On a rare, if unlucky, few days a year, Yosemite National Park’s famous El Capitan rock formation transforms into a volcanic eruption 3,000 feet above the valley.
Conditions need to be right, including clear morning-evening skies, usually in February, and plenty of water. When the sunset is supposed to illuminate the small waterfall known as Horsetail Fall just like that, the flowing water turns into a “firefall,” taking on an orange glow that can look like lava.
The phenomenon has become so popular that Yosemite officials say the increasing number of visitors has destroyed the natural vegetation and disturbed habitats while vying for parking and viewing areas.
Hoping to minimize damage to the surrounding area, park officials announced that weekend visits to Horsetail Fall in February will now require reservations.
Those reservations will be available on a first-come, first-served basis www.recreation.gov from Monday at 8 a.m. Days that can be kept are Feb. 8-9, 15-17 and 22-23. No reservations required on Feb. 1-2.
On Monday, 50% of the bookings for those days will be released. Park officials expect spots to be claimed soon.
Another 50% reservation will be released two days before a certain date at 8 am
The booking fee is $2 and is non-refundable.
The car entry fee is $35 and is good for seven days of entry.
Reno-based photographer Dan Dunn captured the fire in what he described as one of his best photos in February 2019, the last of a six-consecutive trip he began in 2014.
Reno-based photographer Dan Dunn captured the “firefall” in what he described as one of his “greatest photos” in February 2019. Bright orange and red water cascaded from the cliff with the appearance of a raging forest fire.
(Dan Dunn)
Orange and red colored water gushes from the cliff with the visible force of a raging forest fire.
Horsetail Fall provides a consistency in capturing natural wonders that the beaches or the Grand Canyon, sometimes obstructed by fog, can’t deliver, Dunn said.
“You can be sure of an amazing show,” said Dunn, 34, who runs his own studio. “In 2019, conditions were consistent with snowpack, wind, moisture from the mountain and light filtering through the clouds creating a beautiful orange.”
Dunn was inspired to visit the site by photos from social media, like many others.
You can understand why the park limits the number of visitors.
“There are more and more photographers and people walking in the village every year,” he said. “And there are only two places you can shoot and, in those places, you can be packed like sardines.”
About 2,500 people visited the Horsetail Fall viewing areas on Feb. 19, 2022, for example, according to park officials’ estimates.
They said tourists have flocked to riverbanks, looking for the perfect picture at the cost of “increased erosion and trampling of vegetation.”
Similarly, park hikers have trampled over sensitive vegetation in the Merced River, while littering the area and leaving “unsanitary conditions” due to a lack of toilets, park officials said.
Vault toilets, trash and recycling facilities are available at the nearby El Capitan picnic area.
Reservations for Horsetail Fall are not required if a park visitor has already obtained day use reservations for those days, with campsites at Upper Pines, Wawona, Hodgon Meadow or Camp 4, overnight reservations at Yosemite Valley Lodge or Curry Village or private hotels or resorts. Yosemite West or Foresta Resorts. Those with full-day lift tickets or Badger Pass season passes are also exempt.
Park officials direct visitors to leave their cars at the Yosemite Falls parking lot west of Yosemite Valley Lodge and walk about 1 1/2 miles to the viewpoint near the El Capitan picnic area.
Additional parking is available at Yosemite Village and Curry Village, with shuttle service to Yosemite Valley Lodge and nearby parking lots.
Parking is expected to be limited.
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