Passed by about a hundred cars at Lake 22, why bother? We started in the rain around 11am, but were mostly covered by the forest. Quite a variety of ferns, moss, and other plants in the first mile - it was delightful. The next section opens up and the waterfalls were flowing well. The climb sneaks up on you, it is very gradual and the views are plenty. We really enjoyed the twisty non-pine trees on the way up. We clocked in 4.5 miles to the top of Perry Creek Falls (much different than the reported 3 from the TH). Had lunch, tried the crossing just past, but did not proceed to the meadows.
The sun came out on the way down and the fog drifted away. Be prepared to get a little wet on the creek crossings, but you should be able to hop from rock to rock. Saw maybe 6 other groups of hikers, very quiet minus the rushing stream, waterfalls in the distance, and wind in the leaves. Turned out to be an awesome option for Memorial Day. There was one patch of snow at a similar elevation, but the trail did not go through.
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