Hike up to Lake Serene and Bridal Veil Falls

This one is a two-fer. Not only do you get to hike one of the most prominent mountains along US 2 near Seattle, WA, but you get to combine two hikes into one. You’ll get wildflowers, meadows, mountain views, a massive waterfall, and to sweeten the deal you’ll get to see a hidden lake smack dab in between the mountain’s crags.

You’ll start the trek out on an old road lined with moss, moss, baby that will quickly turn into a thickly forested slope. The first half is a relatively easy trek that gradually ascends and is an easy way to wake up those legs from a long work week or fun night out the day before. When you get to just under two miles you’ll leave the old roadbed and be given a choice. Either you’ll go to the right at the signed junction that will take you to Bridal Veil falls OR you can skip it altogether and press on to Lake Serene. I’d highly recommend for only a mile extra to head on up to Bridal Veils falls - it really is quite incredible and you know what they say, it’s lucky to swim under a waterfall.

If you decide to head up to Bridal Veil Falls first, the falls will be a half mile up a set of stairs and a half mile back down those same stairs. You can hear the falls way before you actually get to the junction, but once you get there you’ll hear the roar as the stairs steeply climb to the fall basin. You’ll cross a few side creeks and be prepared for there to be water on the stairs, but at this point I don’t think you’ll mind getting a little muddy. There are a few different spots you can stop and look at just how enormous this force of water is, just be careful as the rocks by the falls are slick. As you get later in the summer, you’ll find several people who hop in the basin of the waterfall at the top…and I’m not saying you should or shouldn’t do it…but I’ve done it and it’s pretty rad. And cold, let’s be real. I wouldn’t recommend letting your puppies or kiddos play in the waterfall but you can safely get pretty close to the falls without fearing for their safety. Make sure when you’re at the top of the falls to turn around and soak in the Skykomish Valley spread below as well!

After you’ve had your fill of the falls, you follow the same path back down and either call it a day or keep on truckin’ to Lake Serene. I’d highly recommend if you’ve still got a little gumption left in those legs, the surprise hidden lake at the top will be well worth the effort you put in on the second half.

Once you get back down to the trail junction, continue on the original main trail that will quickly drop into a damp ravine. You’ll cross over another creek on a well-built bridge and then start your climb up. This next half of your journey will be a combo pack of solid tread with stone steps and some rock cribbing. Your trail will definitely start to steeply ascend so keep on pushing forward and remind yourself the view will be well worth the effort. To put this in perspective, you’re going to billy goat up the side of the mountain gaining about 1300 feet in roughly 1 ½ miles. Your trek up the mountain will not be without some fantastic views along the way as you’ll be able to see the Ragged Ridge and other peaks of the newly minted Wild Sky Wilderness.

Once you’re almost ready to start saying ‘Are we there yet?!’, BAM!-out of nowhere you see a stunning lake that looks like something Bob Ross would have painted. Soak in the views as sitting behind the lake is a 3,000 vertical foot fortress wall. It’s really quite incredible how beautiful it is, so before you plop down to get some grub I’d wander around a little bit and see all of the hidden gems that you won’t read about in the guidebooks. If you’re feeling brave, take a dip into the pure glacier water and then lounge on the cliffs and soak up the pure beauty that this hike will give you.

If you make this hike during the winter, be prepared for icy conditions - traction devices like Yaktrax would be a good idea or even snowshoes if it has snowed a lot recently. You'll find the trail to be much less crowded and the lake even more serene during the winter.