Bridal Veil Falls

 

It's been awhile since I've gone hiking, but with June turning out to be a surprisingly gorgeous month, I decided to take advantage of my midweek weekend (sick day for doctors appointments and Juneteenth) and get out there.

Matt and I have been interested in hiking Bridal Veil Falls for awhile, and I thought I may take my sister when she visits in July, so this hike was a good opportunity to test the trail and check something off our list.

We got started late in the day because we both wanted to sleep in and relax before hiking. When we arrived, it was almost 3:30pm. There were cars parked along the road leading to the trailhead, but we found parking in the lot. Although the lot was pretty full, the trail wasn't too crowded.

The beginning of the trail is an easy, almost flat road through the trees, with a few bridges and small creeks. About a mile in, we crossed through a small river (Zoe's chest definitely got wet!) and then things began to get steep and rocky. The trail was never incredibly difficult, but walking with Zoe pulling me over uneven ground always makes me worried I'm going to faceplant.

By far the worst part of this trail were the steps. There is just something diabolically terrible about having to climb steps in the middle of the forest.

Anyway, it took about an hour to reach the waterfall at the end of the hike. It was worth the effort. I haven't seen such a big, powerful waterfall that close up in ages.

After resting for a bit, we headed back down. Matt suggested we take a side trail to check out the base of the falls, but it was getting late and I wanted to be home at a decent time for dinner, so we simply continued back to the car. We'll take that route and go see Lake Serene next time. Our total time was around two hours for a 4-mile hike.

Like the last hike we did, I found this one just challenging enough (this was easier, actually) with a really fantastic payoff, and that is truly my favorite kind of hike! Lots of trees, minimal climbing, and a gorgeous view at the end? Sign me up!

Ali

Matt's reel

Instagram post