Description

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 was hoping to find – snow-dusted ledges, layers of hanging icicles, and ice encroaching into the pool. I rushed out to the falls after work and found the light quickly fading into the long winter darkness. The post-sunset fade turned the entire scene periwinkle which amplified the cold feeling this picture captures so well. This was the final shot I took that day – within moments it became too dark to get a clear picture and everything was enveloped in a cold, ever-darkening blanket of blue.

My favorite part of being at Horsetail Falls that day was the stillness, as if everything was frozen in time. There was no wind at all which is quite rare in the gorge particularly in winter, and the much-reduced flow of the falls was smooth and quiet, creating a soothing and steady “sh-sh-sh-sh” instead of the normal thunder of this big waterfall…a whisper in the frozen evening.

I offer select photographs, those right-place-right-time images that really shine, as Limited Edition prints. Only 25 prints of this image will be produced (regardless of chosen media or print size), after which the image will become unavailable.

How to visit Horsetail Falls:

https://denphototravel.com/2024/horsetail-ponytail-and-oneonta-waterfalls-loop/