Running on Eddie: Horsetail Falls Trail Hike

Monday, June 12, 2017

Horsetail Falls Trail Hike - Alpine Utah

Introduction

The other day I was looking for a new hike. I was tossing around ideas of various places to go. Immediately I started to think about my usual haunts. But I started to poke around and found the Horsetail Falls Trail, located about 30 minutes from my house in sleepy Alpine, UT.

There is plenty written about this hike and the trail head is actually listed as Deer Creek or Dry Creek Trail. You can find it easily enough via google maps. There is a fair amount of parking, but get there early. It would appear the parking lot fills up quickly so please plan accordingly.

The trail head is easy to find and I used my Garmin to measure the distance to the falls. It was about 2.11 miles. I was pushing the pace and made it to the falls in under 50 minutes. In the course of the 2 miles, you will climb just over 1600 feet.

The trail is wide and you'll likely come across horse riders. Most of the trail is runnable, but there are sections where it gets rocky and footing gets difficult.

The trail is also easy to follow. There are some offshoots, but it will be obvious what direction the main trail goes. The few not-obvious turns offs only split the trail a bit before returning back to the main trail.

At about the mile 2 marker you will see a sign directing you to some north creek trails. The falls, however, will be on your left. Studying aerial maps, it would appear those trails take you further back into the canyon.

The falls, when I visited in June, were roaring and loud. One false step and I would've been washed away. The trail continues above the falls for a tiny bit, but I found it soon petered out and there really wasn't much to see. I suppose I could've done some bushwhacking but the going got tough.

Also wear old shoes on the trail, particularly in the spring / early summer. Portions of the trail were flooded or muddy.

I found the hike very enjoyable. It is ideal for kids too and had no major dropoffs (except at the falls). Also there were some stunning views of Utah Lake at the top.