Yosemite’s Amazing FireFall
Once a year, if the in the previous months weather has brought enough snow and rain to Yosemite and the weather conditions are just right, seasonal Horsetail Falls will become spectacular Firefall towards the end of February. This doesn’t happen every year, and in some years Horsetail falls don’t have sufficient water flow for a spectacular display. However, when waterflow is good and the weather cooperates, Firefall becomes a spectacular sight you won’t soon forget. Beyond the weather conditions being just right, your viewing location is also key to properly experiencing Firefall.
Firefall occurs when the setting sun lines up just right to illuminate only a sliver of El Capitan’s cliff coinciding with the location of Horsetail Falls. This happens twice a year (February and October), but as Horsetail falls are normally dry in October, so the only real opportunity to see the “Firefall” is approximately within the last two weeks of February. Canyon topography plays a critical role in this spectacular event. El Capitan’s sheer cliffs help mask sunlight at this time of year to produce this effect. A picture further below shows how this occurs.
The best views of Firefall are from the southeast. Too far east into Yosemite Valley and El Capitan’s cliff features (El Capitan’s “nose”) hide the falls from you. To far west and you will see the cliff face lit up but will not clearly see the mist of the falls. To protect Yosemite from the large crowds that come to see the event, the park has put restrictions on where you can go to observe the event in recent years. This is primarily to protect delicate sprouting vegetation and the banks of the Merced River. Given the restrictions, one of the best places to view Firefall from (which is also advocated by the National Park Service) is the El Capitan picnic area. The picture above was taken a few years back and from location that used to be accessible along Southside Drive. It was also a year when more water was flowing than this year. The pictures below are from this year (2022), and as can be seen, Horsetail falls had relatively low water flow. Fortunately, even a little water flow allows you to enjoy the event.
Below you can see Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View viewpoint at Sunset, with Horsetail Falls being lit-up for the Firefall effect (during the last week of February). From this vantage point you can see how the western cliff edge of El Capitan shadows most of it’s face, except the area where Horsetail falls cascade. When viewing Horsetail Falls from the side, the sliver of orange setting sun light illuminates the water spray creating the Firefall effect.