Horsetail Fall, Yosemite National Park, California, USA Feb 21, 2024

Horsetail Fall, Yosemite National Park, California, USA

Fancy witnessing a fiery waterfall? What might sound like an oxymoron can be found at Yosemite National Park! Horsetail Fall is a seasonal waterfall that flows during the winter and early spring months when there has been ample snowfall and a subsequent temperature warm enough to melt it. For a couple of weeks in February, if skies are clear, water is flowing and the sun shines at just the right angle, the long, slender waterfall takes on a glowing, flame-hued appearance. Hundreds gather in Yosemite Valley to observe this mesmerising natural occurrence, to the point where finding a space to watch from can be a challenge. This phenomenon has earned the moniker "firefall," an homage to the historic Yosemite Firefall, a manmade event that was organized in the park from 1872 to 1968.

© Gregory B Cuvelier/Shutterstock

palette

Today in History

Feb 21, 2025Champaka Sarasi, Shivamogga, Karnataka, India
Feb 21, 2026Red fox, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, United States

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Mar 7, 2025Plum blossoms, China
Jun 13, 2025Vila Franca Islet, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal
Aug 11, 2024Wooden path to Kennedy Lake, Vancouver Island, Canada
May 4, 2024The ruins of an ancient monastery, Skellig Michael, Ireland
Aug 29, 2023American bison
Apr 11, 2024Dragon waterfall, Venezuela
Mar 22, 2024Blue Spring, Te Waihou Walkway, New Zealand
Mar 23, 2024Large anvil clouds, Amazon, Brazil
Aug 24, 2025European fallow deer, England
Feb 2, 2026Alpine marmots, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria
Oct 8, 2023Veined octopus
Mar 21, 2024Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda
Jan 31, 2024Burchells zebras
Apr 1, 2026Japanese tree frog in a pink morning glory
Jul 1, 2024Fisgard Lighthouse, Colwood, British Columbia, Canada
Jul 12, 2024Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, USA
Jun 28, 2025Mannheim Water Tower, Germany
Oct 18, 2024Central Park, New York, United States
Jun 21, 2024Reticulated giraffes
Mar 24, 2024Silvereyes, South Korea
Aug 6, 2024Molokini crater, Maui, Hawaii, USA
Apr 16, 2026Skagit Valley Tulip Fields, Washington, United States
Oct 18, 2023Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, USA
Apr 25, 2026Galápagos penguins swimming, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Apr 17, 2025Andean cocks-of-the-rock, Ecuador
June 12, 2026European bee-eater, Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, Cádiz, Spain
Feb 19, 2024Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain
Oct 29, 2025Ancient til trees in Fanal Forest, Madeira, Portugal
Jun 30, 2025Wolfe Creek Crater, Australia
Apr 14, 2025Atlantic spotted dolphins near Santa Maria Island, Azores, Portugal