Hike to Lake Serene and Bridal Veil Falls in Washington

This trail was harder than most of the ones I have done. It does start fairly on even terrain and then the stairs, tree roots, boulders start and continue for miles. You gain a considerable amount of altitude to the point your legs will feel it. The end of that trail at the falls and the lake are all well worth the sweat. Once you reach those two places on the trail you will sit there for a while and admire the beauty of the nature surrounding you. It is amazing and almost surreal. I highly recommend this location.

Beyond beautiful and definitely worth the hike up! Be prepared as this is roughly a 3,500ft elevation gain according to the trails map clocking us today. It took us roughly 2 hours and 45 min to get to Lake Serene with a few stops to take a breather and rest. This climb is tougher than some reviews lead on. Hiking shoes are a must. There are lots of rock boulders and wood stairs on this climb. The hike past Bridal Veil Falls to Lake Serene is truly the hard part of the journey, but it’s beyond worth it once you make it. Definitely pack water and snacks as you will get thirsty and need the energy to head back. It only took us 1 hour 45 min to get down so overall a total of roughly 4.5 hours round trip not including time spent at Lake Serene. I wouldn’t suggest starting this hike past 2pm as it will get darker in the forest quicker and you do not want to be making the hike down those rock boulders in the dark. Have fun, be safe and remember what you pack in, make sure to pack out!

This was one of the coolest hikes I've done in Washington! There is a very nice gravel parking lot and a well-defined and well-maintained trail the entire way up. The nature was beautiful with lots of ferns, trees, and moss! Pretty steep climb with lots of wooden stairs and rock steps. Round-trip to the lake and back was around 8 miles, with a detour to the nearby Bridal Veil Falls. On the day I hiked to the lake, it was very foggy and misty, so we weren't able to see the entire lake. It did make for some epic pictures, and we still loved our brisk and refreshing swim among the logs!

Beautiful views. Recommend hiking boots, trekking poles, rehydration salts (you'll sweat a lot), light pack, some carbs. If you do bridal falls as well it's about 8.8 miles total. Both are pure uphill and about 2.5k elevation gain total (serene lake).

The lake is absolutely beautiful and Lunch Rock is a great place to rest before heading back down. The hike is pretty challenging and rocky so make sure to watch your step and bring shoes with good ankle support.