Horsetail Falls Loop

This low-elevation loop packs three waterfalls, a walk behind a curtain of falling water, and clifftop views over the Columbia into 2.6 miles. The trail starts at Horsetail Falls itself, which plunges over a basalt wall right beside the Historic Columbia River Highway. A stone-walled viewing area sits at the base.

From the highway, switchbacks climb past attractively built rock walls onto Horsetail Falls Trail #438. A junction at the top sends the Gorge Trail #400 east. The main route turns west and, within four-tenths of a mile, slips into the small ravine holding Ponytail Falls. The trail passes behind the falls in a cavernous basalt overhang where a soft interflow layer has eroded out, leaving a dry shelf of rock. Past the overhang, the route stays level along the bluff, with a side trail dropping to the Oneonta Bluff viewpoints over the Oneonta Bottomlands toward Beacon Rock and Hamilton Mountain. A plaque marks where a teenager fell from this cliff edge — step back from the rim.

Beyond the bluff, the trail enters the Oneonta drainage, burned severely in the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire. From openings in the ridge, all three lower Oneonta falls come into view in winter. A metal bridge crosses Oneonta Creek just below Middle Oneonta Falls; just beyond, Oneonta Falls drops into the closed slot gorge. The loop returns via Oneonta Trail #424 and a short connector to #400, with spring wildflowers blooming across the burn zone. Poison oak grows along several segments. The Triple Falls Hike is an easy extension from the Oneonta Trail junction.