‘Firefall’ is back and glowing at Yosemite National Park The natural phenomenon that makes it appear that lava is flowing over a cliff at Yosemite National Park is back, but only for a few days. “Firefall” is the name for the natural magic trick that creates the illusion at the park in California. It comes to life when the setting sun causes light to hit the waterfall at just the right angle. You can only see “Firefall” for a short time in February, and it draws hundreds of visitors each night. How it looks varies from year to year, and relies on how much water is flowing in Horsetail Fall. Vaché Geyoghlian, a photographer from Fresno, California, captured some Instagram-worthy images Monday night. It was his first time photographing the phenomenon. “My reaction was complete amazement,” he told CNN. “I was overwhelmed with excitement to finally get to see it in person AND get some good shots of it too.” “My friend and I got to that specific spot at about 2:00-2:30 p.m. and we were the first ones there,” Geyoghlian said. “That didn’t last long as the entire area filled with hundreds of people looking to witness/photograph the ‘Firefall. '” If you want to capture the yearly spectacle, you have until this weekend before it dissipates. Reservations are not needed, but you should get there early before the park gets crowded. “We have a designated parking area at Yosemite Lodge and visitors walk from there to the viewing areas,” said National Park Service spokesman Scott Gediman. Gediman also cautions that weather has played a factor into viewing this year’s “Firefall.” “With the snow and storm activity recently, it has been hit or miss.” The park does have a 24-hour hotline with information on road and weather conditions: 209-372-0200.<doc-sep>View this post on Instagram Fire Fall! I’ve waited 4 years to get this shot. I can’t describe how mind blowing it was to witness this. ________________________________ Sony α7iii Sony 24-70 2.8 G-Master Tripod: @mefototripods<doc-sep>From December to April in Yosemite National Park, chilly water from melting mountain snow streams toward the eastern edge of El Capitan and forms what's known as Horsetail Falls. The cascade is predictably picturesque within the greater grandeur of one of the country's most stunning national parks. But it becomes truly phenomenal for just a few days in February, when a trick of the light transforms the falling water into a flow of illusory lava. The annual "firefall" effect, as it is called, is happening now at Yosemite and will probably last only through this upcoming weekend, when the tilt of the Earth will shift and disrupt the delicate balance of factors that creates the fiery specter. View this post on Instagram A post shared by David Gaiz ? (@davegaiz) on Feb 20, 2019 at 5:01am PST The annual occurrence draws nature fiends and photographers from around the globe into the cold for an opportunity to glimpse the mesmerizing, red-orange glow. The "firefall" phenomenon generally lasts seven to 10 days in late February - but the show is never guaranteed. "There's always a lot of different factors," said park ranger and public affairs officer Scott Gediman, who has worked at Yosemite for 23 years and witnessed countless "firefalls" there. "It's a hit-and-miss kind of thing." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Felipe (@the_lost_coast) on Feb 17, 2019 at 9:20pm PST For the "firefall" to work, numerous natural occurrences have to sync up. There must be snow in Yosemite, and the temperature must be warm enough to melt that snow and create the waterfall, Gediman said. When California experiences drought, the waterfalls don't flow, and Horsetail can't glow. This week, there has been plenty of snowfall to feed the cascade, but even that isn't enough to guarantee a full "firefall" at sunset. Also needed is a cloudless sky - even the slightest haze can diminish the spectacle. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Glenn Lee Robinson (@glennleerobinson) on Feb 19, 2019 at 7:55am PST And finally, the setting sun must align just so with the falls, so that as it dips toward the horizon, its warm glow is reflected onto the running water and projected to our eyes as lava-like. "The angle of the sun is really what's the key to it," Gediman said, similar to the way a brilliant blue sky reflecting on a lake can make it appear brilliant blue, too, or a tropical sunrise can cast a pink-purple sheen upon the shoreline. Even when all those conditions are just right - the snow, the sun, the sky - the evening "firefalls" at Horsetail Falls last no more than 10 minutes. Because of snowfall or dangerous weather, it can at times be difficult to access the falls in the narrow time frame nature allots for its grand show. But when visitors choose to make the journey, Gediman said, they are rarely disappointed. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mark Bouldoukian ???? (@markian.b) on Feb 19, 2019 at 6:35am PST "It's a really fun atmosphere," he said. "It's a challenge. People walk out there, they get their spot, they hope it happens." On Tuesday night, Gediman said, he accompanied a local TV news crew to a lookout spot alongside some of the estimated 400 people who had also turned up to watch. There were visitors from England, India and Argentina. Some came as early as 8 am to stake out their perch. People swapped camera lens information in anticipation of the glow. "For me, as a longtime national park ranger, I just thought to myself: 'This is cool,' " he said. "It's special." The naturally occurring "firefall" has been compared to a man-made one that was once a staple experience at Yosemite long before it become a national park. From atop another high perch in the valley, Glacier Point, visitors could sit around a large, roaring campfire until evening fell. Then, at 9 pm every night, a "fire caller" in the village of Curry far below would shout up to the those atop Glacier point, and they would shout back. The fire caller would yell "let the fire fall," and the glowing embers from the campfire would be thrown from the cliff's edge. But in 1968, after nearly a century of the ritual, the National Park Service banned the man-made firefall. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Johnny Kim Photography (@johnnykimphotography) on Feb 19, 2019 at 9:57pm PST Today, with the help of social media's popularizing ways, Yosemite visitors are instead delighted by the naturally occurring "firefall" that visits Horsetail Falls each winter - given all the right circumstances. "That's what it's all about," Gediman said. 2019 © The Washington Post This article was originally published by The Washington Post.<doc-sep>CLICK HERE if you are having a problem viewing the photos or video on a mobile device It’s that time of the year, when nature blows your mind in the middle of Yosemite National Park. The so-called “Firefall” is on display this week, a natural phenomenon where reflected sunlight makes Horsetail Fall light up like a glowing lava flow. It’s happening right now, but it won’t last long. You can join hundreds of other Firefall admirers at the park, but you’ll need to hurry up. Related Articles Insider’s Guide to Yosemite: Everything you need to know about the park 4 Yosemite adventures in Groveland, Hetch Hetchy and more The show, of course, is a dream-come-true for every photographer lucky enough to make the trip. Sangeeta Dey told CNN that this week marked his third visit to witness the magic light show; despite the waterfall’s flow reduced by the recent freezing temperatures, he said, “it was one of the most beautiful ones I have seen because of surrounding snow. It felt like fire in a frozen kingdom.” Dey is one in a long line of photographers and videographers who have captured the Firefall’s stunning imagery. Here are a few video examples: Tom Bricker, a veteran Yosemite photographer, offered up some background to Travel Caffeine about the Firefall: “Before I get to my tips for photographing Yosemite National Park’s Firefall, how about some background? The Firefall was made famous by Galen Rowell, who in his memoir Mountain Light detailed his scramble to photograph the Firefall when he spotted it in February 1973. Rowell’s Last Light on Horsetail Fall is the first known photo of the Firefall, and endures to this day as one of the most iconic photos in landscape photography. “Ironically enough, 1973 did not mark the first photo of a firefall in Yosemite National Park, just the first photo of the natural phenomenon. From 1872 until 1968, burning garbage was dumped from the top of Glacier Point to Yosemite Valley’s floor 3,000 feet below, which looked like a waterfall of fire (in reality, a flaming garbage-fall, but who’s keeping score?). This fire-fall occurred nightly at 9 p.m. in the summer, and was held by Glacier Point Hotel. In fitting irony, Glacier Point Hotel was destroyed by fire in 1969, and has not been rebuilt.” And here are some of Bricker’s tips for shooting the spectacle:<doc-sep>
Mesmerising pictures have captured the incredible moment a waterfall glowed red and orange like fire thanks to a combination of conditions perfectly aligning. From December to April in Yosemite National Park, water from melting mountain snow flows to the eastern edge of famous vertical rock El Capitan and forms what’s known as Horsetail Falls. If the sun’s rays hit Horsetail Falls at the perfect angle the water turns into what’s known as a ‘firefall’. Yosemite’s Horsetail Falls turns into a firefall at sunset on February 18 (Picture: Reuters) Photographer Connor Morris went out on a 27 hour mission to capture the firefall on camera (Picture: Reuters) The firefall phenomenon happens annually in February and was first spotted and photographed on Monday but is not expected to last past the weekend. So rare is the sight, many of those who managed to catch a glimpse and take a picture this time around said they had been waiting years to spot it. Harry takes new swipe at royals saying families feel 'shame' over mental health The waterfall doesn’t flow all year round and some years, if there has been a drought in California, it doesn’t appear at all. It’s also a ‘blink-and-you’ll-miss-it’ event, with many who spotted the firefall this week saying it lasted mere minutes. When the tilt of the Earth shifts again it will disrupt the delicate balance of factors that create the red-orange glowing stream of light. The waterfall appears to look like flowing lava but is actually a trick of the sunlight (Picture: Reuters) Photographers have waited years to see the phenomenon (Picture: Reuters) The firefall is not expected to return after the weekend (Picture: Reuters) The firefall only appears when a series of factors come into play (Picture: Reuters) Connor Morris took a snap of the amazing and rare sight, saying he set off on a 27 hour mission with no sleep to capture it on camera. Photographer David Gaiz also took mesmerising pictures of the waterfall looking like molten lava – managing to see it twice on 18 and 19 February. ‘I’ve tried for years to see the firefall in Yosemite but haven’t had luck until last night,’ he posted on Tuesday. Manchester City and Chelsea fans fight on streets ahead of Champions League final ‘Now I’ve seen it twice in two nights, go figure.’ A firefall is never guaranteed, as park ranger Scott Gediman – who has worked at Yosemite for 23 years – told the Washington Post. ‘There’s always a lot of different factors,’ he said. ‘It’s a hit-and-miss kind of thing.’