‘Vibrancy everywhere.’ Yosemite fall colors come with rushing waterfalls this autumn
Fall colors are on full display in Yosemite National Park, making early November a great time for an autumn trip to the popular park in California.
“You need to go, like now,” photographer Glenn Lee Robinson said.
He described the fall colors – predominately yellows and oranges from maples and black oaks, and some reds from dogwoods – as at 98% peak condition when he was in the park Monday.
Yosemite’s fall colors come with a special treat this year: More water rushing through waterfalls from big storms last month. Robinson said Yosemite’s best-known waterfalls, Yosemite Falls and Bridalveil Fall, are still going strong.
Don’t expect to see the rare autumn ‘firefall’
Others recently got a glimpse of a rare autumn “firefall,” where ephemeral Horsetail Fall glows in the setting sun. The Yosemite phenomenon, normally reserved for February, also made an October appearance thanks to the recent atmospheric river that brought the waterfall back to life. The sun hits Yosemite Valley at roughly the same angle in October as February, but Horsetail Fall is normally dry then, yosemitefirefall.com reported.
Robinson expects the window to see it this year is gone. He didn’t look for it during his last Yosemite visit because it was cloudy. Yosemite National Park hasn’t shared information about the rare autumn firefall.
What do fall colors look like now in Yosemite Valley?
Robinson said most of the deciduous tree leaves in Yosemite have already changed color, but that some still need to undergo the transformation.
“Nov. 1 is about the right time, there’s vibrancy everywhere,” Robinson said of the colors. He urged those wanting to see it to go this week. Some leaves are already blowing off trees.
Yosemite officials wrote on the park’s website that it’s hard to predict when colors will peak in Yosemite, which depends on light and weather.
“Usually in late October,” park rangers said, “and, generally, lingering until the first heavy winter storms or hard frosts often in early December.”
The colors aren’t as vibrant as Robinson remembers last year, but this autumn comes with far more water. Many Yosemite waterfalls normally appear nearly dry in the fall.
“The Merced River is flowing at roughly ten times its average for this day of the year,” an Oct. 28 NPS Facebook post reads, “and the sun is filling the forest with dappled orange, yellow, pink, and the remaining green. Water and Fall at the same time, it’s ok to feel a little spoiled this year.”
See the fall conditions yourself in the following social media posts featuring more Yosemite photos:
This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 5:55 PM with the headline "‘Vibrancy everywhere.’ Yosemite fall colors come with rushing waterfalls this autumn."
