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Horsetail Falls
4.8 ★★★★★ 186 Google reviews · Running trail in Alpine, Utah · Open 24 hours
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Natural surface
- Distance
- 2 mi
- Shape
- Not reported
- Shade
- Tree cover
- Access
- Open 24 hours
Confirmed from Horsetail Falls' own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
Challenging hike to a waterfall on a creek (Horsetail Falls) or river amid rockier terrain.
What runners say about Horsetail Falls
“The falls are beautiful, water is super cold and refreshing, and the view of the valley is spectacular.”
“Much of it is shaded, which helps in the summer.”
“You can expect to put around 3 hours up and back, the trail is clearly marked, but I would still use some sort of GPS app or trail app to Make sure you stay on the main trail.”
EDIT: We attempted this hike twice. On our second attempt we learned that the falls is about twice as far as we thought. For younger kids hoping to get a look at a waterfall this probably isn’t the hike for you, but the scenery along the way is great and I would still recommend it.
One of my absolute favorite waterfall hikes in Utah county. Right now (7 May 2019) the water is roaring and it's a sight to behold. I ran this trail, but there's definitely some uphill that may challenge some younger hikers, but given extra time, doable. At about 1.
Horse tails fall is a fantastic hike. The pay off to see the waterfall is well worth it. This hike is consistently steep and rocky all the way up to the waterfall. Also, the turn off from the trail to get to the bottom of the waterfall is not marked.
Hike took 1hr 10min but I jogged when I could. It has 1,600ft of elevation gain in about 2.1 miles. It is an absolutely stunning view. This is a tough hike and it would take much longer with younger children.
Trail conditions & character
“For younger kids hoping to get a look at a waterfall this probably isn’t the hike for you, but the scenery along the way is great and I would still recommend it.”
“Excellent 2 mile hike to the waterfall, pretty steep with rocks and sand , well worth it as the waterfall is pretty at the end”
“This one truely was magical and a big heads up this one is quite rocky for sure so mind your step up the trail.”
“Much of it is shaded, which helps in the summer.”
“When you see a marker telling you to go left or right you’ll see a trail that veers off to the left a few feet beyond that point on the main trail to the left of the marker.”
Plan your run at Horsetail Falls
The practical stuff
- AccessOpen 24 hours — no gate to beat, so a 5am or a 10pm run both work
- SurfaceNatural surface — easiest on the joints and the most fun, but expect roots, rocks and mud after rain
- Distance2 mi as reported — check whether that is one way or a round trip before you commit
- ShadeRunners describe real tree cover here — it makes a summer afternoon workable
Hours
| Monday | Open 24 hours |
| Tuesday | Open 24 hours |
| Wednesday | Open 24 hours |
| Thursday | Open 24 hours |
| Friday | Open 24 hours |
| Saturday | Open 24 hours |
| Sunday | Open 24 hours |
Running trails near Alpine
Other trails within easy driving distance — useful when this one is flooded, gated, or just not the run you had in mind today.
Deer Creek/Dry Creek/North Mountain Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 208 reviews
Short hiking trail leading to Horsetail Falls, passing through a forest and alongside a river.
Lone Peak
4.7 ★★★★★ 41 reviews
Strenuous peak hike to a summit with 360-degree views of the valley.
