Lake Serene — Saturday, Aug. 15, 2015

Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West

We hit this trail at 11:20am on a Saturday. The main lot was completely full, but there was plenty of parking down at the lower lot. I'd avoid using the toilet they have at the trailhead if you can.... yikes. It's probably seen better days. Anyhoo, our first stop was Bridal Veil Falls. We were surprised to encounter almost nobody at all for the first 15-20 minutes; I think that was just lucky timing. The trail is a gradual escalation until you get to the split for the falls (on the right) and the lake (on the left). It took us 35 minutes to get from the trailhead to this fork. From there the climb steepens drastically - you are basically climbing stairs. The crowds also started to thicken here. It took us about 20 minutes to get from the fork to Bridal Veil Falls (the post at the fork said the falls were 1/2 mile further). There were a good number of people at the top, but there is quite a bit of room to spread out, so it didn't feel too crowded. After hanging out and wandering around for a bit, we headed back down. This is where we started to feel the crowds. The trail is so narrow and steep, it is almost impossible to pass people, so we got backed up and slowed down several times. We probably made it back down to the fork in about 15 minutes. From the fork, we headed left for Lake Serene. The post says the lake is 2 miles from that point (I think). The trail heads away from the falls for a single long stretch, and then the switches start. The climb is similar to the one up to the falls - steep and lots of stairs. We counted 23 switches, many of which are spaced very closely, with a couple long stretches between switches. After the 23rd switch, we headed straight across the face of the mountain where the trees thinned. At the end of this long stretch was our final destination - beautiful Lake Serene! It took us 1 hour and 20 minutes to get there from the fork in the trail. We walked around the lake to a spot called Lunch Rock, where you get a great panoramic view of the area. Up to this point, the weather was cloudy with some spots of sun, and the temperature warm enough for us to wear shorts/capri leggings and t-shirt/tank top. But as soon as we got to the lake, a cloud was quickly descending to its surface. The wind picked up, the mists turned to a light rain, and it got cold. It wasn't the most pleasant weather, but the lake was still beautiful and emerald green, and we were able to sit down for snacks and some water filtering. A little family of Canada geese came over to beg for handouts; they were extremely brave and had obviously been given food before (see the linked video). On land, the chipmunks were similarly aggressive. Don't feed the animals, people! We would have hung out at the lake quite a bit longer, but the rain got heavier, the temperature lower, and we weren't prepared with the right layers, so we took off after a 45 minute break to get our blood flowing again. The hike down was similar to that at the falls - a little crowded and difficult to pass people. We took it a little slower than usual and took extra breaks for my poor knees (those stair cases don't exactly meet building code!). The rain let up and the temperature rose after the first few switches back down the trail. We made it to the trailhead from the lake in 1 hour and 50 minutes. The total distance covered was, I think, 8.5 miles, and our total hike time was 5 hours and 15 minutes. This is a great hike - it's challenging, beautiful, and rewarding, especially if you love lakes and waterfalls. It's not as epic as some trails around here, but the post-hike burger & beer still felt well-deserved. I can't wait to do it again, both in clearer sunny weather, and when some snow has fallen. Happy trails!