There's an old P-I review of the Lake Serene hike that nicely sums up one element of the trail: "a bit like that old board game Chutes and Ladders, but without the chutes." It's a few days later, and our calves are still complaining about the series of steep wooden stairs. But to hell with them, it was worth it!

Lake Serene sits at a little over 2,500 feet, at the base of the towering Mount Index. To get there from Seattle you have a few options; we drove 520 to 405 to 522, then picked up Highway 2. You pass through Monroe, not forgetting to stop at the Dairy Queen for a peanut buster parfait on the way home. At mile marker 35 on Highway 2, you see the sign for Mount Index Road, to your right, and that leads you to the parking lot. We got there in under an hour and half, stopping for lunch on the way.

The hike up to the Bridal Veil Falls fork is easy as pie, about a mile and half. The trail is wide and clear and gently sloping--and fairly busy. But the half-mile to Bridal Veil Falls is steep, up an assortment of wooden stairs. We decided to visit on the way out to the lake, which was a good idea, because we were still full of energy and had no idea of the amount of stairs we'd be climbing later.

Continuing on from the fork on the Lake Serene trail, you hike two more miles, gaining about 2,000 feet in elevation, past an assortment of waterfalls and sweeping vistas of the Skykomish Valley. When we got tired, we just stopped to take pictures of another gorgeous view. There are, we're told, 28 switchbacks on that 2-mile stretch, and the trail is rocky--you have to watch your footing. When you surface near the top, you walk for a few hundred yards not believing there's a lake. And then there it is.

We pulled into the parking lot at 12:30 and were at the top (including a Bridal Veil Falls detour) by 3:00 p.m. It's about eight miles, more or less. Our full Flickr set is here.

Lake Serene in the afternoon sun. There are gravel paths that lead to various vantage points around the lake, including Lunch Rock--an enormous glacier-rounded boulder that overlooks the lake. (MvB)

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