Yosemite firefall marvels visitors despite heavy snow Sunset phenomenon at national park's Horsetail waterfall still dr

[Brother Buzz]

1. Used to be, there was the summertime Yosemite Firefall

The Yosemite Firefall was a summertime event in which burning embers were pushed from Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park to the valley 3,000 feet (900 m) below. This event has been replaced by viewing Horsetail Fall on El Capitan in February, when the setting sun illuminates the waterfall and casts a warm, fiery glow resembling a cascade of


Long-exposure photograph of the Firefall taken from the Ahwahnee Meadow

The owners of the Glacier Point Hotel conducted the firefall. History has it that David Curry, founder of Camp Curry, would stand at the base of the fall, and yell "Let the fire fall," each night as a signal to start pushing the embers. The firefalls were performed at 9 p.m. seven nights a week as the final act of a performance at Camp Curry.

The historic Firefall ended in January 1968, when National Park Service director George B. Hartzog ordered it to stop because the overwhelming number of visitors trampled the meadows, and because it was not a natural event. The NPS wanted to preserve the valley, returning it to its natural state. The Glacier Point Hotel was destroyed by fire 18 months later and was not rebuilt.