Rush Creek Trail: Horsetail Falls and Agnew Lake

June Lake is a gorgeous, scenic area in the Sierra Nevadas with several beautiful lakes, a charming town and high granitic mountains all around. And of course, there are endless opportunities for enjoying the great outdoors. For some, you don’t even need to get out of your car to verify that this area is incredibly scenic. From the June Lake Loop, as you near Silver Lake, you may notice a huge rushing waterfall running over the granitic mountainside. When we first noticed Horsetail Falls, the powerful flow was impressive and we wanted to get a closer look! So we set off on a quick day hike in the June Lake area and followed Rush Creek Trail up to Agnew Lake. And we succeeded in getting that closer look at Horsetail Falls!

Quick Info: Rush Creek Trail

Distance: 4.2 miles roundtrip

Difficulty: Moderate; easy trail though lots of switchbacks and elevation gains.

Directions: From US-395, turn west at June Lake Junction onto the CA-158 S. Follow the CA-158 for 6.8 miles and there is a pullout on the left side of the road with access to Rush Creek Trail. Or continue another quarter mile to the larger trailhead parking area.

Our Experience Hiking Rush Creek Trail to Agnew Lake

Driving on the June Lake Loop to get to Rush Creek Trail was a treat in itself! This area is truly magical, with so much beauty in one place it’s almost unbelievable. In July, Horsetail Falls was really rushing and we couldn’t wait to get a closer view.

At first, Rush Creek Trail parallels the road while climbing up out of the basin. Already, there are great views of the sparkling blue lakes below and the forest contrasting with the towering granite mountains. The trail continues to climb and next up are a series of switchbacks climbing up the mountainside.

In addition to the gorgeous views below, we encountered some interesting conifers along the way. And then the trail reaches a point where we got a clear view of the impressive rushing Horsetail Falls streaming down the granite mountain. We continued on, getting closer and closer to Horsetail Falls.

Then we noticed another beautiful waterfall that we didn’t expect to see! Next, we encountered a much closer, smaller version of a waterfall flowing down Rush Creek Trail.

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Eventually, we reached the Cable Tramway Crossing. This tram system is part of the Rush Creek Hydroelectric System connecting Agnew Lake and its powerhouse lower down Rush Creek.

After the tramway crossing, the trail led us to a great vantage point of Horsetail Falls. And from here we could see the meandering route of Rush Creek as it made its way down the mountainside. Being up this high next to Horsetail Falls was really beautiful with a great view down below.

After we took in the view of the falls we continued on. We followed Rush Creek Trail up to Agnew Lake and encountered some more hydroelectric features. This one was particularly impressive and extremely powerful! We could feel the mist and the air being pushed around it.

Agnew Lake itself was a very pretty lake, even with the man made structures affixed to it. Rush Creek Trail goes much further into the Sierras where it eventually meets the PCT. And from what I understand, it gets more and more beautiful.

But for today we accomplished our short day hike and getting that closer look at Horsetail Falls. The sun was setting quickly so we had a snack and followed the trail back down.

Thanks for Reading!

Thank you for being here and thank you for your support! You can see more of our hiking articles here or click the links below:

• Hilton Lakes Trail
• Backpacking Beartooth High Lakes Trail
• Awesome Hikes in Badlands National Park

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