Witness Cali’s great falls of fireYosemite National Park, USA
All four elements of ancient Greek astrology align at the sheer granite monolith of El Capitan, in Yosemite National Park. Water from melting snow and rain courses across the earth, tumbling into the air as it reaches the edge, where it transforms into a blazing stream of fire. Or so it appears.
For just a few minutes a day over a couple of weeks during February, rays from the sinking sun catch on the seasonal Horsetail Fall, sending a dazzling gold thread plunging more than 450 metres into the valley below. Pack a Thermos, pull on gloves and a woolly hat and make for the picnic area, which offers the best views of the falls. You won’t be alone – shutterbugs have been flowing here since National Geographic photographer Galen Rowell snapped the phenomenon back in 1973.
Fly into Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). From here, it’s around a five-hour drive to Yosemite National Park. If you’re staying in a city further north, like San Francisco, the drive will take around to three-and-a-half hours.
Yosemite National Park
yosemite.com