Horsetail Falls

Driving east along Hwy 410 from Chinook Pass, turn north on the Little Naches River road 22 miles from the Pass. Drive north along this road for .75 mile to a large pullout on the right where you can see the falls through some trees. A paved path leads back to a bench and a sign identifying the falls. Best views are from immediately in front of the falls (take any of several paths from the bench).A small seasonal creek streams 57 feet over a ledge of basalt into a small puddle, then inexplicably stops! Where does the stream go? When the creek has enough water, you can see it following the undercut cliff to the right of the falls (and in the spring months even flooding the whole basin), but when there isn't a lot of water, it most likely goes underneath the cliff to the right of the falls, or maybe even just gets absorbed into the ground. The falls are rather scenic in the spring and late fall, but during the summer, the creek shrivels up and the falls are reduced to nothing more than a trickle, and thus deserve a lower rating as the stream runs dry. However, since they are right on the road, stop and see them anyway. Probably a good place for kids to splash around in the puddle at the base of the falls. If you look carefully, you may see cougar tracks in the mud around the falls.