IBEXtrax.com - Cascade Mountains of Washington State West slope Stevens Pass

Falls and Lake Serene

Spring 1972

01 081 Looking up at Wallace Falls State Park (149k)

Wallace Falls honors Skykomish Indian Sarah "Kwayaylsh"; a homesteader near the town of Startup (called Wallace until 1901) where rail workers added engines to "Startup" the pass.

01 106 Winter day hiking near Lk Serene (218k)

On this Winter day hike to Lake Serene, we drove all the way to the shaft at the Honeymoon Mine. Since then the road has washed out and added a mile to the route. The old trail that climbed up the West side of Bridal Veil Creek was notoriously renowned for its muddy roots that passed for a trail. Now, the new route East of the Falls is a long monotonous series of wooden staircases. Skykomish Ranger District. 1972

01 107 Snowy Philadelphia Mtn above Lk Serene (291k)

Snowy Philadelphia Mtn above Lake Serene. This rare sunny day near Mount Index typifies the winter wonder in a range that averages only nine sunny days during the winter season.

01 108 Fisherman at Lake Serene (167k)

Picturesque Lake Serene is not know for its good fishing. This deep, snow-fed, fifty three acre lake is located northeast of Mt Index and less than three miles south of the community of Index. The lake is secluded in a deep mountain pocket and surrounded by talus slopes. In 1890, Mount Index was named by A D Gunn when he bought out a nearby squatter's rights. He thought the sharp spires looked like index fingers.

01 109 Fireweed and Bees (229k)

Fireweed or Wickup near Lake Serene. You can tell how far along the summer is by how high up on the stalk the flowers are blooming; the higher up the blooms, the later into the summer.

01 110 Resting rock on Lake Serene (SIZEk)

The old Lake Serene trail was never really "constructed", but was beaten out by boots of miner, fisherman and climbers. It could scarcely be recommended as an easy stroll for beginners. The old one mile route was a ladder of near vertical muddy roots that climbed straight up the west side of Bridal Veil Falls. The new four mile trail east of the falls is an incredibly engineered sectioned staircase of over 100 steep steps.

01 120 Snoqualmie Falls (192k)

Snoqualmie Falls, located between the towns of Snoqualmie and Fall City, is the natural barrier that separated the salmon-culture Indians from the venison hunters of the forest.

01 103 Now this is nature photography. Name unknown (146k)

01 108 Don B below the walls of Mt Index (182k)

01 120m Lake Serene Mt Index Map. (556k)

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