Horsetail Falls

Horsetail Falls can be found along Pyramid Creek at the south end of the Desolation Wilderness near South Lake Tahoe. The Pyramid Creek Trailhead is found in the small cabin community of Twin Bridges along Highway 50, about halfway between Placerville, CA and South Lake Tahoe, NV (about 3.8 miles west of the Sierra at Tahoe Ski Area). The upper half of the falls can be seen from Highway 50 about 1/3 of a mile east of the trailhead. The Pyramid Creek Trail leads to the falls in 1 1/4 miles. Hiking to the base of the falls requires a free permit acquired at the wilderness boundary.Horsetail Falls is a long series of plunges, slides and cascades along Pyramid Creek where it flows out of Desolation Valley to the west of South Lake Tahoe. The falls consist of 6 distinct steps totaling 791 feet in vertical drop. The falls begin with a sliding lightning bolt-shaped cascade dropping 483 feet which pitches progressively steeper as it descends. This is followed immediately by a three almost vertical plunges totaling an additional 242 feet, followed by drops of 19 and 52 feet to finish the formation. Because the falls slide and cascade down a non-vertical headwall, foreshortening becomes a problem when viewing the falls up close and thus not all parts of the falls can be seen easily.
The falls are fed by approximately a dozen lakes in Desolation Valley which ensure Pyramid Creek flows constantly throughout the year, though the standard lessening of volume is present during the dry season. The falls are at their best between May and July, usually averaging between 75 and 100 cfs in that period, but often peaking as high as 250 cfs. Pyramid Creek set an incredible record high in volume during the 1994 floods with its stream flow at the falls reaching 2900 cfs, over 100 times greater than its regular spring peak flows.