--- description: Each year in February, photographers from around the world descend on Yosemite Valley in hopes of snapping a picture of the "firefall." title: Here's a Stunning Photo of the Yosemite 'Firefall' Phenomenon image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Here's a Stunning Photo of the Yosemite 'Firefall' Phenomenon  by [Megan McCluskey](/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Feb 18, 2016 8:36 PM CUT  by [Megan McCluskey](/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Feb 18, 2016 8:36 PM CUT Each year in February, [photographers](http://time.com/3830528/see-striking-and-colorful-fields-of-dutch-tulips/ "undefined") from around the world [descend on Yosemite Valley](http://time.com/money/3714933/national-parks-free-admission-families/ "undefined") in hopes of snapping a picture of the [national park’s](http://time.com/4228375/most-visited-national-parks-2015/ "undefined") “firefall” phenomenon. The rare sight is the result of the setting sun shining on Horsetail Fall in such a way that the waterfall appears to be aflame. “Every year for two weeks in February, the sun sets at a certain angle that illuminates the waterfall in luminescent orange and red making it look like a liquid fire,” wrote photographer Sangeeta Dey on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/BB30ZLhK7lz/?taken-by=sangeetadeyphotography "undefined"). While the possibility of a “firefall” exists annually, the conditions leading up to the two weeks when it can happen have to be ideal for it to actually occur. “I met photographers who said that they have been coming for 11 years only to see this happen 2 or 3 times,” Dey said. **Read More:** [Watch This Waterfall Flow for the First Time in Centuries](http://time.com/4140056/waterfall-malham-cove-storm-desmond/ "undefined") Luckily, finally seeing the “firefall” seems to be well worth the wait. “When the fall started glowing, I could not believe what I was seeing,” Dey said. “For 10 minutes, all of us sat there mesmerized by this spectacle. When it ended, a few of us had tears in our eyes, while some were clapping , and others were just ecstatic to finally get a chance to see it after trying for years.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4229516/yosemite-firefall-photo/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4229516/yosemite-firefall-photo/"},"headline":"Here's a Stunning Photo of the Yosemite 'Firefall' Phenomenon","datePublished":"2016-02-18T20:36:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:30:15.452Z","description":"\"When the fall started glowing, I could not believe what I was seeing\"","url":"https://time.com/4229516/yosemite-firefall-photo/","keywords":["Newsfeed","nature","National Parks","Yosemite"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4229516/yosemite-firefall-photo/","name":"Here's a Stunning Photo of the Yosemite 'Firefall' Phenomenon"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Yosemite Fire: View From an Air Tanker","description":"Yosemite Fire: View From an Air Tanker","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/miSavKjn/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2013-08-26T18:57:41.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/miSavKjn.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4229516/yosemite-firefall-photo/","duration":"PT1M2S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4229516/yosemite-firefall-photo/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```