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Bethany Gediman, NPS
Each year from mid- to late February, Yosemite National Park's Horsetail Fall is lit up by the sun's rays when the weather is right, creating the illusion that the water is lava or fire. The phenomenon is called a "firefall."
By Brett Israel
LiveScience
Last year, Yosemite National Park's famed "firefall" was more of a "firedrizzle" because of a lack of snow. But this year, the "firefall" is burning bright.
Yosemite's Horsetail Fall flows like lava under a clear sky and favorable lighting. It's a small waterfall that makes big news whenever it glows orange during sunset in mid- to late February. This time of year, the sun is setting at just the right angle and the western sky is just clear enough to create the "firefall" effect. When that happens, the waterfall will glow orange for about 10 minutes.
The cult of the "firefall" has grown dramatically since outdoors photographer Galen Rowell took the first known photograph of the phenomenon in 1973. Hundreds of photographers have flocked to Yosemite this year, as they do every year now, to take pictures of the "firefall."
Horsetail Fall flows over the eastern edge of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley. The waterfall is seasonal, flowing only in the winter and early spring as the snowpack melts. The waterfall's stream splits into two, both dropping about 1,500 feet (450 meters).
The most popular place to see the "firefall" is the El Capitan picnic area, west of Yosemite Lodge and east of El Capitan, according to the park.
This story was provided by OurAmazingPlanet, a sister site to LiveScience. Follow OurAmazingPlanet on @OAPlanet, Facebook or Google+.
Leave a Comment:
They used to do this with a real fire and real embers at Yosemite.
Yep! You got that right. Great of you to say so!
I recall nearly 50 years ago . . .
Each night a large burning fire was prepared at the top of Glacier Point. On the Yosemite Valley floor, at Camp Curry, there was some light stage entertainment taking place in the evening. After the entertainment segment was over with, the Master of Ceremonies would tell the audience of the pending "fire fall" taking place, then in a commanding style focused towards Glacier Point, yell-out: "Let the Fire Fall . . . Fall!" Another person on stage would use a flashlight, pointed to Glacier Point, with a couple of rapid on's and off's of the light . . . probably to signal the fire tenders up on Glacier Point to push the burning embers over the cliff.
It was a sight to behold, but something that was visually different from the picture postcards sold in Yosemite of the same event.
That's pretty cool.
To align this waterfall so the sun beam comes through the Yosemite canyon precisely at this time of the year to light up the waterfall and nothing else must be...... work of aliens! :D
Work of Aliens, nope. God just likes to mess with us every now and then. When he does pretty, it is really PRETTY.
Beautiful. Yosemite rules!
My grandfather used to take my mom and her siblings to see a real "fire-fall" where they used to start a fire and push tons of burning embers off of one of the waterfall edges!