tiggymalvern | Crystal Lakes

Yesterday was gorgeous! I decided to do the Crystal Lakes Trail, which I've done a couple of times before, but the last one was about five years ago. Crystal Lakes are in Mount Rainier National Park, but the trailhead is unmarked and it isn't in the paid section of the park, so while all the visitors head up to Sunrise, Crystal Lakes remain really quiet. I passed a few people on the trail up and down, and there was one other group on the opposite shore of the upper lake when I was there, but it was delightfully peaceful.

The hike up is all through forest, and then after 2.5 miles you find Lower Crystal Lake among the trees. Only a small section of the lakeshore is accessible, so you take a look, then hike on.

As you head towards the upper lake, the trees thin out and get noticeably shorter. The wildflowers are a week or two past their best now, but still showy enough.

There are flowers around the shore of the upper lake too. This was where I sat on a rock and ate lunch.

Flower meadows in the upper lake basin.

Various views of the upper lake. You can follow the trail along about half of the shore.

You gain 2500 feet between the trailhead and Upper Crystal Lake, 1500 feet of it in the first 1.3 miles. It's been a couple of years since I did hike like that - I did more diving than hiking last summer - and I could tell on the way up I should be fitter! Also my arthritis is getting worse. I knew that already, but it was noted yesterday.