Getting to Washington State Ski Resorts: A Comprehensive Guide

Washington state ski resorts can be beautiful on clear days, but their access roads aren’t exactly as pretty.

If you’re considering a Washington state ski trip, there’s an important rule of thumb: a significant portion of the value associated with the most well-known ski resorts stems from the convenience of accessing these mountains from Seattle. While one might fancy a slopeside stay, the most prominent resorts—Crystal, Stevens Pass, Summit at Snoqualmie, Alpental, and Mount Baker—either offer very limited onsite accommodations, or none at all. As a result, the best way to access these resorts is typically to day trip from the Seattle metropolitan area.

It’s also important to note that the demand for these resorts has only gotten higher as the Seattle metropolitan area continues to grow, making parking difficult or impossible in certain situations. This means that your method of transportation to these mountains can greatly impact your overall trip experience.

To make sure you can get the most out of your Washington state ski vacation, we’ve compiled our top recommendations for traveling from Seattle to your mountain of choice.

Summit at Snoqualmie is just an hour from Seattle, although shuttle services aren’t the most practical.

Summit at Snoqualmie / Alpental

Best way to get there: Car

Home to two physically separate resorts comprising four different mountains, Summit at Snoqualmie is the most accessible ski destination in Washington State. Located just steps away from Interstate 90, the best way to reach Snoqualmie Pass is by car. 

While a handful of shuttles run each day from Seattle to Snoqualmie Pass, the number of stops they make can more than double the driving time to the slopes. The shuttles’ infrequent and strict schedule can also close you off from one of the Summit’s best features: well lit night skiing. The drive from most locations in Seattle, including the airport, to the nearest base area at the Pass is about an hour.

A car can also really come in handy when it comes to navigating all of Snoqualmie Pass’ slopes. The four mountains—Summit West, Summit Central, Summit East (Hyak), and Alpental—sit fairly removed from one another, and Alpental is physically separate from the other three.

Skiers may be able to make use of connectors trails between Summit West, Summit Central, and Summit East to get between those mountains, but snowboarders will greatly appreciate having a car to drive between and explore other parts of the mountain.

If you want to hit the Summit mountains and Alpental without getting back in your car, there is an intra-base shuttle between the Alpental parking lot and Summit West—but it’s not very frequent. The shuttle runs to and from the Alpental slopes every hour on the hour, departing back to Summit West on the half hour; it doesn’t stop at the other two Snoqualmie mountains. Having a car releases visitors from the practical limitations put forth by these long headways.

Due to limited parking and discontinued shuttle services, ridesharing is our pick to get to Stevens Pass.

Stevens Pass

Best way to get there: Rideshare

Ridesharing might be the only way to get to Stevens Pass these days. Located approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes away from Seattle, the drive to Stevens Pass is notorious among Seattle-area skiers for becoming treacherous at certain points in the season. While snow chains and an attentive driver can make it up U.S. Highway 2’s winding roads, the frequency of incidents has contributed to the discontinuation of all remaining Greater Seattle Area shuttle services to Stevens Pass—with the last operator, Skyline, ceasing its Monroe route last season.

For those without a car or driving a rental, this leaves only one reasonable option for reaching Stevens’ unique terrain: finding a ride from a local. Greater Seattle residents organize a nearly ten thousand strong Meetup group where you can often find other riders willing to bring you to and from the mountain (or others in the Seattle area!) for the cost of splitting gas. This option may not be for everyone, but the convenience has earned generally positive reviews among locals.

Crystal’s onsite parking costs money on Fridays and weekends. Try taking the free Enumclaw shuttle instead.

Crystal

Best way to get there: Enumclaw shuttle bus (Friday-Sunday and holidays); car (other times)

While details on timing for the 2023-24 season aren’t available at the moment, if you can get yourself out to Enumclaw to make it on to Crystal Mountain’s shuttle, it may be your best bet to make the most of your ski trip in the shadow of Mt. Rainier.

As one of the only Washington resorts with lodging options less than half an hour from the slopes and a driving time of around two hours to Seattle, Crystal is worth spending more than a day trip for—but you don’t need to drive to get there. Crystal is home to three on-mountain hotels, with a handful of other options available along Highway 410 nearby. The best bang for your buck, however, may be catching the shuttle both ways and staying in Enumclaw.

Earning PeakRankings’ #1 spot last season in Washington State and home to the most skiable terrain in the state, Crystal Mountain is the jewel of the Emerald City’s accessible ski areas. With the shuttle bus’ priority parking location just 300 feet from the lifts (way closer than most public parking at the resort), getting first tracks on most of Crystal’s varied terrain will be a cakewalk. The shuttle bus runs Friday through Sunday and on holidays.

The best reason to take the shuttle, however, is that it’s free! This is a major advantage over driving to Crystal, which involves paid parking of at least $20 at all lots (exempting season pass holders) on the days that the shuttle operates. That said, it is important to note that only about 800 shuttle seats are available on peak visitation days. Reservations are available in advance for the two shuttles on Friday, but on weekends, they are offered only on a first come, first served basis.

Mount Baker is Washington state’s most remote destination, but there are some shuttle bus options.

Mount Baker

Best way to get there: Baker Bus (if staying in foothills), car (otherwise)

By far the most remote Washington ski area we’ve reviewed, Mount Baker might just beat out Crystal depending on your preferences. Almost entirely consisting of expert terrain and routinely receiving Washington’s highest snowfall totals, Mount Baker’s biggest drawback for most is how hard it is to get to. 

Luckily, a local non-profit is working to fix that. Running $20 weekend and holiday buses from Bellingham to Mount Baker, Baker Bus’ 1 hour and 45 minute ride to the base of the slopes is lightyears more accessible than any other public transportation option—and saves you the hassle of driving up the sketchy access road. However, this route is still a trek—in order to meet the bus at its Bellingham pick up point in time, guests would need to leave Seattle by car or bus at around 5 a.m., meaning a total travel time of around 4 hours.

With no lodging available on the mountain, the best option to save yourself a lengthy shuttle ride may be staying alongside one of the Baker Bus’ intermediate stops in the Baker foothills. The stops in Kendall, Valero, or Glacier are about 30 to 45 minutes from Mount Baker—and unlike the full Bellingham route, these stops are serviced 7 days a week. However, public transportation to the Baker foothills is somewhat limited, so unless you time everything really well, you may need a car for part of your trip anyway.

Final Thoughts

Washington state may not be your ideal ski trip destination if the idea of driving yourself to the mountain in a rental car is a no-go. However, all of these ski areas do have some hacks to make getting there easier—be it shuttle buses, ride shares, or strategic car use—and all of them (save for Mount Baker) are fairly reasonable options to get to from a home base in Seattle.

That said, if you’re looking for a more hands-off experience to make it from the airport to the slopes, or you want a true resort town, locations further north may be better options. Canada’s Whistler Blackcomb is a much better fit in this regard, and it’s only a few hours north of the resorts discussed on this list.

Considering a ski trip to Washington state this winter? Check out our full Washington state destination ski resort rankings, as well as our comprehensive mountain reviews of Crystal, Mount Baker, Stevens Pass, Summit at Snoqualmie, and Alpental.