Horsetail Fall flows over the eastern edge of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley. This small waterfall usually flows only during winter and is easy to miss. On rare occasions during mid- to late February, it can glow orange when it's backlit by sunset.
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Best time to see the Yosemite firefall in 2023Generally, the phenomenon appears just before sunset on clear days, right as the sun hits the waterfall at a particular angle.
At 620 feet, Bridalveil Fall is often the first waterfall visitors see when entering Yosemite Valley. As one of the easier hikes in the Valley, Bridalveil Fall is the perfect attraction for visitors looking for minimal effort in return for maximum views.
In Yosemite Valley, the area around Sentinel Meadow and the Yosemite Chapel is a favorite place to stop to look at Yosemite Falls. In Yosemite Valley, Sentinel Bridge is famous for its views of both Half Dome reflected in the Merced River.
Winter weather is highly variable in Yosemite, however, and days that start off cloudy can clear up by sunset. If everything comes together and conditions are just right, the Yosemite Firefall will light up for about ten minutes.
Horsetail Fall is a small, ephemeral waterfall that flows over the eastern edge of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley. For two weeks in February, the setting sun striking the waterfall creates a deep orange glow.
Yosemite's largest waterfalls flow from October or November through July, but tend to peak in April and May and into June, with some falls (including the park's signature Yosemite Falls) running dry by late summer.
Every year in mid- to late February, hundreds of people flock to Yosemite National Park in California and make their way to Horsetail Fall in hopes of catching a glimpse of the spectacular Firefall.
Yosemite Falls, one of the world's tallest, is actually made up of three separate falls: Upper Yosemite Fall (1,430 feet), the middle cascades (675 feet), and Lower Yosemite Fall (320 feet).
Highway 140This historic Yosemite route follows the old railway tracks. It provides the lowest altitude approach, which means it's often the best year-round highway to travel on. This is a very scenic route to Yosemite and probably gives you the most impressive way to enter the park.