* We got there at 11am on the Saturday after Thanksgiving right as the last parking spaces got snagged.
* 2 pit toilets at the trailhead are closed for the season. Pack out all trash
* Another review suggested bringing a thermos of hot tea. We did this and saw several others at the falls who did as well. Recommended.
* Don't forget your forest pass.
* Beware the brutal traffic backup on Hwy 2 coming west from Gold Bar through Startup to Sultan. At 1:30pm it was just starting to jam up. Can only imagine what it's like once ski season kicks off in earnest. I have heard of people being stuck for 4+ hours. Washington State Dept of Transportation please fix this already!

Quick review
It's pretty much continuous uphill for 2 miles and the last 10 minutes are basically a scramble but the views along the trail, the falls and beautiful quiet of this trail make it worth it.

Parking lot almost full when we arrived around 11am on a cold, rainy, November Saturday. Toilets open and stocked. Some creeks required rock hopping but were not hard to cross. Muddy in places. Steep and rocky sections as well. No snow on the trail.

The falls are so pretty. There is a lovely place to sit on an earth bench and enjoy hot tea and a snack near the middle of the final falls loop.Walking sticks were helpful on the downhill.

the stream is overflowing its banks and moving real fast. making it difficult to cross about a mile up trail

So on today's episode of "Get a quick hike in before the next weekend storm hits" I decided to tackle Bridal Veil Falls again, having been defeated by heavy storm runoff four weeks ago. I got there around 9:30 AM, and this time the stream crossings were a piece of cake, although the trail was still pretty wet in places. Overall it wasn't bad though. There are a couple of fresh blowdowns across the trail but they are easily stepped over. The wood stairs and rocks heading up to the falls are very slimy and slippery, so watch your step.

I would say the amount of water going over the falls was about ideal, with enough to make them photogenic but not so much that you can't even stand there without getting drenched. As usual I checked out the upper falls first, then the lower falls alongside the trail as it continues to Lake Serene, then finally the REAL lower falls (and most impressive of the bunch) just beyond the wooden bridge. A part of me wishes that a work party would thin the trees between the bridge and the falls to allow a better view, but with nature being nature it's probably best left as-is.

Foot traffic was pretty modest, at least by this trail's standards. There were about a dozen cars when I arrived and twice that many when I left, and I passed others on the trail at roughly ten minute intervals. A few were headed up to Lake Serene, and if they were lucky they made it back down before the rain started. As usual I was able to just miss it, with it finally starting to come down after I was already back on Highway 2.

Arrived at 7:30 to a nearly empty lot, started hiking around 8 am, made it to Bridal Veil Falls around 9 am and to the lake around 10; we admired the scenery for about half an hour and were back at the parking lot a bit before 12:30 pm. Trail is currently snow-free. As others have noted, there are trees across the trail in several spots, but all pretty easily stepped over.