I hiked this trail with friends yesterday which was a perfect weather day for hiking. We got to the trailhead around 9:30 and had to park in the third lot which was about 4/5 full. We discovered a short, wooded trail that linked it to the main lot. The stairs up to Bridal Falls were crowded with hikers, and, then, when we reached the upper 1/3 of the trail to Lake Serene there was a steady stream of hikers in both directions. So many, that lines were forming at the base and tops of flights of stairs. If you hike to find peace, the Lake Serene trail on a nice weekend is not for you. However, the trail yesterday had a really a friendly vibe. We encountered very few people with poor trail manners, and we barely saw any litter. People hiking back down gave us peptalks.
WTA's description of this hike is a good one. Lake Serene and Bridal Veils Falls are both stunning. When we reached Lake Serene we could hear and see avalanches in the upper reaches of the mountains across the lake. The lake is still mostly covered in ice, but some dude plunged in while we were there. Fortunately he didn't stay in long enough to get hypothermia.
The first mile to the Bridal Veils Falls turn off is easy, and there's a pleasant but too short downhill piece that takes you past more pretty falls, but after that it is increasingly steep until you reach the treeline. I'd guess 95% of the trail to the lake is uphill, and it seemed like about 2/3 of the total hike consists of stairs - most wooden but some granite. A definite thigh burner.
Note: Due to all the narrow steps interspersed with narrow very rocky and tree-rooty pathways, this trail is really not good for creatures with short legs -like young kids and small dogs. One poor preschooler, the only one I saw all day, had a complete meltdown 1/2 of the way up - it was amazing he even got that far. On the path up to Bridal Veils Falls we passed many small dog owners who had no choice but to scoop up their adorable little pooches and carry them while simultaneously trying to navigate the rough footing.
Beautiful hike, but if I ever do it again, I'll start super early in the morning and do it on a weekday.
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