Lake Serene - Hike #18

Date: 06/28/08
Close By: Granite Falls
Beginning Elevation: 640 feet
Ending Elevation: 2250 feet
Distance: 7 miles roundtrip
Difficulty Level: 3.5 (23 Switchbacks)

Pics: Click here

Lake Serene was this weekend's trail. A wonderful drive up in US 202 leading to the trail head around 8.30am.
The trail head warns saying “This trail is only for serious hikers". You will be in the middle of the woods with raspberries as soon as the trail begins. At least it looked like it!!

The first 2 miles of the hike is easy until the signs for Bridal Veil Falls. A wrong decision to go the lake before the falls. At this sign the trail splits and one goes to the falls and the other one leads to the lake. Within 200ft of the signs there is a small beautiful, a part of the bridal veil. After the sign the trail actually drops down to reach the falls area. Spent around 20 minutes near the water taking some pictures.

Hike was grueling after the falls. There are 23 switchbacks before you could reach the lake. Most of the trail was well maintained with wooden steps. The lake was worth every single step hiked. Only the front portion of the lake had melted down, the rest was all packed with snow. A couple of weeks more will make the lake more beautiful.

We started munching the snacks and fruits that we had carried, took some pictures and started our hike down. Personally i felt the hike down was horrible than the hike up the mountain. Rocks on the first 2 miles down the hike made it worse.Overall it was a wonderful hike and a good physical endeavor. Drenched in the falls on the way back down, a wonderful feeling. After a tiring hike up and down the lake, We decided to skip the hike to Bridal Veil.