Lake Serene and Bridal Trail Falls

A two for one hike Alex and I did this past weekend 3/27/2021

We woke up at 4:30am and hit the road around 5 to drive a little over an hour to Goldbar, Wa. When we arrived at the trailhead around 6 there was only one other car in the parking lot. It was pretty cold, about 45 degrees out – so we were both happy we brought our puffy jackets. We started the hike just as the sun was starting to rise. One of my favorite parts of starting hikes early.

The first 1.75 miles was fairly easy. We decided to take a detour of 1/2 mile each way to stop at Bridal Falls. They were beautiful and didn’t require us to put on our micro spikes. We rested at the falls for a few minutes then made our 1/2 mile hike back down to the crossroad to continue our way up to Lake Serene.

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As we were on our way up to the lake, we ran into the couple whose car was also in the lot when we arrived. It was perfect timing as they recommended we put on our micro spikes for the rest of the hike up to the lake. We chatted with them for a bit then continued on our way to the lake. This was my first time hiking in the snow. The first few miles of the snow wasn’t too bad. A little slippery, even with micro spikes, but manageable.

The last mile is where the snow got a bit more sketchy and harder to walk on, mainly because I have never hiked in the snow. There were some mental blocks I had to get over to continue on. Just when were about to call it quits, I checked google maps and realized the lake was just around the bend. So, of course, we continued on and made it all the way to Lake Serene.

We chilled here for bit grabbing some food and taking in all the snow. Unfortunately while we were up there it was really cloudy and hard to see the mountains across the lake. There was so much snow that the lake was covered with white. We kept hearing avalanches coming down the mountains across from us. There was something eerie about hearing them but not being able to see them. I feel like it made us cut our time spent up there a bit short. After grabbing some food, we repacked our bag and headed back the way we came.

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On our way up we only passed two people, but on the way down, the trail started to get busy. Another reason why I like early morning hikes. Making it back over the snow was the hardest part for me. But once we through the snow, the descent was a breeze. When we made it back the the car the parking lot was completely full. The opposite of how we found it this morning.

Overall this hike was so beautiful! We hiked about 8.7 miles round trip in a little under 5 hours. This included the 1 mile detour to the falls. The first half of the trail was green and quiet with no one else on it. The second half was full of snow and the extra challenge of learning to hike in it was totally worth it. I’m glad Alex and I pushed each other out of our comfort zones and made it all the way up to the lake. It took a lot of mental pep talking on my end to push myself, but now I know what it’s like to hike in the PNW in March! Excited to get outside on the weekends and explore more of what the Pacific Northwest has to offer!