots of them - and alpine meadows and some very pretty streams. We did half of the loop - hiking up to Summit House from the base area and taking the gondola down. The beginning and end of the hike were very obviously in a ski area, but the middle made a lovely alpine hike. As previous reports mention - there is little trail signage. We picked up a map at the base area (also available on Crystal Mountain's website) and also used the Green Trails map. Both came in handy; neither were totally adequate. A good sense of direction (and some adventure) is recommended. We started out (going the opposite direction described in the guide book) on the Silver Creek trail - a bark mulch path heading straight uphill just past the chapel. An unremarkable start - you know you are in a ski area - the first mile(?) is nondescript. However, things improved greatly as we approached the Jim Town junction (and some rare signs!). Here we crossed a pretty stream with big drifts of marsh marigolds in bloom and followed the sign for Henskin Lake. The trail goes through older forest dotted with meadows and streams - and bazillions (well almost) of avalanche lilies. Henskin Lake made a nice lunch spot - by now, we no longer felt like we were in a ski area. Past Henskin Lake we continued on the Crystal Mountain Trail which gains elevation through more forest and meadows (encountering multiple, somewhat annoying blowdowns), eventually breaking out into the open for good - traversing steep meadows with lupines and paintbrush just starting to bloom. We found a section of trail blocked by the remains of an avalanche - covered in snow and branches. We were able to navigate around it without too much trouble. As we got closer to Summit House, we found ourselves on a rocky maintenance road for the last stretch and started to encounter people who had taken the gondola up. Until this point we had encountered few people on the trail. At Summit House, the top of Rainier was in the clouds, but the views were still spectacular. It felt strange to emerge into the midst of tourists from what had begun to feel like a wilderness hike. But our knees and feet rejoiced at the site of the gondolas. We had a pleasant late lunch and took the gondola back down (it's free if you hiked up). General notes: We estimate that we hiked close to five miles with a elevation gain of maybe 2400 feet. We encountered patches of snow but nothing remotely difficult. Aside from the aforementioned blowdowns and avalanche debris, the trail is generally in good shape with relatively few really rocky or root spots. Stream crossings were all manageable; one required a running leap.