California
Horsetail Fall
69 mi from Fresno · ~2.0 hr drive · Seasonal flow
1,542ft tall
≈ 470 m
≈ 470 m
Horsetail Fall is a named waterfall in California — a major waterfall standing 1,542 feet tall, about 69 miles from Fresno, CA. Full visit details below.
- State
- California
- Nearest city
- Fresno, CA · 69 mi · ~2.0 hr drive
- Height
- 1,542 ft (470 m)
- Elevation
- 6,152 ft (1875 m)
- Coordinates
- 37.7313°, -119.6282°
- Seasonal flow
- Yes
From Wikipedia: 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. If Horsetail Fall is flowing in February and the weather conditions are just right, the setting sun illuminates the waterfall, making it glow orange and red. This natural phenomenon is often referred to as the "Firefall", a name that pays homage to Yosemite Firefall, the manmade event that once took place in Yosemite. Excerpt from the Wikipedia article on Horsetail Fall (Yosemite), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Visiting Horsetail Fall
The exact location is at 37.7313°, -119.6282° — open in Google Maps for driving directions from your location.
Before you go: check current conditions with the appropriate land manager — state parks department, U.S. Forest Service ranger district, or National Park Service unit. Trail access, parking, water levels, and seasonal closures all vary. Several waterfalls in our database are seasonal and may run dry between mid-summer and the next rainy season.
If you've visited Horsetail Fall and have current notes (parking situation, dog policy, seasonality, kid-friendliness), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn more.
Stay nearby
Driving in? The nearest documented metro is Fresno, CA — 69 miles away (~2.0 hr drive).
See accommodation in Fresno on Booking.com →
RoamFound earns a small commission if you book through this link, at no extra cost to you. How we handle affiliate links.
Other waterfalls within 30 miles
Ribbon Fall
1 miles from Horsetail Fall · 1,612 ft
Bridalveil Fall
1 miles from Horsetail Fall · 617 ft
Sentinel Fall
2 miles from Horsetail Fall · 1,936 ft
Lower Yosemite Fall
2 miles from Horsetail Fall · 322 ft
Middle Cascades
2 miles from Horsetail Fall · 676 ft
Upper Yosemite Fall
2 miles from Horsetail Fall · 1,444 ft
Sources
Location and tag data for Horsetail Fall comes from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL license) ; the Wikipedia article linked above provides additional history. We do not modify the underlying data — this page presents what's already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page or contact us.