The 178 foot high, 15 foot wide Horsetail Falls plunges down a cliff on the northwest side of Larch Mountain in the shape of a giant, white horsetail. Water flows over the falls throughout the entire year.

Horsetail Falls can be viewed from the Historic Columbia River Highway but a short, half-mile trail takes you to the top of the falls and, surprise, another waterfall: Ponytail Falls (also called Upper Horsetail Falls). Another surprise - the trail takes you behind the falls!

Ainsworth State Park has several picnic tables but no water or restrooms are available.

For photos of Horsetail Falls, see:

• Bing directory of Horsetail Falls photos

For more information about Horsetail Falls, you may phone the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in Hood River at 800-551-6949 (toll-free) or 503-695-2261.

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How to get there:

From I-84, if westbound, take exit 35 (Ainsworth), then take the old highway (now called the Historic Columbia River Highway) and head west (toward Portland) to the parking area. If eastbound, take exit 28 (Bridal Veil) and head east about 6 miles to the parking area.

An interesting side note: The Union Pacific train, Portland Rose, which began service between Chicago, Illinois, and Portland, Oregon, in 1930 was heralded as “A Triumph in Train Comfort.” As a special bonus to its passengers, an open top observation car was added on the rear of the train for the section of track in the Columbia River Gorge between The Dalles and Portland. This allowed easy viewing of Horseshoe Falls and the many other waterfalls along the Columbia River.

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