Horsetail Falls

Horsetail steps: white water cascading down the non-vertical Pyramid Creek headwall

In spring and early summer, large amounts of water flow from the Lake of the Woods via Avalanche Lake down a granite wall towards the South Fork American River. The wall is non-vertical and consist of various steps of granite bedrock, such that Horsetail Falls are a series of falls that individually take on the shape of a horsetail fall. The Pyramid Creek Loop Trail, a scenic path through riparian habitat and over impressive granite blocks and slopes, provides access to the bottom of Horsetail Falls. Peak flows typically happen between May and July.