Details
Region: Western Columbia Gorge
Location: Historic Columbia River Hwy 1.5 miles west of I-84 exit 35, Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area, Multnomah County OR
DEN Rating: 8/10
Trail Length: 3.6 miles
Trail Type: loop, two shorter out-and-back possibilities
Hike Time: 1.5-2 hours
Trail Difficulty: moderate 5/10
Elevation Gain: 1,446 feet
Trail Surface: dirt and rocks, paved road
Popularity: 6/10 overall, Horsetail Falls 9/10
Family friendly: yes
Pet friendly: yes
Handicapped Accessible: yes at Horsetail Falls, no on trail hike.
Swimming: yes
Camping: no
Restroom: none
Open Hours: day use only (dawn to dusk)
Season: year-round
Pass or Permit: none required
Managed by: US Forest Service
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The loop trail created by connecting Horsetail Falls with Oneonta Creek via Gorge Trail #400 is one of the best waterfall hikes in the state, with views of six waterfalls in 3.6 miles set within the epic Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. I’ve got up and down both Horsetail Creek and Oneonta Creek separately many times, but had never done this full loop hike until summer 2024. Now that the devastating Eagle Creek Fire of 2017 has severely altered this region of the gorge, a silver lining has emerged in that waterfall views have opened up on Oneonta Creek which can only be seen by hiking this full loop.
Trailheads exist at both Horsetail Falls and Oneonta Creek (Triple Falls Trailhead), with the completion of the loop made by walking on the road for 1/2 mile between the two trailheads. I describe the loop as starting at Horsetail (more parking) and hiking clockwise around the loop, but obviously there are other ways to do this hike, including as two separate out-and-back-hikes.
Autumn scenes like this one at Ponytail Falls will only get better in the Columbia River Gorge as Bigleaf and vine maple trees regrow quickly and fill in the forest floor in the aftermath of the 2017 Eagle Cree Fire. Scenes like this are indicative of low-intensity burns, where the trunks of the trees become charred but the trees survive, and the forest floor regenerates nicely the following year. This is six years of recovery.
Golden Ponytail
Autumn scenes like this one at Ponytail Falls in the Columbia River Gorge will only get better in coming years as bigleaf and vine maple trees regrow quickly to fill the vacant space left behind by the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire. Ponytail Falls is beautiful all times of year, but the surrounding forest puts on … Read more
Horsetail Falls is a spectalur 176-foot (216-foot according to NW Waterfall Survey) roadside falls found along the Columbia River Gorge Historic Highway. The falls is named after it’s form – a waterfall that is in contact with it’s cliff face for the majority of it’s descent. It quite literally looks like a white horse’s tail. During the wet season Horsetail Falls becomes quite powerful and produces big jets or spray and clouds of mist which blow across the Historic Highway. The falls calm down a bit beginning in July and the pool at the base becomes swimmable. The maples and redtwig dogwoods surrounding the falls base make for a pretty scene in autumn as the rains return and the mosses green up. During freezing weather the scene becomes the easiest to see icy winter wonderland in the entire Columbia Gorge. The creek is large enough that the falls keep flowing year-round even in times of drought or long spells of below-freezing temperatures.
A very nice handicapped accessible viewing area has been constructed adjacent to the falls base, with gorgeous curving stonework and steps that take visitors down to the pool. The trees right around the viewing area escaped damage from the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire so the viewing area has nice shade…wish I could say the same for the slope to the east of the falls. A picnic table and a few benches give visitors some spots to relax and enjoy the beauty. Steps lead down to the rocky shore for wading and swimming access. Generally Horsetail is one of the busiest waterfalls in the gorge since it is right next to the road and so easy to access, with parking right across the road which can fill up in summer and on weekends.
185-foot Horsetail Falls slides down a mossy cliff in the Columbia River Gorge in mid-June 2022. We were still getting a decent amount of rain so the falls are still quite full and the moss still verdant.
Horsetail Falls In Spring
185-foot Horsetail Falls slides down a mossy cliff in the Columbia River Gorge in mid-June 2022. A wet spring that year kept the creek full and the moss lush. I normally do long exposures of waterfalls to get that smooth, flowing appearance in my photographs, but Horsetail Falls is one that looks incredible at quick … Read more
Head up the trail through the switchbacks and significant burn scar, then back into the forest along Horsetail Creek to reach your next waterfall, bearing hard right at the trail junction (up the switchback). Ponytail Falls is one of the first waterfalls I ever visited in the dramatic Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, and is my humble opinion is one of the best. Located a short distance upstream from larger Horsetail Falls, this beauty slides down a mossy cliff before leaping powerfully away from the cliff and plunging into a small pool. The cliff is undercut with the trail passing behind the falls, creating loads of different viewing angles. This is the only true walk-behind waterfall in the Columbia River Gorge accessible today. The scene is especially beautiful in May & June when the understory growth is fresh, the falls are full, and the moss is thick and green. The is also tons of fall color in the forest understory, and in freezing weather icicles form from drip spots in the little undercut cave. Ponytail is less busy than Horsetail and is a great spot to visit in the evening since there is a great sunset view from the trail en route. I often visit just Horsetail and Ponytail as an out-and-back hike of about 0.8 miles total with about 250 feet elevation gain.
Ponytail Falls is only waterfall with an actual walk-behind trail in the Columbia River Gorge area. Upper Oneonta Falls has a larger cave behind it but it is much harder to reach, and Upper Latourell has an overhang but is not really a walk behind.
A Look Behind The Scene
Ponytail Falls has always been a photographer’s favorite in the Columbia River Gorge. I remember seeing pictures of it in calendars when I was young. The reason is clear – not only is it gracefully beautiful, but it is the only true walk-behind waterfall that can be easily accessed in the area, with a nearly … Read more
Continue up the trail past Ponytail and along the cliffs for about 1/2 mile before the trail turns and heads back up Oneonta Creek above epic Oneonta Gorge. Sadly Oneonta Creek sustained the worst damage I have seen yet from the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire, although vegetation is returning and the fall color is now fantastic here due to the quick regrowth of Bigleaf Maple trees and various shrubs in Oneonta Creek’s canyon. Soon you will come to a clear view of Oneonta Falls dropping down the headwall at the back of the Oneonta Gorge. This is currently the only way to view Oneonta Falls now that famous creekbed of Oneonta Gorge is closed and fenced off due to the Eagle Creek Fire – it is sadly filling with downed logs and has become quite obstructed and treacherous.
Beyond Oneonta Falls the trail heads down some short but steep switchbacks with a view looking down the length of Oneonta Gorge before reaching a bridge next to Middle Oneonta Falls. A look up the creek canyon from here reveals Upper Oneonta Falls in the distance as well plus many smaller waterfalls and pools. I came to call this area Ten Pools due to their being a series of ten pools here, many of which are swimmable. A spur trail next to the bridge crosses a treacherous ledge next to Middle Oneonta Falls to reach these pools. Scrambling up the creekbed leads to the base of Upper Oneonta Falls in about 1/4 mile, which is a very powerful 30-foot jet-like plunge with a big cave behind it, but I have not done that creek scramble since the fire so I do not know if logs, landslides, or other obstacles now exist. It used to be my favorite spot in the Columbia River Gorge…so sad!
Center: Upper Oneonta Falls has a big cave behind it, but logs and landslides may have created further difficulties reaching the base of this waterfall. Reaching it involves about 1/3 mile of beautiful creek scrambling and wading three times.
Right: Middle Oneonta Falls after the fire.
You will find the Oneonta Trail junction about three minutes beyond the bridge. Head left up the creek, through some switchbacks which traverse rock slides, to reach Triple Falls with it’s distinctive set of three side-by-side waterfalls in 0.8 miles from the junction. The viewpoint has little ledges to sit on but it slopes downward and there is no guard rail so be careful here. If you want you can continue further up Oneonta Creek for about another mile, passing some pretty tributary streams with nice cascades. Eventually the trail ends due to fire damage.
Right: Triple Falls in spring 2016, before the fire.
After Triple Falls head all the way down Oneonta Trail to the Historic Highway. You’ll pass the trail to the bridge, then a spur trail on the right that leads to to clifftop views looking out over the gorge. The trail heads uphill a little, then begins a long descent. Take a hard right at the Gorge Trail #400 junction to continue down to the road. Once on the road go right, passing the now fenced-off entrance to Oneonta Gorge then passing through Oneonta Tunnel. The road get thin beyond the tunnel as you approach Horsetail Falls and the completion of the loop.
The falls in this area are both stunning and varied, with a greater density of waterfalls than the famous Trail of Ten Falls in Silver Falls State Park. The fire damaged areas also give hikers a chance to see the impacts of variations in fire intensity on the landscape as well as to witness the recovery of the Columbia Gorge. If you’re looking for a shorter hike I recommend just Horsetail and Ponytail Falls as all of the waterfalls on Oneonta Creek are further away from the road with more elevation gain to reach them. Even if you just park and visit Horsetail Falls you’ll still be in for a slice of Northwest gold.
Horsetail Falls is the easiest waterfall in the Columbia Gorge to visit during winter conditions.
A Whisper In The Frozen Evening – Limited Edition
Horsetail Falls is the easiest waterfall to visit when winter conditions descend into the Columbia River Gorge. I went during a freezing period about a month prior to this, and the winter scene was descent but I was hoping for more. I returned during a more pronounced episode of freezing weather and found what I … Read more
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Cautions
At Horsetail Falls viewpoint the biggest concern is traffic on the Historic Highway – be careful when crossing the road from the parking area. Also it can get icy here. There are a few trailside dropoff spots along the loop, most notably at Triple Falls and at the gorge viewpoint on the way back down the Oneonta Trail (this one is a 200-foot drop). Please stay on the established trail, especially in the Oneonta Creek area as the fire has destabilized the slopes in many places and the plants are trying to grow back.
Swimming Hole Info
Horsetail: This a great waterfall swimming hole! I wish it were a bit warmer (it’s pretty chilly) and also that the visibility were better since the rocks are irregular and a bit jagged. Just be careful of getting too close to the falls itself – the falls pound into the pool with a great deal of force and create strong undertow. There are no rock or cliff-jumping spots here.
- summer water temp: cold 58F-65F
- water clarity: 3-6ft
- color: blue-green
- depth: 6-10ft
- current: 0 (none) – 4 (moderately strong) depending on stream flow and how close you get to the waterfall.
- shoreline & stream bottom surface: pebbles & chunky rocks
Oneonta Creek: Reaching the swimming holes involves a somewhat sketchy traverse of a ledge above Middle Oneonta Falls, but once you reach the pools you’re in creek swimming heaven, with a variety of sizes and depths of pools. Do not swim in the pool at the base of Upper Oneonta Falls – it is very shallow and the falls is extremely strong.
- summer water temp: cold 55F-62F
- water clarity: 10-20ft
- color: light aquamarine blue
- depth: deepest pools are 10-15 feet
- current: 0 (none) – 1 (very gentle)
- shoreline & stream bottom surface: solid rock, round river rocks
Autumn is a great time to visit Horsetail Falls, when the moss greens up again and the fall leaves change.
Horsetail Falls In Autumn
The Columbia Gorge is one of the most magical places in the Pacific Northwest in autumn, when, for a few weeks, the entire forest is dotted with the giant golden-orange leaves of the many bigleaf maple trees that reside here. In coming years the scene will get even better as the area recovers from the … Read more
Getting There
Horsetail Falls is located right on the Historic Columbia River Highway near Ainsworth State Park, a few miles east of Multnomah Falls. Take Exit 35 off I-84 (signed for Ainsworth State Park) and head west on the Historic Columbia River Highway for 1 mile. Park in the lot on the right, then cross the road to the viewpoint. Triple Falls Trailhead is another 1/2 mile farther down the road, with parking spots across the road from the trailhead. Parking is also available next to Oneonta Tunnel halfway between the two trailheads.
Photographer’s Tip
The majority of falls face northwest and are in even shadow in the morning year-round. Sunlight can hit the falls face at Horsetail in the summer starting around noon and remain until sundown, but there are no trees blocking it so the light should stay even. During high stream flows the primary side view is likely the only spot you can shoot from as the spray overwhelms the other views. Horsetail is the easiest waterfall to get to for icicle-laden winter waterfall photos. There’s a great view of Ponytail from downstream, plus behind views and side views from both sides. Logs have landed directly in Middle Oneonta Falls so its not as photogenic as it once was. Upper Oneonta faces east so it becomes extremely backlit in the afternoon. The right of the three stripes of Triple Falls becomes very low and almost disappears in late summer – this one looks best at high flows.
Links
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/crgnsa/recarea/?recid=29934
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/crgnsa/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=29934&actid=50
https://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/waterfall/Horsetail-Falls-4044
https://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/waterfall/Ponytail-Falls-4041
https://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/waterfall/Middle-Oneonta-Falls-4046
https://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/waterfall/Upper-Oneonta-Falls-9503
https://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/waterfall/Triple-Falls-4043
https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/horsetail_falls_loop_hike
https://gorgefriends.org/hike-the-gorge/horsetail-falls-loop.html
https://gorgefriends.org/hike-the-gorge/horsetail-ponytail-triple-falls.html
https://gorgefriends.org/hike-the-gorge/triple-falls.html
https://www.alltrails.com/ar/trail/us/oregon/horsetail-falls-and-ponytail-falls
