Leon Turnbull Photography

This photo shows the middle section of Horsetail Falls. It is an incredibly spectacular 500 ft. waterfall along Pyramid Creek, coming down from huge Lake Aloha in the Desolation Wilderness. The waterfall flows fairly well year-round, but it really is spectacular in the spring when the snow is melting. It is not even close to being at full force here, though there lots of water in the falls. It is pretty much impossible to photograph or view the entire waterfall in one setting. Little sections is the only way to photograph it. This little section is probably 100 ft. high or more.

Once again, I was on very dicey granite rock close to the edge, trying to photograph this section of the falls. Don’t worry. I was safe enough. I am always very careful around waterfalls. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t have wanted to get any closer to the edge.

I came up here after work last Friday, trying to escape the smoke and heat from the city. It is about an hour drive from Folsom. My idea was to arrive at the trailhead about 5:30pm. It is about an hour hike into the falls, photograph there for about an hour, hike back to the car by about 8:30pm (still light out), and be home by 9:30pm. All that worked out pretty much according to plan. There was still a lot of smoke and haze in their air, but the smoke didn’t bother me hiking. I met only a few people on the trail, coming back from the falls. There was no one around once I arrived at the waterfall. It was just really nice to spend time at Horsetail Falls all by myself. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the beauty of the Creation. This is usually a very popular location on weekends. But on a Friday evening, there was no one else up at the falls and I had it all to myself. Sweet.