While Mt Rainier National park is obviously named and known for it’s paramount peak, there are a number of smaller mountains that make for incredible day hikes, and provide out of this world views. One of those mountains is Crystal Peak.
Located seemingly just an arms length from the massive Rainier, Crystal Peak is a relatively unassuming mountain. You probably wouldn’t notice it from many of the other vantage points in the area. However, it is located in one of the most majestic places in the world.
From the summit, views stretch across much of the Washington Cascades, and on clear days you’ll have views of at least 5 major Cascade volcanoes. If you like big time views, they really don’t get better than this!
Miles/Elevation:
8.5 miles
3,071 feet vertical gain
About Mt Rainier National Park:
If you like this hike, definitely check out nearby Shriner Peak!
Established as a national park in 1899, Mt Rainier National Park has a long history of preservation. Centered around the iconic Mt Rainier, the park preserves about 236,000 acres of land, ranging in elevation from 1,600 feet to over 14,000. This massive elevation range makes for insane views and mountains that seemingly scrape the sky!
Mt Rainier itself is one of the most iconic mountains of America. The 14,411 foot high volcano is the highest peak in the Cascade Mountain Range, the highest peak in the Pacific-Northwest, and the fourth highest in the entire lower 48!
It may not be the tallest in the lower 48, but the heavily glaciated slopes of Rainier give a striking appearance compared to many of America’s other great mountains. The fact that it towers 8-10,000 feet above the surrounding terrain makes it all the more intimidating!
Mt Rainier National Park is an incredible destination for outdoor recreation. For the adventurous, a summit of Mt Rainier can be a once in a lifetime experience. The mountain’s glacier-covered slopes make for a serious mountaineering objective, and many train here to prepare for high peaks in the Himalaya, Karakorum, and Andes!
For the less ambitious, Rainier is an incredible place to hike! The Wonderland Trail, a 93 mile backpacking route around Mt Rainier, is one of the best backpacking routes in America. The park as a whole contains over 260 miles of maintained trails to choose from! Whether you want easy day hikes or huge backpacking trips, you’ll find it here!
Mt Rainier has a number of different locations to choose from when exploring. The most popular is Paradise, located on the south slopes of the mountain. Near Paradise to the west is Longmire, located at much lower elevation along the Nisqually River. The highest elevation area reachable by vehicles is Sunrise, located in the north east portion of the park.
Every part of this park has incredible views, you just have to choose which area to focus on!
Getting To The Trailhead:
The Shriner Peak Trailhead is located on Highway 410 on the east side of Mt Rainier National Park. From the Seattle area, follow Highway 410 towards the national park. From Portland, take I-5 north towards Highway 12, then take 12 east until reaching 123. From there, follow 123 north into the park until reaching 410. Then, turn left onto 410. From the east, follow Highway 12 until reaching 410.
If coming from the south or east, follow 410 for 4 miles from the intersection with 123. There is a large pullout on the left side that is the main parking area for Crystal Peak. If coming from the north and Seattle, continue past Greenwater for about 18 miles. The pullout will be on the right. If you reach the intersection with 123, you’ve gone too far.
Tips:
- Arrive early. Parking fills up by mid-morning on busy days.
- Don’t underestimate this hike. It’s steep all the way up, and you won’t have any flat areas.
The Crystal Peak Trail:
Through the Woods:
From the road, head into the trees to begin the hike. You’ll start the day with a slog of a climb up numerous switchbacks through the Pacific Northwest forest. There aren’t much for views early on, but considering you start this hike from the bottom of a deep river valley, that shouldn’t be too surprising. Plus, doesn’t it feel better when you really earn those views!?
The switchbacks early on are the tightest, but they do loosen up slightly once you reach the upper part of this early section of the hike. This first climb up the switchbacks and through the woods is about a mile and a half, and over that mile and a half you will gain about 1,100 feet of elevation. Not an easy start to the day!
After a mile and a half or so, you’ll reach the turn off for the Crystal Lakes Trail. The Crystal Lakes are on the backside of Crystal Peak, and I’m sure it would make for a really nice hike, but the real prize here is Crystal Peak!
Soon after the intersection with the Crystal Lakes Trail, you will reach a small bridge crossing Crystal Creek. This to me sort of ends the opening section of the hike, as from here, you won’t have any switchbacks until the final approach to the summit!
Across the bridge, you will have a long straight stretch of hiking as you traverse across the side of Crystal Peak. There are no more switchbacks, but you certainly will keep climbing. Despite not going straight up the mountain and not having any switchbacks, you will gain about 1,200 feet in the next mile and a half plus. It’s a steep, though steady, rising traverse!
Snow Lake is one of the most stunning alpine lakes in Mt Rainier, and one of the easier hikes!
To begin, you will still be in the forest on this traverse, but soon the trees will start giving way. You will have a few open windows from which you will be able to look out across the valley, and one of two spots where you can even see Rainier! Keep climbing through, and the trees will give way all together!
The Upper Slopes:
Even while you are still on the long rising traverse across Crystal Peak, you will leave the forest behind and enter what I’ll call the upper slopes of the mountain. That does not mean you’re almost at the summit though! What I mean is that the forest is gone, and from here, you’ll be hiking through open flower filled meadows on the upper half of the peak!
At an elevation of 5,800 feet, the long traverse across the mountain will finally end as you hit the first switchback in nearly two miles! Don’t worry though, you won’t suddenly have tons of tight switchbacks to deal with. In fact, you’ll start on another rising traverse going back the other way which will lead you to the base of the summit!
The Naches Peak Loop is an incredible easy hike in Mt Rainier National Park!
All the while, the views around you will be stunning, and get better with each step! Rainier looms above just across the valley, close enough seemingly to touch. It’s an absolutely gigantic mountain, and it looks bigger than any mountain I’ve ever seen.
Since the valleys here aren’t even at 4,000 feet, Rainier’s summit is about 2 miles above. Compare that to similar sized mountains in Colorado which are often surrounded by valleys that are above 10,000 feet. Rainier is just way more prominent compared to the surrounding terrain!
The final rising traverse up the mountain is about ¾’s of a mile long, and will take you about 500 feet higher. I certainly wouldn’t say this hike gets easier the higher you go, but honestly it never gets that much harder. It’s basically a slog from the first step to the last!
Think about purchasing the America the Beautiful Pass if you’re visiting Mt Rainier!
That is until the final climb up to the summit! Atop the final traverse, you will have a trio of switchbacks to deal with before a steep final climb up to the summit. The final approach to the summit is a very steep 100 foot climb up rough terrain. I hesitate to call this a scramble because you don’t necessarily need to grab anything or use your hands, but it’s definitely a very rough trail.
The Summit:
After a brutal final push after a long climb, you’ll be at the summit and atop Crystal Peak! The views up here are honestly incredible. Starting with the star of the show, Rainier looks like an absolute monster just across the valley. This might be my favorite view of Rainier, in part because you’ll be looking straight up the White River and its valley towards the mountain!
Help keep nature pristine. Follow Leave No Trace!
To the south, there are tons of major features on the horizon. Looming large is Mt Adams, the second highest mountain in Washington. While Rainier is taller, Adams actually is larger by volume. This is a big mountain! Just beyond and barely visible is the highest peak in Oregon, Mt Hood!
This is bear country so make sure you’re bear safe!
Also on the southern horizon is the remains of Mt St Helens. St Helens famously erupted in 1980. Before the eruption, it was just like any of the other snow capped triangular peaks here. Now however, with its summit blown off, it sulks in the background like an angry teenager!
Always follow basic trail etiquette when you’re hiking!
To the east, you have a top down view of the Crystal Lakes and a handful of smaller peaks behind them. This itself is a really great view, and it doesn’t even include any of the big volcanoes!
To the north, one final volcano was clearly visible. I’m not entirely sure what mountain it is, but my best guess is Mt Baker. Don’t quote me on that though!
The Descent:
After thoroughly enjoying my time on the summit and having a light lunch, it was time for the descent. Other than the final 100 feet to the summit, this trail has fantastic footing, and I was looking forward to a quick and straightforward hike out.
The views going down were incredible. You often don’t enjoy the views as much on the hike up as you’re either looking at the mountain in front of you, or are too focused on breathing or the pain in your legs, but on this descent I had an amazing view of Mt Rainier to enjoy!
The descent through the upper slopes of the mountain was awesome. With basically no switchbacks to deal with and a smooth path to walk on, I could really enjoy the view, and I didn’t have to worry about tripping on every step!
Once I was back in the trees, the views were gone, but the trail quality was still excellent. I made very good time over the final couple of miles, and I was back at the trailhead within about an hour and a half of leaving the summit. This was a great day and one of the best hikes I’ve done!
Topdown Lifestyle Rating: 10/10
This hike is honestly about as good as it gets. Sure there are more well known peaks you can bag in 8 miles, but isn’t the payoff at the top what really matters? The quality of the journey?
In terms of views, it honestly doesn’t get much better. In every direction there is something to look at, not to mention the in your face looks at Rainier. The upper half of the climb has constant great views, and is along a fantastic exposed trail. Plus, even if the summit isn’t famous, it’s always fun to reach a true summit!
Honestly, there are very few 8ish mile hikes better than this.
Pros:
- Great views
- Cool summit
- Very good trail quality
Cons:
- Busy
Alternative Hikes:
When To Hike Crystal Peak Peak:
Crystal Peak is primarily a summer hiking trail. Mt Rainier National Park gets absolutely massive amounts of snowfall, and while the higher slopes of Rainier itself get the most, even the lower reaches of the park get huge quantities of snow.
Most of the roads through Mt Rainier close for the winter, so you won’t even be able to reach most of the park during winter and most of spring. This means that you must wait until the snow melts and the roads open to hike. Once the snow starts falling in the fall, the roads close again!
This all means that the hiking season in Mt Rainier is exceptionally short. Many roads here don’t actually open until July, so hiking season really is just July through September. You could chance it and try June or maybe October, but I wouldn’t count on the roads being clear. July and August are extremely busy, but those are the best times to hike in Mt Rainier!
Links For Further Reading:
Crystal Peak Trail | Map, Guide – Washington | AllTrails
Crystal Peak : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost
ProTrails | Crystal Peak, Crystal Lakes Trailhead, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
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