My favorite things about Alder Lake? First, the dock. Where else can you camp and have a free place to moor your boat? I left my jet ski in the water for three days. The dock is high quality, nice and wide, with built-in fenders. You can fish off the dock too. I saw people catch Kokanee and rainbow trout. Second, I loved the close-up view of Mt. Rainier. I loved coming around the tip of an island on the jet ski and seeing the mountain burst into view. Wow. Third, I loved the aqua (turquoise?) color of the water. Fourth, the bathrooms were very well stocked and very clean. It kinda sucked that you had to pay for showers though. I just said "screw it" and stayed dirty. Other things I liked were the low prices for campsites, the relative ease of reserving a site, the well-maintained boat launch, the safe swimming area, the dish washing stations (covered with sinks), the many islands and arms of the lake to explore, cliff jumping ... as you can see, Alder Lake is, well, pretty cool.