Yosemite Archives - National Parks Now & Then

Yosemite’s Jeffrey Pine atop Sentinel Dome

One of the most photographed trees in the world was made famous by photographers Ansel Adams (in 1940) and Carleton Watkins (in 1867). The iconic Jeffrey Pine once resided on top of Sentinel Dome in Yosemite National Park. Unfortunately, the tree died after a severe drought in 1976-77. The “skeleton” of the tree was standing for decades until it fell sometime in August 2003 after a series of severe storms.

Yosemite National Park is located in California’s western Sierra Nevada.

Ansel Adams famous picture of the Jeffrey Pine, 1940

Life of a Gnarled Pine

This tree became an icon of Yosemite is partially due to its improbable location; it grew out of the cracks on top of a granite dome. That location caused it to be shaped by wind and weather. Park rangers say that the tree was around 400 years old, was 12 feet tall and the seed was probably dropped by a bird, and it germinated in a crack in the granite.

Sentinel Dome is the second highest point on the rim of Yosemite Valley. It was named due to its likeness to a watchtower. The US Geological Survey marker was placed atop the Dome in 1905 and records the elevation as 8117 ft above sea level.

The Jeffrey Pine is a species of North American pine tree that is mainly found in California but also in western Nevada, southwestern Oregon and northern Baja California. It was named in honor of the botanist John Jeffrey who first documented the species. These pine trees closely resemble Ponderosa pines and have a lovely vanilla-scented bark.

Two women atop the Jeffrey Pine, California Historical Society, Date unknown

Death of an Icon

During the severe drought in 1976-77 which was the tree’s downfall, park rangers and visitors tried to save the tree by carrying buckets of water up the Dome to it but to no avail. Even after it’s death, it’s wind-battered, gnarled skeleton was still visited and photographed.

The skeleton of the Jeffrey Pine, Photo credit: Jan Spell, August 1986

After a series of severe storms in August 2003, the dead trunk of the Jeffrey Pine broke off leaving the main stump. In keeping with the National Park Service’s principles, the remaining stump will be allowed to disintegrate over time. The tree’s life, death, and fall are part of a natural process.

Most of the upright portions of the tree are gone but visitors continue to photograph it. The views from Sentinel Dome are spectacular as you can see up and down Yosemite Valley and into the backcountry. It is certainly well worth the visit.

Jeffrey Pine stump as it appeared in 2010. Photo credit: Jan Spell

How to Visit

The tree is nothing but a stump, but it is still visited and photographed and the hike and 360-degree views from the top of Sentinel Dome are phenomenal. I highly recommend taking the hike to the top of Sentinel Dome and paying your respects to the tree stump that once was one of the most photographed trees in the world.

Sentinel Dome as seen from the trail. Photo credit: Jan Spell, 2010

The Sentinel Dome Trail is located in the Glacier Point portion of the park. It’s a 2.2 mile (round trip) out and back “moderate” hike. This link has a full description on how to get to the trailhead and the particulars of the hike. Yosemite National Park – Sentinel Dome Hike – Just Go Travel Studios

Jeffrey stump with El Capitan in background

Sentinel Dome can be seen from Tunnel View. In the picture below, the Dome is indicated with a red arrow.

View of Sentinel Dome from Tunnel View. Photo credit: Jan Spell, 2010

Sources

45 Historical Sites That No Longer Exist — Best Life (bestlifeonline.com)

Yosemite landmark falls / Sentinel Dome’s oft-photographed Jeffrey pine topples (sfgate.com)

Pinus jeffreyi – Wikipedia

The Historical Yosemite Firefall

Back in the day, in Yosemite National Park, California, visitors were treated to a spectacle where a roaring bonfire was built at the edge of Glacier Point and at 9 pm sharp the fire’s embers were pushed over the edge of the cliff creating a “Waterfall of Fire”. Yosemite’s Firefall took place from 1872 to 1968. (Photo courtesy of NPS)

I was fortunate to view this spectacle in June of 1967 during my first visit to Yosemite National Park. I was five years old but remember it well. I sat in the back seat of our 1965 Ford Country Sedan station wagon with my younger sister. Other kids were outside playing in the meadow but I wasn’t allowed to get out of the car. Only my Dad was allowed to do so. We were parked along a park road with a view of Glacier Point. I remember the traffic jam that ensued afterward when everyone attempted to return to their lodging for the night.

How it all Started

In 1872, years before Congress designated Yosemite as a national park, the original Firefall was inadvertently started by James McCauley, the owner of the Glacier Point Mountain House Hotel. On summer evenings, McCauley built a large campfire at the “point” where the granite cliff juts out over the Valley entertain his guests. At the end of the evening, he would then put out the fire by kicking the smoldering embers over the edge Glacier Point. Spectators on the floor of Yosemite Valley would see these falling embers and it appeared as a flowing waterfall. People in the valley were fascinated by the falling embers and commented to McCauley’s sons. Some visitors offered money for them to have another firefall that evening. Seeing a business opportunity, they gathered wood for a larger fire, carrying it up the mountain on burros.

Pushing embers off of Glacier Point. Photo credit: Yosemite Nat’l Park Digital Archive

In 1897, the Washburn brothers, who owned the Wawona Hotel outside of Yosemite Valley, had the Guardian of the State Grant evict James McCauley from the Mountain House Hotel and took it over. Apparently, he only had a 10 year lease on that property. That temporarily stopped the Firefall.

The Camp Curry Years

In 1899 David and Jennie Curry moved to Yosemite Valley and established Camp Curry a family campground of canvas tents at the base of Glacier Point (still exists). Soon he heard visitors reminiscing about the Firefall when McCauley ran the hotel at Glacier Point. He felt that that would make his camp more attractive to visitors so sometime in the early 1900s, Curry reestablished the Firefall during the summer season.

Camp Curry would have a campfire show from 8-9 pm culminating in the Firefall promptly at 9 pm. David Curry added a few dramatic flourishes of his own. At 9pm sharp, a master of ceremonies in Camp Curry would shout to the firemaster at Glacier Point…

“Hello, Glacier Point!”
“Hello, Camp Curry!”
“Let the Fire Fall!”
“The Fire Falls!”

Then the burning embers from the red-fir bark bonfire (they found that red-fir gave the brightest glowing embers) were pushed over the edge.

The End of a Tradition

In 1968 George Hertzog, the director of the National Park Service, ended the Yosemite Firefall once and for all. He stated the obvious, that the Firefall was an unnatural spectacle more appropriate for Disneyland than a national park. In addition, this display attracted huge crowds that tramped through and damaged meadows on the Valley floor. It caused traffic jams on the Valley’s roads (which I remember!!). Lots of red-fir bark was unnecessarily and unnaturally removed to fuel the fire.

Long exposure taken from Ahwahnee Meadow, Public Domain Photo

A final ceremonial Firefall was held on Jan 25, 1968. According to a National Park Service press release: “The Firefall, a fancy of James McCauley’s that caught on, and was popular for almost a hundred years, died Thursday, January 25, 1968 in a blazing farewell. It was a dandy Firefall, fat and long and it ended with an exceptionally brilliant spurt, the embers lighting the cliff as they floated slowly downward … There weren’t many people around to watch. Maybe fifty. Hardly any congestion at all.”

A pale scar remains on the cliff face where the fire burned away the lichen on the rock (red arrow is pointing to Overhanging Rock where the Firefall was launched). It’s not as obvious as it used to be. Thousands of visitors enjoyed the Firefall for nearly a century. Now it only exists in the memories of us baby-boomers who were lucky enough to witness it.

Sources

A History of the Yosemite Firefall

Yosemite Firefall – Glacier Point

Horsetail Fall – the New Firefall

Horsetail Fall is a small, ephemeral waterfall that flows over the eastern edge of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley. For approximately two weeks in February each year, the setting sun hits the waterfall at just the right angle to create a deep orange glow that almost looks like lava. It’s an amazing natural phenomenon that happens when three things occur simultaneously.

Enough water in the Fall
Direct sunlight at sunset
The sun’s angle is just right

This phenomenon reminds people of the former man-made Firefall where burning embers from a bonfire were pushed off Glacier Point (1873-1968).

The photo on the left is of the former Firefall over Glacier Point (courtesy of the Yosemite Archives) and the photo on the right is of Horsetail Falls (Photo credit: Christine Fey).

There isn’t much water in this Fall to begin with so if it’s a dry year, the phenomenon may not occur at all. Yosemite needs to have an a decent amount of snowfall as Horsetail Fall is fed by snowmelt. In addition, during sunset, the temperature needs to be above freezing so there will in fact be liquid water in the Fall.

The phenomenon occurs during the last 10-15 minutes before sunset. That’s a very short window to not have a cloud block the area. It only lasts about three minutes. See my story about that below.

The sun’s angle is what causes it to glow orange. That only happens in February and October. The Fall is dry in October, so February is your only chance to see it.

Here’s a really great video with wonderful pictures of the glowing waterfall and a lot of information about how to view it. Yosemite’s Natural Firefall – YouTube

How to Visit

The dates vary slightly each year but are generally around the same time. The predicted dates for 2023 are February 10 through 27. Photographers make their lodging reservations a year or so in advance so it would be practically impossible to get a reservation within the Valley for the upcoming event. If you did find something, it may be only for one night. The National Park Services concessioner, Aramark, that runs the lodging in the Valley does charge almost twice as much during this time. But if this is what you want to see, it’s worth being in the Valley and not driving in and out of the Park. Yosemite National Park | Lodging & Year Round Activities | TravelYosemite.com

Every year, the National Park Service has different rules in place to control the crowds for safety and to protect the environment. The rules seem to get stricter every year since more people are attempting to view Horsetail. For the 2023 Horsetail Fall season, reservations will be required to enter Yosemite on the weekends in February. This includes those not visiting the Fall. Please check the NPS website for the current rules and how to get reservations. Horsetail Fall – Yosemite National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

My Personal Experience

A travel buddy and I attempted to see and photograph a glowing Horsetail Fall in February 2017. We had three nights at the cabins at Curry Village so we had three opportunities to see the phenomena. Two of the nights it was pouring rain. The one night that the conditions seemed perfect, we got our spot and marked it with a tripod and lawn chairs three hours beforehand. Everything looked great but just as it was the perfect time, a huge cloud blocked it. We didn’t get to see it but that’s one of the reasons why this is so special. It’s hit or miss.