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.
