Yosemite Firefall: Horsetail Fall Lights Up on El Capitan

In late February, the Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park is lit by the sunlight near dusk and displays a rich color like fire.

Lava hasn’t flowed in Yosemite National Park for millions of years, but for the next few weeks, visitors can get a glimpse of a natural phenomenon that echoes the area’s fiery past. 

“There's a little waterfall on the east end of El Capitan called Horsetail Fall that catches the light for just a few fleeting moments,” said filmmaker Steven Bumgardner. “It creates the illusion of a waterfall of fire, not unlike lava.” 

This marvel of "celestial configuration" happens in a flash at sunset in mid-February — if the winter weather cooperates. On those days the setting sun illuminates one of the park's lesser-known waterfalls so precisely that it resembles molten lava as it flows over the sheer granite face of the imposing El Capitan.

Every year growing numbers of photographers converge on the park, their necks craned toward the ephemeral Horsetail Fall, hoping the sky will be clear so they can duplicate the spectacle first recorded in color in 1973 by the late renowned outdoors photographer Galen Rowell.

"Horsetail is so uniquely situated that I don't know of any other waterfall on earth that gets that kind of light," said Michael Frye, who wrote the book "The Photographer's Guide to Yosemite."

"How many are perched on a high open cliff? Most are in an alcove or canyon and won't get the sun setting behind it. Yosemite's special geography makes this fall distinctive," he said.

The fire lights up around dusk and lasts for about two minutes. The best views are east of El Capitan along the main roads into and out of Yosemite Valley. Most photographers gather at the El Capitan picnic area, a small pullout marked only by a sign with a table etched on it. But park officials say the inexperienced can look for the hordes of tripods and cameras to find a vantage point.

Recent storms and snowfall mean the finicky fall is flowing again, and park officials are hopeful it will last through February 24, which is generally the last day of the year it can be seen. Once an obscure event, park officials say that Internet discussions have made it more popular in recent years.

Videos

Yosemite Nature Notes - Episode 14 - Horsetail Fall

see larger video

sourced by Emily Sutherlin