Horsetail Falls Hike with Kids: Alpine, Utah
The Horsetail Falls hike takes you to a majestic waterfall with beautiful views of the Alpine and Highland areas below. This steep hike through beautiful scenery of the Lone Peak Wilderness and Uintah National Forest to a waterfall that is well worth the work. This is great hike for families and kids experienced in hiking.
KID RATINGS
Fun: ⭐⭐⭐ (out of 5)
Difficulty: Very Easy Easy Moderate HARD Very Hard
KEY FEATURES
Hiking Distance: 4 miles round trip
Hiking Elevation Gain: 1600 ft
Terrain: Dirt, large and small rocks, small stream crossings, water on trail during certain times of the year. Trail is mostly shaded.
Time Needed: 2.5 to 4 hours
When to Go: Spring, Summer (morning or evening), Fall
COST
Free
AMENITIES
There are no bathrooms or water at the trail head. The nearest services are in downtown Alpine, about 10 minutes from the trail head.
THINGS TO BRING
- Sunscreen
- Water
- Snacks
- Hiking shoes
- Dogs allowed
DETAILS
Horsetail Falls hike ascends through mountain terrain and streams to a gorgeous waterfall and views of the valley bellow. This hike is not for small children not in packs or unexperienced older kids.
The elevation change to the waterfall is 1600 feet, which is why I rate this hike as “Hard” for kids. We hiked this with two 10-year-olds, a 9-year-old, and 6-year-old, as well as a 2 year old in a hiking carrier. The 6-year-old did a good amount of complaining, but kept going with some treat bribery, haha. The 9 and 10-year-olds did very well, and of course the 2-year-old loved life in the hiking carrier.
Trailhead
The trail follows the Dry Creek Canyon just east of Alpine, Utah. The trailhead is located at the end of Grove Drive in Alpine, Utah where there is large dirt parking lot that can fit at least 20 vehicles.
If the parking lot is crowded there is also street parking available. The trail begins on the north east corner of the parking lot with a map of the Dry Creek area.
The Trail
The trail is well shaded for the majority of the hike except for the first and last quarter mile. We did the hike in June in the late afternoon.
The terrain is very rocky with big and small rocks. There are a couple of small stream crossings which have logs and rocks placed so you don’t have to get wet if you don’t want to.
Dry Creek Canyon is for the majority of the time dry. However, due to the amount of spring rain when we did this hike, there was more than just a couple stream crossings.
There was actually water coming down on the trail for the last half mile on the way to the waterfall, making the trail a small stream. This is just what my kids needed to help them through the last bit of upward hiking. The kids loved walking through the water and getting wet.
One stream crossing was surprisingly stronger than it looked. So, as always, watch the kids and help them across these areas.
Horsetail Falls
If you would like to get a close up view of the falls, I suggest continuing upward to a sign on the ground with an arrow pointing north that says horsetail falls.
The waterfall comes up fairly quickly after turning off the main trail and is pretty awesome to see. The area near the waterfall is steep, so be cautious of your little ones getting there before you. You will likely be able to feel the mist of the falls as you get closer. Due to the heavy spring rain and runoff the waterfall was a lot bigger for us than I have seen in other pictures.
Overall, the hike was not too difficult for our family. However, we are a hiking family. I would not recommend this hike to a family new to hiking. Try a few shorter easier hikes first.
PROS & CONS
PROS
- Beautiful views
- Gorgeous waterfall
- Well shaded
- Water for kids to play in
CONS
- Steep incline for younger kids
DIRECTIONS
The trailhead is located at the end of Grove Drive in Alpine, Utah. To get to the Horsetail Falls trailhead put Deer Creek/Dry Creek/North Mountain Trail into your maps app. You can also use the search, Horsetail Falls Trail via Dry creek. This will lead you to a dirt parking lot at the end of Grove Drive in Alpine. You can also follow my map below.
MAPS
MORE INFO
OTHER NEARBY ADVENTURES
Easier hikes in the area to try before Horsetail Falls:
Rocky Mouth Waterfall (45 minutes)
Alien Tower (30 minutes)
Draper Suspension Bridge (40 minutes)
ABOUT
Hi, I’m Corrine! I’m an outdoor enthusiast and mother of four.
My goal is to inspire you to get outside and create your own amazing memories as a family. Life is precious and there are too many adventures to be had to spend life on the couch or in front of a screen.