The winter’s record snow will soon be a distant memory, as the trails throughout the Sunrise area of Mt. Rainier National Park continue to melt out!

We decided to go for a hike and check out updated conditions yesterday, July 20.  So many changes!  It’s now very easy to hike the short distance to the Emmons Vista viewpoint, with incredible views of the mountain.  In fact, we know many guests who have taken pictures for holiday cards here!

We continued on the Sunrise Rim trail towards Shadow Lake and found a trail that was at least 50% melted out.  The… Read Full Story

What a season!  Over 600 inches of snow at Crystal since November 2010 and a brand new Gondola to help us enjoy it!  But all good things must come to an end, and we don’t know about you, but we’re actually ready for summer! 

The snow was getting pretty thin, but we had to go up one last day —just because we could!  We had some great runs (one down Snorting Elk where the snow completely petered out) and a delicious lunch at the Summit House.  The sun and Mt. Rainier even came out to help us celebrate the… Read Full Story

The newly remodeled Sunrise Visitor Center opened yesterday, for the first time in 2 years.

It’s gorgeous with new exhibits that will take your breath away.  The original Visitors Center was built in the 1930s and is a gorgeous log lodge (the kind you wish you could live in).  The 1970s era gray painted floors were replaced with beautiful Douglas Fir flooring.  The old information desk and sales area were replaced by cabinetry and counters built from cedar.  The old exhibits from the 1970s were replaced with wonderful, informative exhibits the complement the building’s architecture.

Summer ranger programs and interpretive… Read Full Story