Bridal Veil Falls, Lake Serene - Bridal Veil Falls

Got on the trail around 10:15, after having to double back to Gold Bar to purchase a forest pass. Was the only car at the parking lot, although by the end of the hike there would be 7-8 other cars. The weather was mid- to upper-40s with a slight drizzle. Plan on dressing in layers, although if you're anything like me you'll shed most of them throughout the hike.

The first 1.5mi or so is a gradual incline through a forest. There are several creek crossings (one has a bridge that I felt somewhat uneasy on). The trail is somewhat rocky, so bring good shoes/boots. Also, there were some spots of standing water on the trail but nothing too bad.

After that 1.5mi, you can choose to go left to Lake Serene or right to Bridal Veil falls. Short on time, I elected to just go up to the falls. The half mile up to the falls is considerably steeper than the beginning of the hike. There are a number of flights of stairs and several creek crossings on ledges. Some previous reports have mentioned feeling uneasy on ledges, but the exposure isn't really that great and it didn't bother me.

After about a 400' climb you arrive at the falls. On this particular day, the water was really rushing and the falls were generating quite a bit of spray (which inhibited my ability to take photos). Even with a Gore-Tex parka, I started to get chilled so I didn't spent much time at the falls.

As always, the trip down was much quicker than the trip up. I did pass about 5 groups of other hikers who were just heading up, but even still the trail never felt crowded. My total round-trip time was about 2h15m, which included a short break to shed layers on the way up to the falls.

I did read a report of cars having been broken into at the parking lot, so please make sure that you hide (or better yet leave at home) any valuables.