Arrived at the trailhead around 11:45a; the parking lot was about 3/4 full. Trail was in good condition -- had to climb over one log and traverse three shallow streams. Once you branch off from the Lake Serene Trail to start the climb to Bridal Veil Falls, the trail gets much rockier and steeper. The Falls themselves were popping! I've not seen it at other times of the year, but there seemed to be a lot of water flow -- very powerful and loud. Beautiful views from the Falls also. 

Got to the TH at 0645, met with my group and left at 0705. We were the only cars in the parking lot. The weather was rain/misty, and there was a dense fog.

My group made it to the falls by 0745, and the trail was like a little creek with water flowing. Good waterproof shoes are needed. There were many fallen down trees, and the the actually creek you will cross 3 times was pretty high and several people got their shoes completely soaked. There was also many large rocks throughout the trail. Going up the stairs to the falls, the steps were slick and full of water. So please be careful. 

The falls were amazing, the water was going so fast and I couldn't pass it like I normally could in the summer. 

We made it back down and towards Lake Serene just across the bridge and to another smaller waterfall which I've only seen in the fall/winter due to the water overflow. 

We made it back to the TH around 9:45 ish. It was pouring rain in the walk back. 

Overall, bring a great rain jacket and waterproof boots and you'll have a great time. Just be prepared to get wet! 

Now that the shoulder season has arrived I'm back to doing a lot of my local low-elevation hikes. I wanted to check out Bridal Veil Falls real quick before the next round of storms rolled in, and I arrived at the trailhead just after 9am. There were just over a dozen other vehicles parked there. Being a fairly warm day all the snow we got this past week above 4000 feet has melted, and the trail was wet and water was running down it. Also the stream was very high and muddy underneath the first wooden bridge, which told me I could expect worse further on. As I stopped to put on my gaiters I met a nice lady who was walking back and who told me she turned around at the first stream crossing. Uh-oh.

Sure enough, I made it to that stream crossing and the water was churning brown and flowing well over the rocks I usually step on to cross it. Another pair of hikers was looking at it, deciding if they should try. They decided to turn back. I sized it up as well for a few minutes before deciding there was no way across without actually fording it and getting soaked up to my calves.

Oh well, next time I come I'll be better prepared to ford it if I have to. We are now at the time of the year when we have to be prepared for any situation and be willing to execute a Plan B if our original plans prove too difficult or dangerous. My Plan B was to simply pick another local hike. I encountered a few hikers during the walk back and warned them about the crossing. Given the number of cars at the trailhead I have to assume some people did indeed cross it. Hopefully they didn't encounter more difficulty with the second stream crossing or the rest of the trail.

Beautiful hike, very moderate until the last half mile when you go up to the falls. There were a lot of people so I would recommend coming early if you want to get parking spot.

Let me first thank all those who have done the work to make this trail safe and doable -- in particular the last half-mile to the falls, with its ladder stairs, boardwalks and rock work! I wouldn't have made it without you. If you read a few trip reports for this trail, you will see that opinions differ about its difficulty. It does start out easy -- broad and gradually uphlll.  But it soon narrows, and contains rocky stretches and stream crossings where one needs to pick one's way carefully. Where the trail heads up to the falls, it becomes challenging. The falls are lovely, and redeem the effort to get there. 

If you have a dog, there's plenty of flowing water to drink en route.