We arrived at the trailhead around 11:30am to a full lot but luckily some of the early birds were just finishing up their hike as we pulled in. The road to the parking lot has a few potholes but it's a very short drive and the rough spots are easily avoidable. My Toyota Camry did just fine.
This hike was absolutely gorgeous, but a bit more challenging than I was expecting. The 4 miles one-way with ~2000 ft elevation gain seemed like it would be pretty mild, but we were surprised to find that most of the elevation gain happens in the second half of the hike. The trail starts on an old gravel logging road and then tapers into a more narrow path through the dense forest up until the turn-off point to Bridal Veil Falls on the right, about 1.7 miles in. This part of the trail is very easy/fairly flat and was totally covered with vibrant and massive fall leaves. There were two forks in the path before reaching the Bridal Veil turn-off; other hikers said that turning left at either of these forks would have also gotten us to the lake, but we kept right both times and that kept us on what seemed to be the main trail.
The second half of the hike is very rocky and steep, with 23 switchbacks and several segments of stairs. There was one fallen tree obstructing the trail, but it wasn't difficult to climb around. There is plenty of footing on the rocks so I wasn't too worried about falling, but trekking poles would have helped, and I did have a small trip once on the way down. I would also recommend hiking boots over sneakers to protect against a twisted ankle, given all of the rocks. The views at the top were totally worth the climb. I've never seen a lake this still, which allowed for a total mirror reflection in the lake of the mountains above. There is plenty of fall foliage on the side of the mountains as well; lots of yellows and reds, really beautiful. At the lake, if you continue past the log bridge and climb the stairs, there is a massive rock face which is a great place to sit, eat a snack, and take in the views. This is the most unobstructed view of the lake that I could find.
I see now why this hike is so popular. Really spectacular and would definitely recommend for the fall colors alone!
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