Every winter Yosemite National Park becomes the stage for one of nature’s most riveting optical illusions: a magnificent waterfall that for a brief moment appears to be made of pure golden fire.

Known as the Yosemite firefall, the annual event has fascinated visitors for decades—and this year viewers no longer need a reservation to witness the shining spectacle in person. Though park officials have predicted February 10 through 26, 2026 as this year’s best days to see the firefall at Horsetail Fall, heavy snow and inclement weather haven’t cooperated so far. Be sure to check current conditions and park closures before heading out to attempt a glimpse of the magical view for yourself.

Here’s the science behind Yosemite firefall—and how it got its name from a man-made “firefall” that helped make the national park one of the most famous places on Earth.

What is the Yosemite Firefall?

The Yosemite firefall takes place every February, thanks to melting snow, the angle of the evening light, and a bit of natural trickery. As spring approaches and snow melts along the high peaks of the Sierra Nevada, water begins flowing downhill. This brings to life ephemeral waterfalls—waterfalls that only appear seasonally—like Horsetail Fall, a winter waterfall that cascades down the face of Yosemite’s famous El Capitan rock formation near the park’s western end.

In the right conditions—when there’s enough water to fuel the falls, clear skies, and sunset light hitting El Capitan—the waterfall appears backlit by the setting sun. For about 10 minutes each afternoon, viewers below can spot the spectacular sight of a seemingly fiery flow before the sun sets, and it fades away for another day.

The phenomenon has likely been visible for thousands of years, but a 1973 photo of the fiery falls taken by wildlife photographer Galen Rowell is credited with bringing the “firefall” nationwide fame. These days, a shot of the February firefall is coveted by professional and amateur photographers alike—and the sight attracts thousands of visitors to the park every February.

The history of the manmade Yosemite Firefall

Long before the natural firefall gained nationwide fame in 1973, Yosemite visitors were already gathering for a different kind of fiery display—a manmade spectacle begun in 1872 that would eventually lend the natural phenomenon its name.

The manmade “firefall” was actually a bonfire designed to entrance tourists. The practice was reportedly established in the 1870s by James MacCaulay, an Irish settler and early Yosemite tourism worker who built and operated a toll road from the Yosemite Valley to Glacier Point, a 7,214-foot granite peak that lay above the valley. In an attempt to draw in and entertain a growing number of tourists to Yosemite Valley, MacCaulay started a tradition of pushing the remnants of a large bonfire from the top of Glacier Point at night to entertain viewers below. It remains unclear whether MacCaulay was aware of the natural phenomenon at Horsetail Fall, which occurs under narrow February conditions and likely went largely unnoticed before modern photography.

Eventually, the firefall ritual took on a consistent shape. Workers atop Glacier Point would light a bonfire of pine bark atop the mountain at night, then throw the red-hot coals down the precipice in the wee hours of the morning after an elaborate call-and-response with David Curry, who owned a popular campground below. After exchanging loud, echoing greetings with the flamekeepers above, Curry would instruct them to “let the fire fall!” Workers on the peak would then throw the coals off the ledge in a continuous stream that looked like a fiery river to spectators below.

But the firefall eventually became a victim of its own popularity. Known nationwide as one of the park’s most spectacular sights, the firefall attracted hundreds of thousands of tourists in automobiles from the 1920s on. As people flocked to Yosemite, overcrowding began to affect animals and the landscape itself, leading to debates on how best to balance tourism with conservation inside the park.

Eventually, the environmental destruction wrought by would-be firefall viewers became such a problem that officials decided to stop the practice. The firefall came to an end in 1968 after 97 years. “It is a kind of travesty on nature to push glowing embers over the cliff when Yosemite provides such great natural spectacles,” assistant park superintendent David Condon told the Associated Press at the time. When Rowell and other Yosemite photographers published stunning images of the waterfall effect beginning in the 1970s, they noted the phenomenon’s similarity to the beloved but discontinued manmade tradition.

The manmade firefall has been gone for decades, but the one nature created can still be spotted annually when conditions are right. Clear skies and a viewing angle from beneath El Capitan are needed to get a glimpse of the phenomenon. Viewers can spot the firefall from a designated viewing area at El Capitan Picnic Area in Yosemite Valley, a three-mile walk from the popular Yosemite Valley Lodge near the base of Yosemite Falls.

Though in past years would-be viewers had to secure park reservations to access the best spots to view and photograph the natural firefall, reservations are not required in 2026. Want to see the firefall for yourself? Be ready for chilly conditions and a hike—and a truly spectacular view.

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How to see the Yosemite firefall—one of nature’s greatest optical illusions