Horsetail Fall at sunset, February 18th, 2016
It looks like there should be plenty of water in Horsetail Fall this month. Yosemite Valley has received almost ten inches of rain over the past week, and that abundant rainfall has boosted the flow in all of Yosemite’s waterfalls, including Horsetail. In fact the Merced River reached minor flood stage Wednesday night. While the rain runoff will diminish quickly, there’s a healthy snowpack at the higher elevations of Yosemite, which should keep Horsetail flowing for awhile. I expect above-average flow in Horsetail this year.
But water flow is just one element. You also need the sun to set at the right angle to backlight Horsetail and make it turn orange, yet have the cliff behind it in the shade, so that the glowing, backlit, orange water is set against a dark background. My best estimate is that this happens between February 16th and 23rd, and perhaps even a few days beyond. (I delve into more detail about all that here.)
And one more thing: you need clear skies to the west-southwest (especially low down near the horizon) just before sunset. That might be a lot to ask for in this wet, stormy winter, but it’s likely to happen at least once between February 16th and 23rd. We’ll see!
To see the firefall effect you need a profile view of the waterfall from the east-southeast, without intervening trees. There are basically two spots for that in Yosemite Valley: about 200 yards east of the El Capitan picnic area along Northside Drive, and about one mile east of the El Capitan crossover on Southside Drive. My Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite book and app give more precise directions, but it’s hard to miss these spots; if you’re there at the right time there will be dozens of cars parked along the roads near both areas.
Because of the high water flow, I expect large numbers of photographers to attempt to photograph Horsetail Fall this year. So if you go, be prepared. That means, first and foremost, having some patience and tolerance for your fellow photographers. Expect to be standing tripod-to-tripod with many others. Think of it as a social occasion, rather than a chance for solitude. Also, get to your chosen location at least two or three hours before sunset, both to secure a parking place, and to find a good spot to set up your tripod. (And if the crowds are really big this year, two to three hours might not be early enough.) Bring a folding chair, warm clothes, a thermos, and a book.
Good luck out there!
— Michael Frye
Related Posts: The Best Time to Photograph Horsetail Fall, Revised; Horsetail Fall, El Capitan, and a Cloud
Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author or principal photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite, Yosemite Meditations, Yosemite Meditations for Women, Yosemite Meditations for Adventurers, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters. He has also written three eBooks: Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom, Exposure for Outdoor Photography, and Landscapes in Lightroom: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide. Michael has written numerous magazine articles on the art and technique of photography, and his images have been published in over thirty countries around the world. Michael has lived either in or near Yosemite National Park since 1983, currently residing just outside the park in Mariposa, California.
Thanks, Michael, I’d love the opportunity to try this someday, though the though of the big crowds you mention is rather intimidating. I remember watching the real firefalls at a boy. Cheers!
As I said Bob, think of it as a social occasion. 🙂
Hi Michael, In your opinion, what do you think about shooting in on Feb 12th? Is it too early?
Yes, I think the 12th is too early. You can get good color on Horsetail before the 16th, but you don’t get the “firefall” effect where only the waterfall is lit, because the light will be hitting the cliff behind the fall.
I tried for this shot in 2013 and there were hundreds and hundreds (thousands?) 0f photographers. The park service had to turn the inner lane of Southside Drive into a parking lot. Id love to get the shot in a year with better rainfall, but that’s a bit too much togetherness! 🙂
The park service has been closing one lane for parking on both Northside and Southside drives during Horsetail season the last few years. It’s actually much better that way, because if they don’t do that it’s a parking free-for-all, with cars parked half in the road, which narrows it to one lane anyway. But either way parking isn’t an issue if you’re willing to walk half a mile.
Hey Michael, checking the weather, it looks to be brutal the next 10 days. Right now it is predicting Snow every day from the 16th through the 23rd. I know predictions are often wrong so I am still going to come out there and try my luck. Do you have any thoughts on whether trying the sunsets from the 18th – 21st would be a good idea? Having 4 sunset opportunities for a break in the clouds or storms at sunset. Or do you have a feeling on whether going later this year would be smarter? Thanks! 😀
Aaron, I don’t have any magic intuition about Yosemite weather, so I don’t know what the weather will be like beyond the 7-day forecast. But I do make sure I’m looking at accurate forecasts, and it’s clear from your comments that you’re getting some inaccurate information, because there’s no snow in the forecast for Yosemite Valley for the next 7 days. I use the National Weather Service, because they are the only ones that give consistently accurate forecasts for mountain areas like Yosemite. Having said that, it’s a bit tricky, because a search for “Yosemite Valley” on the NWS site leads you to a location with an elevation of 4,800 feet, but the valley is at 4,000 feet. So here’s a link to a forecast for Yosemite Valley with the correct elevation:
http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=37.72836644908416&lon=-119.6136474609375&site=hnx&unit=0&lg=en&FcstType=text#.WKUiL7GZOEI
Click on the Forecast Discussion and Hourly Weather Forecast to get more detail.
We were up there this past weekend (10th through the 13th), and while it was a touch early for “pure” firefall, it was definitely worthwhile, and I actually enjoyed getting the touch of the highlights on the cliffs. The effect is quite nice.
In response to Aaron above, the key is having the sun able to shine below any clouds out to the west. If it can peek through, then it can light the fall, even if it is cloudy above El Cap. To be honest, some of my favorite shots I have seen have clouds playing around El Cap while the falls were lit.
The weather has been variable, even up to the day. So it is really hard to guess what you will see or not. If you go and the weather doesn’t cooperate for firefall, there are still so many opportunities for clearing storm shots or rainbows, or…
For instance, we chased rainbows in the mist down on the bridalveil trail when the sun shone through the trees.
Thanks, Doug! I definitely feel like coming is wiser than not trying. I am optimistic that Sunday will have an open moment but who knows. Maybe all days will have an opening during the sunset. Can’t wait! And like you said, there are worse consolation prizes. 😀
Hey Doug,
Any recommendations on photogenic spots in the valley to shoot during a clearing storm? Obviously Tunnel View is great, but also am looking to get around to some more remote places down there.
Thanks!
Hi Alan,
Michael has a policy of not posting remote off the beaten path places on his website, and I like to honor that.
That said, look at most of the clearing storms shots you see… they are usually from tunnel view or valley view, and for good reason.
The thing about clearing storms is they come after storms, an d most of the tourists have been scared off from those spots.
There are lots of places in Michael’s ebook that i think would be good for clearing storms. River bend behind Yosemite lodge, cook meadow, Ahwahnee meadow, tunnel view, valley view, swinging bridge. Heck, even sentinel bridge.
The meadows right now have some wonderful venal pools in them providing unique reflection shots.
Another option is artist’s point or inspiration point, but I will warn you, the trailhead for that at tunnel view has water pouring down it at the moment, so i wasn’t too interested in going that way 😏
Doug, thanks for chiming in and answering Aaron and Alan’s questions!
Alan, the reason that everyone photographs clearing storms from well-known locations like Tunnel View and Valley View is that they’re the best spots. Multitudes of photographers come to Yosemite Valley, and yet you rarely see any (good) photographs from off-the-beaten path locations, because all those photographers – including me – have failed to find alternative spots that are as good.
Since there was interest in what it looks like at an earlier date, I posted a video of the progression of the light from before the color starts to after it fades. This is from Saturday the 11th this year.
https://www.castleintheair.photos/VideosForPosting/FirefallTimelapse2.mov
As you can see, you don’t quite get the true firefall effect, but it was a pleasure to watch and shoot anyway. Also, I have done no final editing on the images other than basic lightroom import presets.
That’s a very interesting time-lapse Doug – thanks for sharing!
Any date predictions for 2018 Firefall?
The dates are the same every year – from approximately February 16th through February 23rd.