Horsetail Fall (Yosemite)
Encyclopedia
Horsetail Fall, located in Yosemite National Park
in California
, is a seasonal waterfall
that flows in the winter and early spring. The fall occurs on the east side of El Capitan
. There are a few days every February where this fall is lit up by the setting sun and reflects a bright orange.
This waterfall descends in two streams side by side, the eastern one being the larger, but both quite small. The eastern one drops 470 m (1,542 ft) and the western one 480 m (1,574.8 ft), the highest fully airborne waterfall in Yosemite that runs at some point every year. The waters then gather and descend another 150 m (492.1 ft) on steep slabs, so the total height of these waterfalls is 620 m (2,034.1 ft) to 630 m (2,066.9 ft). The image shown here is taken during a brief time during the winter, near 21 February at sunset, made famous by Galen Rowell's photograph.
The fall is best seen and photographed from a small clearing close to the picnic area on the north road leading out of Yosemite Valley east of El Capitan.
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, is a seasonal waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
that flows in the winter and early spring. The fall occurs on the east side of El Capitan
El Capitan
El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.The formation was...
. There are a few days every February where this fall is lit up by the setting sun and reflects a bright orange.
This waterfall descends in two streams side by side, the eastern one being the larger, but both quite small. The eastern one drops 470 m (1,542 ft) and the western one 480 m (1,574.8 ft), the highest fully airborne waterfall in Yosemite that runs at some point every year. The waters then gather and descend another 150 m (492.1 ft) on steep slabs, so the total height of these waterfalls is 620 m (2,034.1 ft) to 630 m (2,066.9 ft). The image shown here is taken during a brief time during the winter, near 21 February at sunset, made famous by Galen Rowell's photograph.
The fall is best seen and photographed from a small clearing close to the picnic area on the north road leading out of Yosemite Valley east of El Capitan.