Lake Serene

The trail to Lake Serene is one of our favorite hikes, but can be very busy.  When I hiked there on the Fourth of July with my brother, we found it busy indeed, though we had an early enough start that we were on our way down when we met all the crowds.  We were at the trailhead at daybreak and back down to the car before noon, just as hordes of people descended on the place.

The beginning of the trail is through a mixed forest

with occasional glimpses of the valley below and the mountains across the way.

At a mile and a half in there is a side trail through a Red Alder forest to Bridal Veil Falls.

 Back on the main trail there is a wet cliff just before the trails heads up a series of switchbacks.

Near the end of the switchbacks both the valley below and Mount Index come into view.

The lake itself, however, is the goal of the hike, well worth the trek and aptly named.

After reaching the lake we had a snack and a rest at Lunch Rock among the cedars

before heading back down.

Lake Serene

On our way home from Spokane, Friday, August 20, my wife and I hiked the trail to Lake Serene.  We were looking for a very rare orchid there, but were also interested in the scenery which we had been told was spectacular, both up at the lake and on the way at Bridal Veil Falls.

The day was overcast and we hiked through a heavy mist.  We had a very early start, too, and for all these reasons found almost no one on trail until we started back.  By then the mist had cleared and the sun was shining and the trail was very busy.

Busy trails of this sort are not the kind we prefer, but this proved very worthwhile.  We did not find the orchid, but saw the falls through the mist and enjoyed the spectacular scenery at the lake which lies at the foot of Mount Index.  The pictures explain why we would recommend this hike.

We hiked a total of about seven or eight miles, which included a side trail to the falls and gained about 2000 feet in elevation.  Because we spend a lot of time taking pictures, we took about seven hours to do the hike, including time spent at the lake relaxing and enjoying the scenery.

There were hardly any flowers blooming, but the leaves were falling, both because it's late in the season and because it's been very dry.  We did see some slugs, one orchid, the Giant Rattlesnake Orchis, and lots of spider webs which had collected the mist and really stood out.

 Old Growth Forest

 Alders

 Cedars

 Pacific Banana Slug (Ariolimax columbianus)

Pacific Banana Slug (Ariolimax columbianus)

 

 Unidentified Club Moss

 Unidentified Conk (Shelf Fungus)

 Unidentified Fungi

 Sweating Conk (Red Banded Polypore)

 Bridal Veil Falls

Downstream from the Falls

 

 Upper Falls

 Cape Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)

 Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea)

 Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus)

Giant Rattlesnake Orchis (Goodyera oblongifolia)

Fallen Maple Leaf

Spider Webs

 Lake Serene

Lake Serene and Mount Index

And last, but not least, a few photos taken on the same trail of the view, of Bridal Veil Falls and of Lake Serene on another occasion - a beautiful sunny day.