California’s Yosemite National Park is known for its awe-inspiring waterfalls, and one of them exhibiting a rare natural phenomenon you’re unlikely to find anywhere else.
For two weeks in February, the park’s Horsetail Fall, which sits on the eastern edge of El Capitan and only flows in the late winter and early spring, comes alive with an orange glow that makes it appear as though a ribbon of fire is flowing down the cliffs.
When the setting sun strikes the waterfall, it creates a deep orange light, illuminating the waterfall to create a breathtaking illusion known as a “firefall.”
The phenomenon requires clear skies and enough earlier snowfall for the water to flow. Millions of visitors visit the park during this time to view it.
The park used to actually create firefalls in the late 1800s by building a fire near the edge of Glacier Point and pushing large piles of coals off of the edge to create the illusion of a flowing fire stream.
That tourist attraction was eventually stopped due to fire hazards, but the natural phenomenon has kept the tradition going today.