Firefalls

Figure 1. Horsetail Falls at sunset (the so-called firefalls) in Yosemite.

There are two firefalls in Yosemite National Park. One was the falls from Glacier Point on summer night. This man-made firefalls has been prohibited long ago and now it is a history rather than reality.

The other firefalls is the Horsetail Falls at sunset in winter. Galen Rowell is credited to popularize this waterfalls, though he is not the first to discover it. Horsetail Falls only has a small amount of water fed by winter snowfall. This restricts the opportunity to see the firefalls. Mid to late February is considered the best time to see this waterfalls at its best. Don't feel surprised if you see people merging at some strange place in the park at this time. This is a very popular winter activity in Yosemite.

Does it require good skills or equipment to get this natural wonder? Not really. You need to be lucky because the clouds tend to block the sunlight at the last moment, even on a sunny day. This waterfalls is small and high on the cliff. You will need a telephoto lens to get it when the moment is right (sounds like a Cialis ad). This one is captured at 180mm on an 1.6x cropped body, which is 288mm on a full frame body. Most people brought a tripod to shoot this waterfalls, but I didn't.

There are many places to shoot this firefalls. One thing for sure is that you should be on the east side of the El Capitan. One of the most popular place is the picnic area on the Northside Drive near Cathedral Rocks. Figure 1 was shot there. After you pass Yosemite Lodge/Camp 4, try to find a place to park when you see the sign of picnic area. Usually you will see some cars on the roadside and many in the picnic area. You may have to park far from the picnic area and walk a while to be in the right place.

Some people shoot this firefalls on Southside Drive across Merced River. In this case, you will need to have a longer telephoto lens.

If the conditions of water amount, sun and clouds are right, you should to see it. If not, as the Boston Red Sox fans used to say, "wait until next year."