Lake Serene, Bridal Veil Falls — Saturday, May. 11, 2019

The lot was overflowing with vehicles at around 10am when we reached. Be there early, specially on a weekend. The route diverges into 2 paths half the way through the hike, one going to Bridal Veil Falls, a 0.5 mile one-way detour with stairs that lead up to the falls. The other path goes to Lake Serene, the last 2 miles with 23 switchbacks with quite some elevation gain. You'll encounter small streams and mini waterfalls on the way from which people were even drinking water. A lot of dogs on the trail for sure. The water at the lake is chilly to say the least and you can very well see the bed of the lake. Wouldn't recommend swimming for more than a few minutes. There are places around the shore where to you can dip your feet in the ice cold water. Some college students brought floats and were in the water for a long time. Worth the 8 miles if you count in the falls and the scenic Mt Index that adds to the serenity of Lake Serene.