- Horsetail falls Bridge on the Historic Columbia River Highway
- Ponytail falls
- Horsetail falls road sign
- Horsetail Falls Trail
Horsetail Falls | |
---|---|
Location | Columbia River Gorge |
Coordinates | 45°35′23″N122°04′07″W / 45.5896°N 122.0687°W |
Type | Horsetail |
Elevation | 224 ft (68 m) |
Total height | 176 ft (54 m) |
Number of drops | 1 |
Average width | 15 ft (4.6 m) |
Watercourse | Horsetail Creek |
Horsetail Falls (or Horse Tail Falls) is a waterfall located on Horsetail Creek along the Columbia River Gorge in Multnomah County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. [1] The falls drop over a cut over the columnar basalt cliff within the Oneonta Gorge. [2] It is one of the waterfalls along the Columbia River Highway's waterfall corridor. [3]
The waterfall is easily accessed, in contrast to its near neighbor Oneonta Falls, as it is right next to the Historic Columbia River Highway. The shape of the falls and the rounded rockface over which it flows cause it to resemble a horse's tail.
There are actually two waterfalls along the creek. The upper falls, called Upper Horsetail Falls or Ponytail Falls, can be accessed from a footpath. The path has steep cliffs and the U.S. Forest Service urges hikers to use caution when accessing the trails. [4]
In May 2016, 37 year old Stephanie Cohen died after trying to rescue her son who had fallen when the footing on the trailhead gave way. She fell dozens of feet and was fatally injured. Her son recovered with minor injuries. [5]
In May 2024, 22 year old Elisha Angelic Macias was killed when she became separated from her hiking party and accidentally went off trail near the Oneonta Trail. She fell 50-60 feet and was fatally injured. [6]
The Historic Columbia River Highway passes across Horsetail Falls on a bridge, the Horsetail Falls Bridge, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing structure. [7] It is a 60-foot (18 m) reinforced concrete slab span. The bridge was built in 1914 and is unique in its design in which it has been strengthened in 1998 from its original constitution by fibre-reinforced plastic. [8] [9]
The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to 4,000 feet (1,200 m) deep, the canyon stretches for over eighty miles (130 km) as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range, forming the boundary between the state of Washington to the north and Oregon to the south. Extending roughly from the confluence of the Columbia with the Deschutes River in the east down to the eastern reaches of the Portland metropolitan area, the water gap furnishes the only navigable route through the Cascades and the only water connection between the Columbia Plateau and the Pacific Ocean. It is thus that the routes of Interstate 84, U.S. Route 30, Washington State Route 14, and railroad tracks on both sides run through the gorge.
Multnomah Falls is a waterfall located on Multnomah Creek in the Columbia River Gorge, east of Troutdale, between Corbett and Dodson, Oregon, United States. The waterfall is accessible from the Historic Columbia River Highway and Interstate 84. Spanning two tiers on basalt cliffs, it is the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon at 620 ft (189 m) in height. The Multnomah Creek Bridge, built in 1914, crosses below the falls, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Historic Columbia River Highway is an approximately 75-mile-long (121 km) scenic highway in the U.S. state of Oregon between Troutdale and The Dalles, built through the Columbia River Gorge between 1913 and 1922. As the first planned scenic roadway in the United States, it has been recognized in numerous ways, including being listed on the National Register of Historic Places, being designated as a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, being designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers, and being considered a "destination unto itself" as an All-American Road by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. The historic roadway was bypassed by the present Columbia River Highway No. 2 from the 1930s to the 1950s, leaving behind the old two-lane road. The road is now mostly owned and maintained by the state through the Oregon Department of Transportation as the Historic Columbia River Highway No. 100 or the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department as the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail.
Wahkeena Falls is a 242-foot (74 m) waterfall in the Columbia River Gorge in the state of Oregon.
Oneonta Gorge is a scenic gorge located in the Columbia River Gorge area of the American state of Oregon. The U.S. Forest Service has designated it as a botanical area because of the unique aquatic and woodland plants that grow there. Exposed walls of 25-million-year-old basalt are home to a wide variety of ferns, mosses, hepatics, and lichens, many of which grow only in the Columbia River Gorge. Oneonta Gorge with its 50 species of wildflowers, flowering shrubs and trees has been described as "one of the true dramatic chasms in the state." The Oneonta Gorge Creek Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Bridal Veil Falls is a waterfall located on Bridal Veil Creek along the Columbia River Gorge in Multnomah County, Oregon, United States. The waterfall is accessible from the historic Columbia River Highway and Interstate 84. Spanning two tiers on basalt cliffs, it is the only waterfall which occurs below the historic Columbia Gorge Scenic Highway. The Bridal Veil Falls Bridge, built in 1914, crosses over the falls, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Latourell Falls is a waterfall along the Columbia River Gorge in the U.S. state of Oregon, within Guy W. Talbot State Park.
Eagle Creek is a creek located mainly in Hood River County, Oregon, in the Columbia River Gorge, with its last roughly 0.5 miles (0.80 km) and mouth in Multnomah County. A tributary of the Columbia River, the creek flows for approximately 15 miles (24 km) from the Thrush Pond between Eagle Butte and Tanner Butte to its mouth near Bonneville Dam. The East Fork Eagle Creek is a major tributary that begins at Wahtum Lake and joins the main stem approximately 2/3 the way between the Thrush Pond and the Columbia River, separated by Indian Mountain.
Shepperd's Dell is a small canyon in the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon, located at 45.54833°N 122.195°W which is less than one-third mile southeast of Rooster Rock State Park. The Shepperd's Dell Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Larch Mountain is an extinct volcano near Portland, Oregon. The name is misleading, as no western larch can be found there. It received that name when early lumbermen sold the noble fir wood as larch. The peak can be reached between May and November on paved Larch Mountain Road, 16 mi (26 km) east of Corbett, Oregon, although the road is closed during the winter and spring months. The road leading to Larch Mountain from the Historic Columbia River Highway is 14 miles long, which closed at milepost 10 from Nov. through late May or early June due to snow.
Wahclella Falls is a waterfall along Tanner Creek, a tributary of the Columbia River, Multnomah County, Oregon, United States. It enters the river within the Columbia River Gorge.
Ainsworth State Park is a state park in eastern Multnomah County, Oregon, near Cascade Locks. It is located in the Columbia River Gorge, adjacent to the Historic Columbia River Highway. The park, administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, offers a seasonal, full-service campground, access to Gorge hiking trails beyond park boundaries, and a day-use area.
Multnomah Creek is a 5-mile-long (8.0 km) stream in northern Oregon. Multnomah Creek's source is on Larch Mountain in the Mount Hood National Forest and its waters flow north to the Columbia River Gorge, over Multnomah Falls into Benson Lake and then the Columbia River. The waterfall is accessible from the Historic Columbia River Highway and Interstate 84. The two drop waterfall is the tallest in the state of Oregon at 620 ft (189 m) in height.
John B. Yeon State Scenic Corridor is a state park in the U.S. state of Oregon, administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. It is located about 35 miles east of Portland in the Columbia Gorge. It is named in honor of John B. Yeon, one of the principal financiers of the Historic Columbia River Highway U.S. Route 30 which was constructed between 1913 and 1922. Located in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, the park features hiking trails that access some of the nearby waterfalls, including Elowah Falls.
Coopey Falls is a waterfall on Coopey Creek in the Columbia River Gorge, on the Historic Columbia River Highway in Multnomah County, Oregon. The falls is a horsetail waterfall with a drop of 150 feet (46 m).
Salt Creek Falls is a cascade and plunge waterfall on Salt Creek, a tributary of the Middle Fork Willamette River, that plunges into a gaping canyon in the Willamette National Forest near Willamette Pass in Lane County, Oregon. The waterfall is notable for its main drop of 286 feet (87 m), ranking third highest among plunge waterfalls in Oregon, after Multnomah Falls and Watson Falls.) The pool at the bottom of Salt Creek Falls waterfall is 66 feet (20 m) deep.
The Mark O. Hatfield Memorial Trail is a proposed long-distance trail through the Columbia River Gorge in Multnomah County and Hood River County, Oregon. The trail will be approximately 60 miles, although the trail is still unofficial and its exact course is yet to be determined. The trail was first proposed by Tom Kloster on June 20, 2010, and suggests the Mark O. Hatfield Memorial Trail use existing trails from Multnomah Falls to Starvation Creek. Prior to this suggestion, the Talapus Trail, connecting the Pacific Crest Trail and Larch Mountain was slated for construction in 1974. Hikers openly used trails in the Bull Run Watershed into the 1980s, including the Talapus Trail.
Wiesendanger Falls, also known as Double Falls and Twanklaskie Falls, is a 50-foot waterfall on the Columbia River Gorge, Multnomah County, Oregon, United States. Its main drop is 50 feet and is located upstream of Multnomah Falls and accessed through the Multnomah-Wahkeena Loop Hike.
The Eagle Creek Fire was a destructive wildfire in the Columbia River Gorge, largely in the U.S. state of Oregon, with smaller spot-fires in Washington. The fire was started on September 2, 2017, by a 15-year-old boy igniting fireworks during a burn ban. The fire burned 50,000 acres, and burned for three months, before being declared completely contained. As late as May 29, 2018, it was still found smoldering in some areas.
Tanner Creek is a creek located in the Columbia River Gorge in Multnomah County, Oregon, United States, that is a tributary of the Columbia River.