How is it this nice out in mid-November still? Good hiking truly never stops in the Pacific Northwest I guess. Another weekend, another hike.
Espresso Chalet
Washington state is no stranger to little espresso java huts. The state takes its coffee seriously. The Espresso Chalet is yet another one to add to the list. It's probably the most scenic one you can find though. It's very close to Bridal Veil Falls and has a deck and outdoor seating area to view the mighty Mt. Index. We decided to take a short detour...just a mile and half further down the road (US-2) from the Bridal Veil Falls trailhead. That's where the Espresso Chalet exists near Index, WA.
Look familiar at all? Harry and the Henderson's was filmed here!
There was a decent sized line so we waited maybe 10-15 minutes to get our coffee, which was unfortunate because we already left Seattle late. I don't think we started hiking until WELL after noon. Maybe even 1PM. So we were fighting daylight, especially since daylight savings ended a week ago. I got my 16oz Mocha espresso and carried on. Energized for the hike ahead. If you're hiking in the area, and love coffee, or are fan of all things Bigfoot, you'd be foolish not to stop here first. Take a breather and sip your coffee in front of Mt. Index. We were pressed for time, so we didn't. Don't be like us!
Bridal Veil Falls
Yes, yes, onto the hike. The parking lot for the trailhead was about half full, getting there on a weekend afternoon. If we came in the spring or summer I think it likely would have been packed. Late fall hiking has its perks dontchaknow.
I read this sign from far away and got nervous. Lake Serene??? Did we go the wrong way? I had no idea that if you continue on past Bridal Veil Falls you can get to another beautiful sight, the source of the falls, Lake Serene. I would've LOVED to continue on and see the lake, as it was only another...maybe 1.5 to 2 miles to the lake, but we weren't prepared to be out that late, as it would've been dark and much colder out if we continued. Oh well, look for an update in 2024, if we come back we will for sure hit up the lake as well!
Small bladders rejoice... there are bathrooms at the trailhead.
The trail starts with a fairly open pathway as it takes you through a woodsy stroll. It's crazy how even ignoring the leaves on the ground, you can tell this was an autumn afternoon. The sun and its light just has that look. As you continue on you get more enclosed into the forest around you. Eventually there's a little bridge that crosses a stream. Ya'll know I love my bridges and stream crossings.
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There's not much water in there, but hey! Cool boardwalk bridge.
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A tree laying near the water
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There's another stream. More water flowing this time!
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The trail exists near the base of Mt Index. As such you can see it looming in the background along the hike.
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More streamsssss
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The greenest green. It really doesn't ever stop being so green does it? It's amazing
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Wooden steps helping you along with the elevation gain.
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A beautiful mountain lookout before the falls
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Some rocks to trip over as you climb higher to the falls! Did I trip? I'll never tell
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Hey where's the rest of the boardwalk??
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The final boss of stairs before reaching the falls. You can do it!
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We made it!! You can't even get all of the falls in one picture, as there are multiple drops. The falls in total are 1300 feet!! How majestic though!
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Starting to get that Bridal Veil wispyness to it
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Such an amazing spot! Here's the falls going into another drop, with mountains as a perfect backdrop. Be very careful you don't slip and fall down the next set of falls!
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A wild doggo appears! I think they loved it.
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Goodnight Mt. Index
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Overall, a really nice hike for mid November! There were a few out of breath moments, especially the last climb to the falls, but nothing extreme. A pretty moderate 4 mile hike with roughly 1000 feet of elevation gain!
Good Brewing
So we got our coffee at the espresso chalet and burned off our energy on our hike. Now it's time to chill. We went to Good Brewing. Yes, that's the name. They have several taprooms, I think originally in Woodinville, but we went to the one in Sultan, since that was closest and right on Route 2 as well. I got Hazy by Nature and Jester IPA and we split a big ol soft pretzel. Good Brewing was...as the name suggests...good. Although we weren't able to bring in our water bottle that we were sipping on post-hike because "they don't know what could be in there". Fair enough.
Good Brewing in Sultan.
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