During this time it’s easy to give up, especially if there is some cloud cover as the Fall and El Capitan itself begin to dim and turn gray – almost as if the sun has already set. This usually begins to take place around 15 minutes before the peak of the Firefall. 11, 2017 – Horestail Falls – Yosemite National Park at sunset While Horsetail Fall can be hard to see with the naked eye – especially in recent years due to drought – you can usually begin to see it the closer you get to sunset, or if you zoom in close enough with a telephoto lens during the afternoon.Īt the start of the Firefall, the Eastern side of El Capitan will look like a golden thick ribbon, but as the sun begins to set, you will notice it begin to slowly creep in further and further until it reaches Horsetail Fall.įire Fall – Feb. Clouds in Yosemite Valley or further west can block the sun or the fall itself, and a lack of red color in the sky means the Firefall itself may take place, but its color will be nothing more than a thin, golden line. If there’s not enough snow, or the temperatures aren’t high enough for the snow to melt, there won’t be a waterfall. While these two things must happen, there are several things that need to not happen for the firefall to appear. Snowpack in the High Country must begin to melt down 1,570ft Horsetail Fall while the sun must have a clear path to the waterfall as it sets to the West. The Natural Firefall can usually be seen during the middle weeks of February if the conditions are right. Perhaps that’s just the way it was meant to be. While there is no documentation of when the natural Firefall was first noticed, Galen Rowell made it known after his photographs of the sight in 1973 - five years after the original Firefall was laid to rest. In January of 1968, George Hertzog, the then Director of the National Park Service ended the Firefall forever due to it being a “man made” event and not “natural.” During those years the Glacier Point Hotel would burn wood at the top of Glacier Point, and at 9pm every night would push the red glowing embers over the edge, giving the appearance of a waterfall made of fire. The name ‘Firefall’ pays homage to the original Firefall which took place on Glacier Point from 1872-1968. This phenomenon might be one of Yosemite’s greatest hidden secrets as there is no other place in the world you can see this event take place. There is however one thing that gets left out nearly all the time, the naturally occurring Firefall that takes place on the Eastern side of El Capitan during the month of February. If you know about Yosemite National Park, then you know the countless iconic places within the park Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, El Capitan, Glacier Point, and many others.
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