Horsetail Falls
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Hikes including this destination:
- Ponytail Falls Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Horsetail Falls Loop Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Rock of Ages Loop Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Weather forecast: NWS/NOAA
- Maps: Oregon Hikers Maps Google Maps
- Latitude, Longitude: 45.58980, -122.06870
- Elevation: 20 feet
- Height: 176 feet
- Creek: Horsetail Creek
- Extra info: Wintertime photos
Description
Horsetail Falls is one of the most scenic points right along the Historic Columbia River Highway, making it a popular spot for tourists and sightseers. Just 34 miles east of Portland, the falls drop 176' in a single horsetail formation into a roadside pool. It's common for spray from the falls to blow over the highway and onto passing cars. It's also very common to find a patch of ice on the road and trees in the winter months.
Construction of the Columbia River Highway began in the spring of 1913 - at the time considered a great engineering feat. Chief engineer, Samuel C. Lancaster, put a priority on providing easy access to areas like Horsetails Falls, but not at the cost of disgracing "what God had put there".
The highway made Horsetail Falls a significant tourist attraction, being the subject of photographs and postcards dating back to the early 1920s. It remains a popular location to this day.
More Links
- Horsetail Falls (Northwest Waterfall Survey)
- Horsetail Falls (Waterfalls West)
- "Horsetail Falls, Oregon" (The Columbia River: A Photographic Journey)
Contributors
- Stevefromdodge (creator)
- Jeffstatt