Horsetail Fall — Local services in Oakhurst

The annual firefall gathering in the park has grown bigger and bigger. Some professional photographers are abandoning the event altogether due to the crowd. But it is still a great event that worth your time to fool around the park for a whole day, waiting for the spectacular moment.

With the new regulation, park rangers close all the parking spot and vista points near the south drive road after 12:00 AM and the only open vista point is near the El capitan picnic area. The designated parking place is the the Yosemite fall parking lot near Yosemite Lodge. Gone with the good old day, where you can choose your preferred view points around the park.

To enjoy the event more, avoid the weekend, if you must go at the weekend: Arrive the designated parking lot before 1:00 PM to secure a parking spot Start hiking to the Picnic area before 2:30PM to secure a good tripod place Wear warm clothes, and carry a portable chair. Don't forget the binocular (horse tail fall can be hardly seen with naked eyes) and a flash light because it will be pitch dark when the event ends and you need to walk more than 1 mile back to the parking lot

Some tips: Some people ride bicycle, or drag a cart to carry their stuff, not a bad idea, because a whole lane was reserved for pedestrian. At the end of events, so many cars are leaving the park at the same time, it will take more than 30 minutes before you can leave the parking lot. You can take the time to take some shot of moon-lit half dome, and sentinel meadow. it is really beautiful. Don't forget to carry some food and snacks unless you want to walk to the visitor center, or grocery store, otherwise you will lose your parking space.

2022 update: there has been no rain or snow for about 50 days in the valley. The horsetail fall barely has any water flowing as 02/20/2022, not a good year to see...

HORSETAIL FALL, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA: Most of the year Horsetail Fall is nothing much to speak of--of course, that is just my opinion. You can catch water falling from the summit during various times of the year if you really want to photograph "a waterfall." But what I come to Yosemite and specifically, Horsetail Fall to see, is the magnificent light that passes through the water just before sunset in February of every year (near the middle of the month--see prognosticators for the exact dates--the dates change every year). This light creates magnificent red and yellow colors that seemingly turn the water into fire. It appears that there is a waterfall of fire. How magnificent. This is actually a relatively rare event. I have gone there some years and there was no appearance of the fiery water fall--the sky was totally cloudy and with that, no sun, with no sun, no magnificent colors. One year it actually rained when it should have been fiery. One year the clouds just began clearing just at sunset and all we got was a paltry stream of yellowish into gold color--no reds. Ah, well--you try. Then, two years in a row, magnificent red fiery fall, so beautiful. Still, these were not the best of the photographs I've seen captured. It is, is some ways, the luck of the draw. In other ways, photography skill. If you purchase the photographer's guide, it will show you various locations in which you can set up for some various shots of the water fall. I have included a few snapshots of my location (showing just how popular it is to shoot...

I had a visit to Yosemite National Park on 2/28/21. I went and used Hwy 140 Merced river in and out. Since Hwy 120 and Hwy 108 are currently closed along with some other roads so make sure to check on the Yosemite/NPS website for current road closures etc. Merced River has a lot of water, wildflowers, I was capturing some images while I was on the way there. The park was mostly empty with few visitors per COVID restrictions. It was great to have most of the trails and vista points to myself. It is a very unique sight, because in the winter months so the air crispy and the Covid restriction makes it so quiet at the same time, it’s very peaceful. One of the world's most beautiful wonders, outstanding, incredible, very powerful place. Snow, rain, water flows, clouds, green trees, deer, birds, etc... amazing. My love ingredient for California nature is completely subdued while I’m in this park. The highlight of my trip was Firefall. It was a stunning show from Mother Nature. In a very short time but I was able to watch Horsetail Fall glows from orange to red at sunset. It incredible show to record some beautiful videos. Memories...