Bridal Veil Falls — Tuesday, Apr. 26, 2022

On this rainy Tuesday I went exploring the Independent and Honeymoon mines. Both of these mines are decently easy to find and are a great start for those getting into off trail navigation. Coordinates and written directions can be found on hikingwithmybrother.com, I owe pretty much all of my mine experience to the Barnes brothers. The Lake Serene parking lot was about half full when my boyfriend and I arrived around 1:30pm. 

Previous reports cover the details for the trail to Lake Serene. For the first mine, the Independent, you leave the main trail where you first see Bridal Veil falls ahead through the trees. There is a metal sign covered in stickers and spray paint pointing the way to follow the main trail, but there is an overgrown path straight ahead past the sign. This actually used to be the road to the old trailhead, it's bonkers to think there was ever a time that cars could make it this far. The path is very obvious and well established, though overgrown with thorny branches that will be awful when summer comes.

It is only .2 miles from the main trail until you reach a clearing and a cliff face. Go left from the cliff face, up a small rock scramble with water running down it, and the mine is a hole blasted into the side of the rock face. There is spray paint graffiti everywhere from over the years. I don't know how far back the mine goes but it is pretty deep. I broke the first rule of mine safety and went inside, made it until there was a fork in the tunnel, and then turned around. According to the website, if you go further left up the cliff face past the mine there is a small rock memorial for hikers that were killed in an avalanche in 1996. But I didn't go looking for it, as the Honeymoon mine was still ahead.

Return back to the main trail and walk a short way to the split with Bridal Veil Falls. Waterproof boots are a must, as there is a lot of water on the trail. Take the trail to the falls, almost all the way, and when you reach the first flat boardwalk head straight up the hillside to the right. Some people coming down from the falls probably thought we were being off-trail hooligans. The best way up is to aim slightly right from the boardwalk, while the hillside is all loose dirt and debris there is a more rocky tread that is easy to follow. There is a small cairn and one single orange piece of flagging to guide you to the waterfall where the mine is. This approach is very short, you can almost see the main trail to Bridal Veil falls the whole way. Lots of slippery fallen trees and branches to lose your footing on, so be careful! The Honeymoon Mine is blocked by a floor-to-ceiling gate so you can only take a couple steps inside, but is still very cool with the waterfall and jagged cliffs the mine is set into. 

The whole ordeal was only 4.2 miles roundtrip and took about 2.5 hours. A great quick trip with an extra adventure to a classic trail!