The trail was slick at places with ice but nothing to serious overall a great experience with minor trees to get over but definitely doable definitely enjoyed it.

Woke up to the sun and decided the day deserved a short hike. We didn’t get to the trailhead until around 10:30am, but the lot was only a little over half full. Interestingly enough the lot was more full when we returned around 1:45pm.

The hike up to the falls was pleasant but chilly. The trail was snow free. No need for microspikes. I like to hike with poles and was glad I had them. A couple of spots had icy rocks so the extra support was welcome. The only time I saw anyone wipe out was back near the parking lot while someone wasn’t paying attention to a patch of ice. It’s not bad as long as you watch your step.

Check out the cool cotton candy like frost we found. It was in many places forming on dead wood.

Avalanche danger was once again high in areas that I was planning to a hike. To be safe, I decided to head up Highway 2 and check off a hike that's been on a bucket list for a while but have been putting off due to worrying about the influx of people I might encounter on the trail.

The trailhead was only an hour away from North Seattle. The parking lot was big but I could see it being filled up on busy summer days. But obviously, on a super rainy and cold day, there was plenty of parking. We saw only two other cars in the lot when we got to the trailhead at around 10am on Friday. Road had potholes but it was a short ride - take it slow and any car could make it.

The first 1.7 miles to the junction of Lake Serene and Bridal Veil Falls were easy - with a gentle gain in the forest. I highly recommend stopping by the falls before heading up to the lake. It was a very wet day so the boardwalks were definitely slick and slippery at times. The falls were raging due to the rain. It was nice to finally be able to see these falls despite not getting a view of the surrounding area. After soaking in the views, we headed back the way we came and continued onto Lake Serene.

This was when the elevation gain really started to pick up. However, before that, there was another nice waterfall with some rocks to rest. This was also where the large downed tree was located. This was the only huge obstacle on the entire trail. I could see it being problematic for certain folks, especially on a wet day. My 60 pound made it up with no problem although I did need to give him a little lift and had my friend help me out a little. After this, it was all uphill and stairs until Lake Serene.

We took our time because it was windy and raining progressively more as we made our way towards the lake. The stairs felt relentless. Every time I thought I was done with them, more stairs popped up on the trail. Per other trip reports, there was some snow/ice on the last 1/4 mile before the lake. We did put on our microspikes to continue on as I found that I was definitely sliding a bit and wanted to not get slowed down by this.

By the time we got to the lake, we were already soaked so it definitely felt very cold. On top of that, there was little to no tree coverage, so we continued to get rained on. After looking at the lake for a bit - the lake was pretty frozen at this point, we decided to 'take shelter' under one of the more dense trees for a little bit. It was getting late so we decided to head back as we didn't want to hike the rocky downhill in the dark.

Despite the weather being sort of a nightmare, I still highly recommend this hike. While this trail is known for its views, it was still nice to be able to hike this in heavy rain. I really enjoyed the moodiness and the vibes even though I did find the 2 miles to the lake a little more difficult when it was wet. But overall, just take your time and enjoy your surroundings!

For roughly the last 0.5 mile the trail was covered in snow. No special equipment needed, we did the hike in boots and trail runners. Crampons would be helpful in small parts but are certainly not needed. The trail is a bit muddy and wet in patches but these are few and far between - nothing someone who’s used to hiking in Washington wouldn’t be used to. The lake was covered in ice and snow as well. Overall very fun!

The day we hiked was very rainy, so be sure to bring water-resistant gear. While the staircases were overall very helpful, it must be noted that the steps aren’t so much steps as they are wooden enclosures with rocks and dirt inside, which means that deep, unavoidable puddles form under wet conditions. Be ready for creek crossings galore, but most have rocks to hop on and, should a jump be missed, are typically only a little more than ankle deep. As of the day we hiked, there was a large downed tree not too long after the trail splits for Bridal Veil Falls. I would guess it was about twice my height, but it was manageable to climb and we even saw a man with a dog traverse the obstacle. There is snow towards the top that may cause minor slippage, but it only resulted in a few recoverable slipups for our party of mostly inexperienced hikers. Due to heavy snowfall at the top, Mount Index was unfortunately obscured (pictured below). Reference another user’s December 22, 2024 report for what the trip should look like under ideal conditions.