Horsetail Fire Falls in Yosemite Park – photo, description, history, map
If you re-read the description of landscapes in the works of Russian and foreign classics, you will notice that most of them are associated with sunlight, regardless of the time of day. “In the rays of the morning sun, everything seemed pink… Pre-sunset rays were painted with a crimson glow… the tops of the forest… The midday sun gave a silvery haze.” – such verbal sketches are often found in Turgenev, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Zweig, D. London. They capture the amazing property of sunlight to change the color of surrounding objects, making them either menacingly gloomy, or sadly dull, or elegantly festive and delightful. But sometimes it can transform the environment beyond recognition with its bizarre game, as happened in the American natural reserve Yosemite, California with a waterfall,
The history of the discovery of the waterfall
This waterfall was first seen by an inquisitive mountainous explorer, Joseph Walker, who, together with a group of travelers, made the transition through the Sierra Nevada in 1883. On the western slopes of the mountain range of the same name, there is the El Capitan rock, which attracts climbers with its height (2307m) above sea level and with varying degrees of difficult routes. During his stay in these places, the researcher discovered on the eastern slope of the rock a small cascade of water falling from a great height in two streams located at different levels. But then he could not have imagined that he had discovered one of the six highest unique waterfalls in America, which would later be called the “ponytail” for its bifurcation. It is not known whether Walker was able to see the waterfall during the moments of “burning” or not, but history captured him as the discoverer of the “Horsetail”.
You can read more about Yosemite Park on our website Yosemite Park, USA.
There are many reservoirs on the territory of the National Park, but this one is of particular interest to millions of tourists not only because of its unusual shape and height. For several days in February, it becomes fiery, giving the impression of pouring molten blast-furnace lava, or of a continuous fiery flame. The spectacle of a “burning” waterfall is so unusual and amazing that crowds of tourists, photographers and artists have been coming here for these few days. It is impossible to take your eyes off the unique landscape, its somewhat eerie beauty fascinates, giving rise to thoughts about the mysterious forces of nature. Probably, the ancient Indians, seeing the waterfall at that time, attributed its “burning” to the forces of angry spirits, because it is really scary to see the flowing red-hot fire.
The secret of the “fiery” waterfall
However, there is a very real explanation for this: the jets become fiery red not at any time of the day, but at sunset. It is on certain days of February that the sunset rays fall on the rocks at such an angle that their reflections color the water jets, turning them into fiery streams and creating such a fantastically unrealistic picture.
“Horsetail” falls in two streams; one of them descends from a height of 480 meters, the other from 650 meters, and this further enhances the illusion of fire sliding over the rocks. Yosemite National Park covers 3081 sq. km., which are occupied by picturesque mountains, thousands of lakes and ponds, many small rivers and two large ones; this area is a real paradise for wildlife lovers, climbers, biologists and zoologists. But according to statistics, the Yosemite Valley, on which the “burning” waterfall is located, gathers the largest number of curious people. A huge number of photographs, sketches and paintings have already been made, video films have been shot; the whole world has learned about this phenomenon, and now people from all countries come here to see with their own eyes the terrible beauty of the mysterious place.
“Horse tail” for tourists
The most convenient place for observation is the Glacier Point site, which allows you to perfectly view the opening panorama of the “fiery” tail. The high masses of wild rocks surrounding it give this vision an extraordinary mystery, create an aura of divinity. It seems that the flaming streak, overthrown from above, leads to some unknown depth, which no one can comprehend, just as it is not given to command the indisputable laws of nature, which can be explained, but from this they do not cease to amaze with their unexpected shocking metamorphoses. Faced with the manifestations of such natural physical phenomena, you forget about any scientific nature and you don't consider them otherwise than a miracle, not to mention the wild tribes of distant ancestors. One can only imagine how shocked the ancient Indians were when they first saw the “burning” waterfall; what an ecstatic horror seized them.
Civilized modern people, although they know that the Spirits have nothing to do with it, but also freeze from enthusiastic fear, looking at this “pouring” fire. a meteor that broke away from the sun itself. A glance from a position opposite sees it like a narrow orange ribbon, accidentally caught on the stone giants and firmly hooked on the ledge; it seems that the wind has already tousled her into long tatters, but she still continues to tremble with a bright long shred.
The rest of the time, the waterfall no longer represents such a super spectacle, but the height of the cascade and its funny outlines continue to amaze and attract tourists here. The whole valley in any season will present many interesting surprises, the main of which is the February landscape of a unique waterfall.
Recommended reading The most beautiful waterfalls in the world.