Crystal Mountain Ski Resort

If you’re a boondock/dry-camping fan this is a great place. Despite it having electric hookups there are no other frills; no dump station, vault toilet, porta-potty, shared water spigot didn’t work, you’re on your own. Quite cold at night even in July and very dark and quiet at night. Backs up to a nice creek and there are picnic tables by the creek or bring your camping chair, it’s relaxing. A bit expensive for what you get and there are people coming and going through the parking lot and to stay just one night, but that isn’t too bad. The 30amp spots are extremely narrow so if someone comes and parks next to you it may mean you can barely open your door, the 50amp spots are twice as wide so may be worth the extra $10. Mid-week sale of 50% off was nice, but I think it was limited time. I liked staying here because of the proximity to the National Park and taking the Gondola and hiking around the top of Crystal Mountain, the views are spectacular!

Like the previous review; "This isn’t a campground. It is a ski resort. RV spots are on the edge of a dirt lot. One right after another. There is no separation. There are no trees or picnic tables. In the larger spots there is power and water. No sewer. This is no frills!! Vehicles constantly fly through the dirt lot and kick up dust and dirt. On the positive side the surrounding mountains are beautiful and it’s only six miles from the northern entrance to Mt. Rainer National Park." Couldn't agree more to that! Took the gondola up, it was nice and this is why it has 1 star. Another star because the host was very Nice and providing information about the sourroundings.

This isn’t a campground. It is a ski resort. RV spots are on the edge of a dirt lot. One right after another. There is no separation. There are no trees or picnic tables. In the larger spots there is power and water. No sewer. This is no frills!! Vehicles constantly fly through the dirt lot and kick up dust and dirt. On the positive side the surrounding mountains are beautiful and it’s only six miles from the northern entrance to Mt. Rainer National Park. We are here in late August and there are a couple of restaurants open at the ski resort area.

Crystal Mountain Welp, first off, if you don’t have a smart phone you’re SOL because you have to scan a code to access the site to pay. It was a ghost town when I was there (Thursday afternoon)and not a single human to assist you. I emailed and received a prompt response because it was unclear where to park and what the charge was for dry camping/overnight parking. There is a lot of ominous signage about getting booted for “improper” parking. Initially got an email to “park beyond the meters,” then got another from the Big Kahuna Facility Manager Guru, stating I was to use a tent site, although I did spell out in my email I DID NOT NEED electric/H20. But, the Guru responded no worries, they wouldn’t “boot” me, haha, use a tent site. There were multiple indications (threats) that if you are “improperly” parked, your vehicle would get booted, requiring a $100 fee to un-boot it. So, the gist of it is: there is NO dry camping allowed. You have to be in either an RV site or a Tent site. Both have designated electric, with water spigots available. Don’t think you can actually put a tent in the tent sites! No, no, no! (Please notice his wording in the email I received and posted in the photo section of this review.) There is no place to pop a tent unless you plan on putting it right behind your vehicle on the gravel, in the parking lot. All the sites are in one long line of electric access posts with scattered water spigots at the edge of a large gravel parking lot. All are cheek by jowl, just like in a mall parking lot. If you have a slide, forget about it. The sites are not level and the entry to the parking area has impressive potholes. $25 for a “tent” site. I think it was $40 for an RV site, but I could be wrong. The kicker is, there is NO DIFFERENCE (other than 30/50 amp) between a tent site and an RV site. NONE. A single porta-potty for 50+ sites. No thanks, complete rip off IMO. The greed I’m seeing regarding camping in the last year and half is astounding. If you’re here in the winter for a week of skiing, it may be worth it to you to be this close to the slopes. And I did see a herd of elk which somewhat mollified my irritation of the cost. (I was under the impression prior to arrival that dry camping was allowed at a lesser rate. Hey, I’m willing to pay, but I don’t like being ripped off!) Otherwise, I’d give it a big skip. I came, I camped, I won’t be back. I posted the email I got from the big kahuna in the photos for veracity. Side note- I was planning on taking the gondola to the top of the mountain of Friday ($30), but the email interaction and cost of unneeded “tent” camping turned me off so much, I skipped it.

Camped here in summer. Super-easy back in access in the ski resort’s parking lot. Electrical hookups only, but in summer months there are a few water working spigots behind every other spot. The hikes from the base area are all uphill. The super pricey gondola ride to the top leads to amazing views of all of Washington and the hiking at the top is amazing. Unlike nearby Mt. Rainier you can bring your dog.