Horsetail Falls is a 216-foot horsetail waterfall on Horsetail Creek in the Columbia River Gorge, Multnomah County, Oregon. It pours down the cliff right beside the Historic Columbia River Highway and is also the starting point of a short loop past Ponytail Falls and Oneonta Creek.
The falls
Horsetail Creek falls in a single narrow ribbon about 15 feet wide, keeping contact with the rock the whole way, into a pool at the base. The height is given as 216 feet; earlier surveys and a 2009 measurement listed 214 feet, and older publications gave 176 and 208. The creek is spring-fed and runs all year, carrying around 30 cubic feet per second in high water.
Getting there
The falls stand on the south side of the Historic Columbia River Highway, about 2.5 miles east of Multnomah Falls, at 56600 E Historic Columbia River Hwy. Eastbound drivers leave I-84 at exit 28 (Bridal Veil) and follow the highway 5.6 miles; westbound drivers take exit 35 (Ainsworth) and drive 1.6 miles west. A signed parking area sits across the road from the falls, and a ramp leads down to the pool. No parking pass is required for this trailhead, and there are no restrooms.
In July 2026 a hole opened in the highway between the Horsetail and Oneonta trailheads and closed that section for repairs. In January 2026 the regional recreation status sheet listed the Horsetail Falls Trail as closed, with a March 1 to October 31 season; check conditions with the Forest Service before hiking beyond the pool.
When to go
The falls are worth seeing at any time of year, since springs keep the creek running through summer.
On site
The pool, a picnic area and the viewpoint are all at road level. Horsetail Falls Trail #438 climbs from beside the falls to Ponytail Falls, where the path passes behind the water in an eroded cavern, then continues to Oneonta Creek as a 2.5-mile loop with 660 feet of gain rated easy. Dogs must be leashed. In August 2026 a 70-year-old hiker died after falling an estimated 400 feet about half a mile up the trail. Union Pacific freight trains are sometimes visible on the adjacent railroad.
History and name
The falls are named for their shape, and the creek was in turn named after the falls.
Nearby
Ponytail Falls is about 0.1 mile away, directly above on the same creek. The loop crosses Oneonta Creek on a metal bridge between Middle Oneonta Falls (0.4 mile) and Oneonta Falls (0.3 mile), and Triple Falls lies about 0.8 mile away up Oneonta Creek.
Distances are straight-line.