Crystal Mountain Loop (Silver King) — Saturday, Jul. 29, 2017

Arrived on a Friday (in July) and camped out in our trailer in Lot B for $35. If you go on a weekend and want to Park close/in Lot A-- get there early. Other than that there is lots of free parking available and no pass required. We rode the Gondola up to the summit. Bought a one-way pass which is a pricey $23 or $33 for unlimited day use. The views on a clear day are spectacular. The first part of the Trail is out in the open, exposed, and well maintained. Lots of wildflowers in bloom. With lots of wildflowers came lots of bugs. Just keep moving and they're ok, but you'll here a lot of buzzing along the way. The Trail was pretty dry and dusty. Lots of hikers with dogs off their leash, a couple mountain bikers making their way up, and other hikers going up or going down along the way. We passed by Henskin Lake, went over a couple streams, saw the opening to the mine shaft, and hiked through the woods.  We choose to do summit to base to make it easier on the kids. Our trip was 4.7 miles. Bring water,bug spray, and sunscreen. There are places to get a bite to eat or a drink at the base and the summit. You can obtain a paper trail map at the base or download it off of the Crystal Mountain app.