More and more, I like heading out to Route 2 for access to good day-hiking trails. The drive is relatively painless from West Seattle on a weekend; I-90 east to I-405, into Route 522 northeast, and then Route 2 through Monroe's franchise row. Mercifully soon afterward, you're out in the small-town Northwest, flanked by river and mountain. Drove out that way again today, toward Stevens Pass, with the whole family in tow. After the towns of Startup, Sultan and Gold Bar, those leaning mountains come into view. Here's a shot I took with my trusty Canon Power Shot A95 (right) from the trail to Lake Serene, today. The trailhead is just up Mount Index Road off Route 2. The last part is straight up. I first went, all the way up to the lake, the weekend after September 11, 2001. A lot of folks out hiking there then. We didn't get all the way to the lake today, but there's nothing like a crisp autumn hike in Washington State.

More here from the Sattle Post-Intelligencer on the Lake Serene hike.

....The hike is strenuous enough to qualify as a workout, but it's a trail that most everyone can enjoy thanks to the Forest Service. If you get an early start or go midweek, you will probably encounter a few hikers but not crowds.

Besides, running into a few other hikers is a small price to pay for a gorgeous lake at the foot of 5,979-foot Mount Index. Index is that dramatic peak you see from U.S. 2 east of Gold Bar that is often a subject of postcards and calendars.

The new trail is a bit like that old board game "Chutes and Ladders," but without the chutes. It is hiker-friendly with staircases of wood and stone. The trail will delight older children and seasoned hikers as well.

We made it past the turn-off for Bridal Veil Falls, ate lunch and hung out here (above), before heading back. Best hiking advice I ever got: The summit is wherever you turn around. On the way back down, I noticed this (below), looking west.

TECHNORATI TAGS: WASHINGTON STATE, HIKING, LAKE SERENE

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Posted by Matt Rosenberg at September 24, 2005 11:32 PM