Guide to the Natural Yosemite Firefall 2023– Horsetail Fall Firefall
Hundreds of photographers gather in Yosemite Valley each year for the natural firefall at Horsetail Fall. Everyone there has their fingers crossed for the perfect conditions. When it happens, the sunlight streams through the thin sliver of Horsetail Falls, turning it molten orange. Shutters fire as people gasp, and cheer and hug their friends and neighbors.
Have you seen the pictures? When the conditions are just right, there is no need to turn up the saturation in the editing process. It really is just that dramatic and unbelievable.
Here is what you need to know about this otherwise humble waterfall in 2023, and how to catch it in full social media sensation mode.
Why is it called the Yosemite Firefall?
The Glacier Point firefall was created from an actual fire falling from the edge of Glacier Point as a tourist attraction. Photo courtesy: National Park Service
The Glacier Point firefall was created from an actual fire falling from the edge of Glacier Point as a tourist attraction. Photo courtesy: National Park Service
The reason this is called “the firefall” and not the molten waterfall or something else stems from an interesting history of amazing visual displays in Yosemite Valley.
Back in 1872, the owners of the Glacier Point Hotel created a spectacle by pushing an actual bonfire off the edge of the cliff at Glacier Point. The cascade of red-hot embers falling down the cliff looked like a glowing waterfall of light to onlookers below. Although the practice started and stopped several times over the years, by the mid-1900s thousands of people were coming to Yosemite to literally watch the fire fall.
This was the original Yosemite firefall.
Eventually, in January of 1968 the director of the National Park Service, George Hartzog, stopped this practice. This man-made event was obviously inconsistent with the park mission to protect the park’s natural wonders. The huge number of spectators were trampling the meadows, and the concessionaires were having to go further and further afield to find enough of their preferred red fir bark to build the fires. Not to mention the fire hazard it created.
Just 5 years after the Yosemite firefall ended in 1973, a talented adventure photographer named Galen Rowell accidentally stumbled across a new firefall-like phenomenon. As he was driving out of the valley on Southside Drive, he spotted a small waterfall off the shoulder of El Capitan that looked molten in the setting sun. He leaped out of his car and ran to the photograph – the first widely-circulated color picture of the natural firefall in Yosemite National Park.
With the image of the falling bonfire at Glacier Point a recent memory, of course the new natural phenomenon has been dubbed the natural Yosemite firefall.
What are the best conditions to see the natural Yosemite firefall?
A single cloud can block the sun and destroy the effect, but cloudy or windy days can also result in the most interesting photos. Photo: Charles Phillips
Most of the year, Horsetail Falls is one of Yosemite’s less-remarkable waterfalls. Although it drops an impressive 2,130 feet (650 m), the small stream at the top of El Capitan doesn’t have the massive volume of some of the more well-known waterfalls like Yosemite Falls or Bridalveil Fall. Fed exclusively through snowmelt and run-off, it dries up in the summer months and disappears entirely.
However, for a few weeks starting in February, everything comes together to make this humble waterfall into the natural firefall – Yosemite’s own international celebrity. There are several factors that go into creating this magnificent spectacle.
1. The perfect alignment of the sun, the waterfall and the viewer.
The sun comes into position in mid-to-late February each year, so if you’re in the right place, that’s when the magic will happen. More on the best time and place to view the natural Yosemite firefall effect in a bit.
2. Enough water in Horsetail Fall
The second requirement for the firefall effect is having enough water in Horsetail Fall.
One way to get a sense of the water flow in Horsetail Fall before you make the trip is to check out the Yosemite Falls webcam. It will give you some idea of how much water is flowing. Also, plan to keep an eye on the Yosemite weather forecast in late January and early February.
In order to get a nice flow in Horsetail Fall a few different things need to happen. One, there has to be some snow on the ground to provide the water for the waterfall. Second, it needs to be warm enough during the day that the sun melts that snow and sends it running over the edge of the fall. If it is exceptionally cold, the cliff surrounding the waterfall will still light up, and the trickle of water coming over the edge will reflect the setting sun, but you won’t see the stream of molten fire unless there is more water.
3. Clear skies for the Yosemite National Park firefall
With the sun in the right place, and enough water in Horsetail Fall to catch the sun, the firefall can still fail to materialize if cloud cover blocks the sun during the critical minutes of the evening. For that reason, a cloudy forecast will keep many people away. However, if that cloudy forecast clears just enough to let the right beam of sunlight through, you can end up with a one-of-a-kind image with the firefall surrounded by brilliant pink clouds.
When’s the best time to see the Yosemite firefall?
As the sun sets, Horsetail Fall and the wall behind it are hit by the setting sun.
During the latter half of February, the magical moment itself occurs around 5 to 15 minutes before sunset. However, you should plan to invest several hours to get to the right place in time. The days when the photographer Galen Rowell could spot the firefall effect from his car, find a convenient pull-out and set up for an image are long gone.
People visit Yosemite National Park from all over the country for the natural firefall event. That means that they are finding their spot and setting up their tripods earlier and earlier in the day in order to get just the angle they want. In order to navigate the parking situation and have enough time to walk out to a place where you can see the firefall, plan to arrive in the valley in the late morning or early afternoon.
Spend the time relaxing and enjoying the already-majestic Yosemite scenery, and get to know the people around you.
Where do I need to go to see the natural Yosemite firefall effect?
There is one designated location to view the natural Yosemite firefall on the eastern edge of El Capitan on the valley floor. However, with the thousands of people who arrive each year hoping to see Horsetail Fall glowing, the logistics that surround getting to one of the classic viewing areas are becoming more complex.
El Capitan Picnic Area
The El Capitan Picnic Area is one of the most popular destinations for Yosemite firefall viewers and is closest to the location where Galen Rowell took that first now-legendary photograph. It’s also one of the closest viewing spots for viewing Horsetail Fall, so if you don’t have a long telephoto lens, this will probably be your best bet.
Permits and Logistics
For a few minutes, when the angle is just right, Horsetail Fall flows bright against the dark walls of the cliff behind.
As the firefall first gained notoriety among Yosemite National Park lovers the pull-outs started spilling over with cars poking ever so slightly out into the roadway. Then, people started abandoning their cars right in the middle of the street and blocking traffic in order to be closer to the viewing areas. Park roads can be icy in February, and this creates a huge safety issue. At that point, the National Park Service (NPS) had to step in.
For the last few years, NPS has been experimenting with different ways to manage traffic.
In 2018, NPS issued permits and required parking reservations. More recently, they switched tactics and eliminated the permit system, but closed many of the small parking lots and pull-offs close to the viewing areas to keep people from trying unsuccessfully to ‘squeeze in’. The larger parking areas accommodate the large numbers of vehicles more easily, and then one lane of the road is closed to cars so people can walk to the viewing areas out of the main flow of traffic.
The closest parking to Horsetail Fall is the Yosemite Falls Parking Area near Yosemite Valley Lodge. Since there will only be one lane for traffic during this period, there is no parking, stopping or unloading passengers between Camp 4 and El Capitan during the ‘firefall season’, though people with a disability placard are allowed to park at the El Capitan Picnic Area. If these parking areas are full, visitors can park at Yosemite Village – a free shuttle transports guests from Yosemite Village to the Yosemite Falls Parking Area at Yosemite Valley Lodge.
On the other side of the Merced River from El Capitan, on Southside Drive, stopping is also prohibited between El Capitan crossover and Swinging Bridge Picnic Area. The riverbank here was so impacted by visitors in February of 2017 that a large section of the riverbank collapsed into the river. Pedestrians are not allowed to walk on or next to the road, and the area between the road and the river (including the river) is closed to all entry.
We don’t have firm plans for how NPS plans to manage the event for 2023 yet. Event management policies seem to have stabilized, but it’s still smart to keep an eye open in case there are refinements to this process that might be in place for the upcoming year. And keep in mind – with so much attention the events are likely to be heavily patrolled. Stay safe and know and follow the rules.
What should I bring to view the Yosemite firefall in 2023?
Given that we should anticipate a reasonably long walk from the parking to the viewing areas again this year, and that you should plan to spend at least a few hours outdoors in February, here are a few things you should consider bringing with you.
- Flashlight or headlamp. If you want to be one of the cool kids, bring a red LED light, or cover your regular light with red saran wrap so you don’t interfere too much with others’ night vision adaptation.
- Warm boots or other footwear that is also comfortable to walk in.
- A foldable camp chair or an insulated pad to sit or stand on.
- Food and water.
- Extra warm layers – gloves, hat, extra jackets, scarf or even a blanket. Even if the daytime temperatures are relatively mild, you may want those warm layers as the sun starts to set.
- Camera gear for low-light photography
- A camera with a telephoto lens. Most people will have a DSLR with a 200mm plus lens on it.
- A tripod – preferably a nice sturdy one to hold that big lens.
- A remote or another method to minimize camera shake when taking the photo.
- A friendly and respectful attitude.
- Due to the popularity of this event, you’re likely to end up pretty close to other people who have come for the famous natural Yosemite firefall. This is a great opportunity to meet people and share stories.
- Everyone is hoping for a great natural show, but don’t be so obsessed with visions of Instagram fame that you forget that you are in a national park. So, from one park-lover to another: Be aware of your impact. Follow the Nature Rules. Try not to trample the vegetation. Practice Leave No Trace. Make sure you don’t leave any trash behind.
While you’re waiting for the perfect conditions to come together for your special Yosemite visit, enjoy this Yosemite Nature Notes video of the natural Yosemite firefall at Horsetail Fall.
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