ROAD / TH: The road up to the trailhead is fully snow-covered but it's not deep. It is, however, very icy in places. I'd recommend all-wheel drive and/or snow tires if you want to be sure to make it up to the trailhead. The parking lot itself is flat and easy to maneuver in. At least one of the bathrooms is open but you may want to bring your own TP.

SNOW AND ICE: With the arctic air mass we've had in place for a few days, massive ice buildup is everywhere. The falls, in the creek, on the trail, etc. It was 16° when we started our hike and 24° when we finished. We wore our micro spikes for the entire hike right from the parking lot, and never once considered taking them off. With the cold temps, the snow is really dry and wasn't sticking to our spikes at all. We did see a few parties hiking to the falls and the lake without spikes, but I can't imagine it was much fun. There are places where the trail is literally a sheet of ice for 20-30' and there is no easy way around. You also have to cross the creek twice before reaching the turnoff to the falls, and the creek crossings are covered in ice. This is the terrain micro spikes were made for.

Heading up to the falls and Lake Serene, there is more snow than ice, but it's quite packed in places and there is still some ice here and there. The upper waterfall just before the lake is very pretty. The hundreds of steps on the trail are mostly filled in with snow, and some are not entirely level, so it's quite a slippery exercise getting up them. Poles were also helpful on the steeper sections.

The snow gets deeper as you ascend past the falls toward Lake Serene, but you don't strictly need gaiters since the boot path is pretty well established all the way to the lake. There are some few-day-old post holes that you'll want to watch out for, but today the snow was so hard and frozen that it wasn't a problem just stepping around them. That may change if it warms up. We did wear our gaiters all day but that was really more for warmth than snow protection.

I always recommend checking the avalanche conditions before hiking to Lake Serene. There are some open slopes just before you reach the lake where a slide is possible. The avalanche danger today was low below 4500', and we did not see any evidence of dangerous snow conditions to the lake.

BRIDAL VEIL FALLS: The falls are spectacular right now with all the ice surrounding them. With the spikes on, it's safe enough doing the little loop at the falls, and we also were able to walk out right next to the falls since the ice is so firm around them. I would not recommend trying to get across to the other side, as there is still running water underneath and it's hard to predict when you might fall through. And there is a huge cliff just below the falls viewpoint that you would not want to fall over! I always recommend to people, if you are going to do both the lake and the falls, then do the falls first, since you probably won't feel like climbing up again after the challenging hike up to the lake. If you're not going to the lake, I definitely recommend you proceed 1/4 mile past the falls junction to the eastern falls, they're very nice right now with all the ice.

LAKE SERENE: The lake, of course, is entirely frozen over with no open water visible even at the edges. Mount Index is impressive and very snowy right now - no avalanches to be seen today. We stopped and had our lunch at a nice spot on the near side of the outlet bridge, though we saw some people had also gone across the bridge. It's very difficult to tell where the snow ends and the lake begins right now. I wouldn't recommend walking on the lake, but it's probably about as frozen as it ever gets for a lake at this elevation.

Here is a trip report for the hike up to the  view points for Bridal Veil Falls.  I did not go up to Lake Serene.   No one in the parking lot this morning so I had the trail to myself.  An easy drive up from Route 2.   Someone has filled in the potholes on the access road.   The rest room appears closed for the season.   

We had a wind storms locally a couple days ago so there were lots of sticks and small branches across the trail.   There was only one log across the trail and it is an easy step-over.   (12” x 16’ piece swing off trail with a couple people with a strap).   There were no other major issues with the trail other than water and snow.   If you are reading this trip report, please put your sneakers or trail runners away.  It is time for sturdy hiking boots.   Your feet will get wet.  

It is winter hiking conditions today.   Snow starts covering the trail at 1000’ elevation.   1-3 inches of snow cover above 1100’ and 3-6 inches above 1200’ elevation.  I recommend microspikes in the snow.   It was in the low 30’s this morning and with the freezing temperatures expected this weekend everything will be covered in ice and crusty snow.    This trail has plenty of rocks to trip you up along the upper steeper sections.   

The falls were running high today after the rain/snow mix the last few days.  The views were limited to across the valley.  A snow squall started as I took a few pictures.   

This report is already outdated from a snow depth perspective.   There was heavy snow coming down as I hiked out and continued as I drove along Route 2 from Index to Sultan.  Expect more snow on the trail this weekend.   As a reminder, there is an obvious avalanche zone (47.79123, -121.57110) here on the lower falls route.  Remember to check before going onto any trail in the winter.   

Originally set out for Lake Serene. I bumped into a longtime hiker Hal along the trail. He recommended taking the detour up to Bridal Veil Falls. Thanks for the tip Hal. So glad I did, gorgeous, mesmerizing. These are the same falls u see if you’ve ever stopped at Espresso Chalet (along Hwy 2) gazing out across the Skykomish River. You’ll see the majestic Mt Index and Persis staring down on u.

I got a late start , 1 pm, but was up there in about an hour. From the falls u have a grand view looking back onto Index and Heybrook Ridge. I’d imagine this is a spectacular hike all season long. The trail does get steep, but is well maintained. I’d imagine micro spikes are needed now. I missed the snowfall by a couple days. Has some good challenging parts, but good enough for the whole family to enjoy.

I did end up making it to Lake Serene, that ends up being another 3 miles up. It's always bewildering to see a good size lake at the top of a peak and mountain range. Spectacular views. Not a lot of coverage so gets chilly, wet, and windy. Be prepared. Was gonna get dark soon, so headed back down. Back by 5:30, so about 4-5 hours if u do both at moderate pace. 

Road to the trailhead is snow-free and in great shape.  Lot was around half full when we got there around 11:00.  One of the two restrooms was open but had no TP.  

The trail up to Bridal Veil was also free of snow and ice, but everything is quite wet so the rocks and wooden stairs were pretty slippery.  I took a tumble on one of the stairs and scraped up my hand and arm, leading us to cut our hike short instead of continuing to Lake Serene. 

Some great views of Index and the mountains across the highway with a light dusting of snow. 

Decided to take my 12 year old for a hike since the weather was pretty decent.

We started late at around 11:30 AM and there were maybe around 12 cars there. We saw quite a few hikers on the trail, maybe like 9 different group of hikers but it never felt crowded on the trail.

The trail was "drier" than expected. Yes. It's wet with some stream and falls crossings, but it wasn't too muddy. I was also prepared with spikes and gaiters but honestly a pair of waterproof hiking boots work just fine with today's condition. 

Yes, there were snow patches at around elevation 2,000ft (after we logged around 3.5 mi), but it was pretty slushy in the afternoon so I didn't feel the need to put on my spikes. It was fine without them too when we hiked down. 

The lake was stunning and looked partially frozen. We went up to lunch rock and had a snack and hiked down quickly.

We also stopped by the Falls on our way down as I wanted to see the 'finished' rock staircase. My first work party with the WTA was helping to build the rock staircase this past summer and it looked pretty neat. 

It took us around 4 hours and 15 mins to hike both Lake and Falls with a snack break at the lake.

I think this trip report will still be applicable until this weekend as long as there is no new snow accumulation on Friday 12/22.

Happy Winter Solstice!