Memorial Day on the trail turned out to be a gorgeous, sunny day, and this trail was predictably jam packed. We arrived at the trailhead at 7:15am and the main parking lot was already 80% full, so we knew we were in for a conga line.
It was still well worth it though. We took the well-marked Bridal Veil Falls turn-off at mile 1.7 and added a bit less than a mile (~0.8 miles) to the overall trip to get to the falls and back to the main trail. This side jaunt is definitely worth it, as the falls are beautiful.
The trail up to Lake Serene was also fairly busy, and while this hike isn't overly strenuous, it's a bit more challenging that the +2,000ft over 4-5 miles up to the lake would suggest. That's partly because 1,500ft of the gain happens in the last 1.75 miles to the lake. There's nothing technical at all about this hike this time of year, but trekking poles don't hurt so your legs & knees aren't doing all of the work.
We got to the lake just before 10am, and we scampered around and found a secluded spot to sit and have some snacks. That was no small feat, as the place was crowded. We stayed up there for about 45 minutes, and then started heading back down.
The trip down (~2hrs) took longer than we thought for two reasons. First, the narrow steps and tighter sections took a while to get through because of the dense traffic, and because of the fact that the uphill hikers have right of way. The other reason is that our 14lb dog Winston's legs got tired, so he needed to stop a lot to rest. I ended up carrying him the last 1.5 miles because he was all done with his day a bit early. He was a champ though - 8+ miles for those little legs is incredible. We got back to the car just before 1am, and noticed a couple rangers giving out tickets for cars without a Northwest Forest Pass (careful!).
Overall: This was my 2nd time doing this hike, and I really love it. It has it all - a gorgeous waterfall, wide, sweeping views, towering mountains, and a pristine and turquoise alpine lake. Very few hikes offer all of those things in less than 10 miles. The only thing, though, is that next time I'll either start at 6am, or I'd skip it on a weekend or especially a holiday. It's just too popular and crowded on those days.
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