Crystal Carriage House

07/17/2024

Be aware and prepared!

FIRE WEATHER WATCH - WASHINGTON STATE: a Fire Weather Watch has been issued for laege area of Washington State in both sides of the cascades for dry lightning. Details as follows:

The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a Fire Weather Watch for dry thunderstorms and gusty outflow winds, which is in
effect from Tuesday evening through Wednesday evening.

* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 658 West Slopes of the North
Cascades Generally above 1500 Feet and Fire Weather Zone 659
West Slopes of the Central Cascades Generally above 1500 Feet.

* THUNDERSTORMS...Scattered thunderstorms with LAL 3.

* OUTFLOW WINDS...Gusty and erratic winds are possible in the
vicinity of any thunderstorms that develop.

* IMPACTS...Scattered lightning in dry fuels can cause multiple
fire starts. Thunderstorms can also bring sudden sharp wind
shifts on existing fires, causing rapid changes in a fire's
rate of spread and direction of spread. Thunderstorm outflow
winds can be a threat for several hours following the start of
a new lightning-caused fire. If a fire were to begin, air
quality may diminish in the surrounding area.

EAST
SCATTERED DRY THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE ON WEDNESDAY...

Scattered thunderstorms containing little to no rainfall will be possible over much of North Central Washington Wednesday afternoon
and evening. Isolated thunderstorms are possible elsewhere across
Eastern Washington and North Idaho.

The National Weather Service in Spokane has issued a Fire Weather Watch for thunderstorms, which is in effect from Wednesday
afternoon through Wednesday evening.

* Affected Area: Fire Weather Zone 696 East Washington Central Cascades (Zone 696), Fire Weather Zone 697 East Portion of North Cascades National Park/Lake Chelan National Recreation
Area (Zone 697), Fire Weather Zone 698 East Washington North Cascades (Zone 698), Fire Weather Zone 699 Okanogan Highlands
and Kettle Mountains (Zone 699), Fire Weather Zone 702
Colville Reservation (Zone 702), Fire Weather Zone 703
Okanogan Valley (Zone 703), Fire Weather Zone 704 Methow Valley (Zone 704), Fire Weather Zone 705 Foothills of Central
Washington Cascades (Zone 705) and Fire Weather Zone 706 Waterville Plateau (Zone 706).

* Thunderstorms: Scattered dry thunderstorms are possible, LAL 6.

* Outflow Winds: Gusty and erratic winds are possible in the
vicinity of any thunderstorms that develop.

* Impacts: Thunderstorms containing little to no rain combined
with dry fuels will lead to the potential for new fire starts
that may overwhelm initial attack capabilities. Gusty winds near
thunderstorms may result in rapid fire spread with any new or
existing fires.

05/24/2024

Chinook/Cayuse Pass Update🚨

- Cayuse Pass (SR 123) will reopen by Friday morning, May 24.

- 9 miles of Chinook Pass (SR 410) will be closed from the SR 123 junction to Morse Creek due to a washout.

- Chinook Pass will be partially open from Crystal Mountain Boulevard to the SR 123 junction by Friday morning, May 24.

We hoped it would be better news, but we're very grateful for our workers who have been working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week to repair the washout.

WHY IS CHINOOK PASS CLOSED?
A recent washout keeps Chinook Pass (SR 410) closed to travelers. This washout is located on a sharp and narrow section of the highway. Most of the work is done, but a guardrail needs to be installed before we reopen.

HOLIDAY WEEKEND RECREATION
Parking is not allowed at the SR 410/SR 123 junction near Cayuse Pass. Westside recreators who are seeking campgrounds east of the closure are encouraged to use alternate routes.

04/28/2024

It’ll be a while before Chinook Pass is open!

Hard at work with the clearing of Chinook Pass. The bathroom break may have to wait a bit. 😮

From WSDOT, sent to me by Harry Whitmore.

04/06/2024

Great deals and staff

We are a locally-owned shop selling skiing, snowboarding, XC, and snowshoe gear. We also offer extensive repair services and great customer service.

02/19/2024

02/02/2024

Escape the City for the next few days-Availability Feb.2 to 7th
Book thru our website

01/03/2024

Great opportunity

11/08/2023

FYI: I post this yearly when the cold weather begins because a lot of the people selling wood are cheating customers.
A standard cord is a neat stack of wood that has a volume of 128 cubic feet. It measures 4 feet high, 4 feet wide and 8 feet long. This includes the air between the wood. The actual wood volume is usually around 90 cubic feet.

10/08/2023

Friendly reminder: pets are prohibited on ALL trails and in wilderness areas throughout Mount Rainier National Park. Mount Rainier is 97% designated wilderness and because of that, there are more risks than rewards for bringing your pet. Careful thought and consideration have been given to help protect you, your pet, the park’s natural beauty and wildlife.

Why can’t you have your pet on trails?

- Mount Rainier is wild. Your pet could become prey for wildlife. Bears, mountain lions, bobcats, and birds of prey all call Mount Rainier home.
- Pets have injured and killed park wildlife.
- Dogs are predators and their odors, especially urine and f***s, can impact wildlife. This ‘predator’ scent can linger, disrupting the native animals this park protects.
- Pets may dig or trample fragile vegetation or sensitive archaeological sites.
- Slippery slopes, icy snow, and unexpected cliffs can lead to extreme falls that can be fatal for your pet.
- Pets can also be anxious in unfamiliar environments which could lead them to react unexpectedly or attempt to run away. If a pet were to get lost, the odds of locating your pet again are low.
- Some people are uncomfortable around dogs; they may have allergies or other concerns. Park visitors should be able to enjoy the native wildlife in their natural environment without disruption from other visitors’ pets.

Pets ARE allowed in parking lots, campgrounds, and on paved roads open to public vehicles. Pets must always be on a leash shorter than 6 feet (2m). Always bag and dispose of pet waste. If you really want to hike with your pet, consider a scenic drive through the park with a hike on a pet-friendly trail before or after leaving the park. Service animals that have been individually trained to perform specific tasks for the benefit of persons with disabilities are allowed on trails and in park facilities while they are working. For more information visit our website: https://go.usa.gov/x6A2v ~kk

NPS/ B.Burnett Photo

07/02/2023

During the past week, Forest Service firefighters responded to almost a dozen lightning caused fires and successfully extinguished them. Unfortunately, during that same time there were four abandoned escaped campfires that they also had to deal with.

Firefighters are putting out lightning caused fires and don’t need any human-caused fires to add to their workload. We are asking everyone to do their part to help protect our local communities and our public lands. Be sure your campfire is completely out before you leave your campsite. When putting out your campfire, drown it with water, stir it, drown it again, and repeat the process until the fire is out and cold to the touch. Use your bare hands to feel around the ashes and chunks of burned wood for any warmth that might still be there. If a fire is too hot to touch, it is too hot to leave.

Before coming to the national forest always check conditions—including weather forecasts and public use restrictions.

🔥 If campfires are allowed, use an existing ring or a fire pit in an established campground.
🔥 Keep your campfire small. Small campfires are less likely to escape or cast embers long distances.
🔥 Never leave your campfire unattended.
✅ Bring a shovel and a bucket of water to extinguish any escaped embers and to use when completely putting out your campfire before leaving the site.

How to put out a campfire:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/okawen/?cid=FSBDEV3_053601

07/02/2023

Be smart and keep our lands safe.

05/22/2023

Watch for ticks!

Forest Service personnel and forest recreationists are reporting finding lots of ticks in the woods! These small blood-feeding parasites attach themselves to people and pets recreating in the national forest.

Some tips (from the doh.wa.gov website) to help you defend against ticks:
🕷 Know where to expect ticks. Many ticks live in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas. Walk in the center of trails particularly in spring and summer when ticks feed.
🕷 Wear appropriate clothing. Wear light-colored, tightly woven long pants and long-sleeve shirt. Tuck your pant legs into socks or boots, and your shirt into your pants. This helps keep ticks on the outside of your clothing where you can spot them more easily.
🕷 Use tick repellent when necessary and follow the instructions on the label.
🕷 Check clothing, gear, and pets after being in potential tick habitats. Carefully examine coats, camping gear, and daypacks. Don't forget to check your dog.
Shower soon after being outdoors. Showering can wash off unattached ticks and is a good opportunity to do a tick check.
🕷 Check your body thoroughly for ticks, especially areas in and around the hair, head, neck, ears, under arms, inside the belly button, around the waist, between the legs, and behind the knees. Continue checking for two to three days after returning from areas with ticks.

For more information go to https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/pests/ticks

Photo: Two tiny ticks on a leather boot. Credit: CDC

05/13/2023

04/15/2023

We have availability for the extended weekends! Check our website

2 feet already this April ❄️ This is *snow* joke!

There's lots of spring pow to go around. We are open daily through April 16; then bonus weekends with limited operations for our extended season April 21-23 and April 28-30 🤙 bit.ly/SeasonExtended2023

🏂 Morgan Hebert
📸 Vivika Stamolis

03/10/2023

Important for planning your summer visit

Mount Rainier National Park to move to cashless fee collection starting May 26 - Transition to electronic payment reduces transaction times, saves money, and improves accountability.

News Release: https://go.nps.gov/1bi6po

Beginning May 26, Mount Rainier National Park will transition to a fully cashless fee system and will accept only electronic card payments for entrance fees and campgrounds.

Visitors who are only able to pay with cash will be able to purchase a prepaid pass from various local vendors before coming to the park. The park is currently working to identify vendors to sell these passes. The Mount Rainier National Park Annual Pass, private vehicle passes, motorcycle passes, individual passes and backcountry permits may also be purchased online at https://www.recreation.gov/sitepass/74289. Advance campground reservations will continue to be available through https://www.recreation.gov/camping/gateways/2835 and payments for first-come, first-served camp sites will be cashless. Concession-run hotels, bookstores, and restaurants inside the park will still accept cash or card payments.

~kl

01/29/2023

Great deals

Just a reminder that we've got over 50 pairs of skis on sale for 25% off. All clothing is also temporarily 25% off. Come grab a new setup this weekend!

11/20/2022

YES!

11/06/2022

10/27/2022

Early Closures for Chinook and Cayuse passes.

After a foot of snow fell and with more in the forecast combined with lower-than-normal temperatures, the gates to SR 410 and SR 123 inside Mount Rainier National Park, including Chinook and Cayuse passes, are now closed for the season.

The passes both closed Tuesday night after multiple spinouts combined with hazardous weather conditions and they will now stay closed until the spring. Typically these roads close sometime in mid-November due to avalanche danger, lack of emergency services nearby and limited snow storage. The storm this week presented those issues earlier than normal, thus the decision to close now. This is the earliest closure of Chinook Pass - tied with 2005 - since the 1930s. They typically reopen sometime in May.

10/14/2022

Aw w w w

09/02/2022

Photo credit for this great photo a marmot goes to who says
“Straight Chillin 🏔’
This has to be one of the most incredibly scenic hikes I’ve ever done. Not as remote and quiet as others but the overall scenery was unreal. Wildflower meadows that cascade entire fields, marmots and chipmunks at every corner, 360 mountain views. Definitely a bucket list hike!”
•
📍Mt. Rainier, USA 🌲

08/15/2022

Photo credit goes to
•
Here's a click of the Tatoosh Range at Mt. Rainier National Park. Have a great day everyone!
Prints available upon request.

07/01/2022

Check out our vacation rental site.
We have an unexpected opening for July 4 through the 9th
just waiting for you!

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01/11/2021

What’s your memory?

01/06/2021

Fascinating how they keep warm in winter......

Today is National Bird Day! Many migrating birds pass through the park, but others live on Mount Rainier year-round. Hypothermia and frostbite are subjects with which most winter outdoor enthusiasts will be familiar, so the question arises: How do birds like this Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) survive? Why don't their feet freeze? The first part of the answer is relatively simple. A bird's body temperature is significantly higher (106 degrees) than that of a human. The second and most notable factor is that they are possessed of a "countercurrent" circulatory system in which the veins carrying cooled blood are intertwined with the arteries transporting warm blood from the body's interior. As much as 85 percent of the warmth from the outgoing blood transfers to that returning before it re-enters the body. This system of intertwined veins and arteries exists in both the legs and in the wings. Humans don't have this evolutionary advantage, so we must wear appropriate clothing to protect our extremities, so bundle up and . ~cv (photo/C. Vecchio)

12/23/2020

Here's what's new on the Mountain. Plan ahead and book a reservation. Looking for "seasonal" accommodations-call Ruth today.

12/11/2020

Love ❤️ our “Mountain “

10/24/2020

Love “the Mountain”!

~ Clear Stunning Beauty ~
Here's one of my favorite photos of Mount Rainier, on a winter day so clear that I can count the trees from Puget Sound across the foothills to the mountain. (OK, I haven't actually counted them...LOL.)

Have a great weekend! 😍

You can get this print (without a watermark) here: www.wildnwbeauty.com/p1034031762/e87519095

08/18/2020

Breath taking!

~ Tahoma's Splendor ~

Yesterday's view of Tahoma from around the corner. 😊🤩🔥

Thanks for lookin', and please feel free to share.

(Mount Rainier was first known by the local Salishan speakers as Tahoma (or Talol or Tacoma). One hypothesis of the word origin is 'mother of waters' in the Lushootseed language spoken by the Puyallup people.)

08/10/2020

Just had to share again