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Brave: The Fire Waterfalls



Is it true? Does the Fire Waterfall really exist? Why is it called that? These are the questions that I asked myself when I saw the first two or three scenes of ‘Brave’... And I’m here to answer those questions. 
Yes, the Waterfall really exists, and it’s called the “Horsetail Fall”, a seasonal waterfall that flows in the  winter and early spring. Unlike what we see in the movie, this waterfall is not located in Scotland, but in the east side of El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, California.
The “Horsetail Fall” is also known as the “Firefall” because of a beautiful optical illusion that takes place here only a few days in the year. Around the second week of February, the setting sun hits Horsetail Fall at just the right angle to illuminate the upper reaches of the waterfall. And when conditions are perfect, Horsetail Fall glows orange and red at sunset. These ‘Perfect Conditions’ are:
  1. First and foremost, Horsetail Fall must be flowing. This depends on the amount of snowpack in February, which has to be enough to turn to water and feed the waterfall, and the temperatures, that must be warm enough during the day to melt the snowpack.
  2. Second, the western sky must be clear at sunset. If it’s cloudy the sun’s rays will be blocked and Horsetail Falls will not light up.
If everything comes together and conditions are just right, the Yosemite Firefall will light up for about ten minutes, as if fire were falling from the top of the cliffs. To see Horsetail Fall glowing blood red is an almost supernatural experience.
In February of 2018, the park service started a program, creating a restricted zone from Yosemite Valley Lodge to El Capitan Crossover because of the large number of cars that blocked the passage. This zone offers some of the best views of Horsetail Fall.
If you want to enter the restricted zone, you can do it on foot, or you can obtain a special permit to park in the area. This permit is free, but there are only 300 permits per day (250 permits online and 50 first-come, first-served), that you can buy the first days of February.

Photograph by @Jay Huang
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