by Karen Najarian
Yosemite is home to countless waterfalls. The best time to see waterfalls is during spring, when most of the snowmelt occurs. Peak runoff typically occurs in May or June, with some waterfalls, including Yosemite Falls, often only a trickle or completely dry by August. Storms in late fall rejuvenate some of the waterfalls and all of them accumulate frost along their edges many nights during the winter. But in Mid-February there’s a possibility of a certain spectacle on one of Yosemite’s lesser known waterfalls, Horsetail Falls.
"Horsetail Fall" by Karen Najarian All Rights Reserved (Click to enlarge)
Horsetail Fall is a small, ephemeral, meaning intermittent, waterfall that, weather permitting, flows over the eastern edge of El Capitan and drops 1500 feet to Yosemite Valley below. The drainage for this waterfall is just an 18 acre area on the SE slope of El Capitan. First documented in 1973 by climber and photographer, Galen Rowell, for two weeks in February, the setting sun striking the waterfall creates a deep orange glow that resembles Yosemite’s historic “Firefall,” the light from glowing embers pushed off of Glacier Point until 1968. The natural Firefall of Horsetail Falls is best seen from just east of El Capitan. See the map with the angle for best viewing the golden glow around 5:30pm in mid-late Feb.
The perfect Horsetail Fall photograph needs three things.
- First, there has to be enough water in the waterfall to catch the light from the setting sun. With our lack of storms this year we were concerned there would be no snow on top of El Cap for melt-water to fill the waterfall.
- Second, the sun has to be low in the sky, and not covered by clouds, when it’s light is hitting the fall to give it that orange glow.
- Third, the cliff behind and to the left of Horsetail has to be in the shade when the water is on fire; the contrast between the backlit waterfall and dark background is what makes this event so dramatic.
Michael Frye, renowned naturalist and photographer in Yosemite has noted that the cliff was not in the shade even as late as February 15th. So the best window has to start after February 15th. “March 1st is too late,” he says, “by then the nose of El Capitan blocks the sun before it sinks low enough to create that orange glow.” You can see by the map how the rays of the sun just miss El Cap on the weekend we chose, Feb. 17-19. “The best window begins sometime after February 15th, and probably ends before the 25th.”
Bob, Joe, Rick, I, and one of my backpacking guides, Banning, met at 3pm Feb. 17 in the Yosemite Village Parking Lot in front of the store. I could not find the turn-out for the Northside Drive Viewing Area, so drove to the west end of the Valley, turned around and headed east again over to the Southside Viewing Area where we had seen photographers gathering on our way into the Valley. This was a great place from which to photograph the falls and we got great shots of the golden light. Even Rick and Banning captured it with their little Panasonic Lumix cameras. The next day, Sat. Feb. 18, we met Marilyn and Shiela and repeated our efforts but only got great shots of clouds in front of El Cap. Alas, one of the ingredients was missing.
Click to Enlarge
So, to make the effort to lasso this thing with pixels you’ll need to drive to Yosemite Valley, which usually takes me about 3.5 hours from Martinez. Check the weather (forecast of Yos. Valley) and road conditions (Yos. road hotline (209/372-0200, press 1 then 1 & Caltrans on the web) before leaving home. Chains may be required on Hwy 120. Park entry fee is $20 per car. Here’s the Yosemite Webcams to get a visual of the conditions.
Even though the show happens around 5:30 pm, you’ll want to arrive early (we arrived around 3:45). to find the viewing area, get a good parking space, set up, and enjoy the scene around you whether it be natural or communing with the other photographers on the same mission.
The Southside Viewing Area is right by the river and it’s just gorgeous. We had to walk through about 40 feet of snow about 4 inches deep but it was no problem. The Southside Drive viewing area is 1.2 miles from the El Capitan Bridge Junction (see the red line on the map). There is a pull-out area that will hold about 8 cars. The rest must park off the road a little farther to the east. Many of us were not totally off the road the first day and a ranger with a bull horn threatening to tow let us know that we weren’t. On the dates we were there, Feb. 17 & 18 there were about 30 people at the Southside Drive viewing area. Folks were spread out and I didn’t feel crowded at all. There was good camaraderie, fine anticipation, and stories told of fire falls past all the while sharing our love of Yosemite.
On our way home on Sunday Feb. 19 we stopped by the picnic area on Northside Drive (1.5 miles west of Yosemite Lodge) where people were all set up to catch it again. I did not see a name or sign for the picnic area but it was an evident turn-out into a small area with picnic tables, lit barbeques, placed tripods with aimed lenses, and photographers sitting around in lounge chairs drinking adult beverages. A party atmosphere prevailed.
A folding chair will come in handy while waiting for the spectacle. It will probably be pretty cold. Cold air sinks off the snowy rims and makes the Valley floor chilly. Dress in lots of layers. Bring warm hats and gloves and some boots, if you have them. You might be standing in snow. Hand warmers and fingerless gloves might come in handy, too. Snacks and maybe a thermos of something hot will keep you fortified.
We stayed at Cedar Lodge in El Portal (indoor spa and pool) on Hwy 140, $60/night on Expedia. Most of our meals were eaten at the cafeteria at Yosemite Lodge. While we like the Curry Village buffet breakfasts and dinners, they were having a special evening of music and entertainment with a higher price tag Sat. night ($25 each vs $15) so we opted for the Lodge cafeteria. The dinner at Cedar Lodge was sub-optimal.
One Note: on Feb. 17 when the Firefall showed her glory and then faded, people packed up and were off to their cars when it mysteriously reappeared briefly. After returning home and looking at the map on my mapping software, I could see a knob that momentarily blocked the light before the light rounded that knob on it’s decent and showed again. At the time, it seemed like a special present for those of us who stayed and gloried in the more regular beauty of Yosemite.
Another Note: During this research I came across a website that gives times of sunrises, and sunsets and the azimuth of the sun at both times:
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html?n=224&month=2&year=2012&obj=sun&afl=-12&day=1
