Yosemite National Park has announced the policies that will be in effect for viewing the Firefall at Horsetail Falls in February 2026. Due to the popularity of this stunning natural phenomenon, restrictions and reservation requirements have been in effect the last several years. However, there will be NO reservations required on any dates in February […]
Yosemite National Park’s Firefall at Horsetail Fall is a natural phenomenon visible in winter. This viewing guide offers info & tips from my experiences, best dates & locations, reservation requirements, parking restrictions, California snowfall & more. (Updated January 14, 2026.) First, you can read about my last photography attempt in Firefall Snowy Weekend Photo Report from […]
This year, I opted to visit Yosemite National Park during “Firefall Season” over Presidents’ Day Weekend. In this post, I’ll share my Horsetail Falls photos, plus commentary and tips for those planning on shooting the Firefall this year or in the future. Note that while this offers advice, it’s not comprehensive. For that, refer to […]
The Ahwahnee Hotel is the flagship National Park lodge at Yosemite National Park, designed with a blend of rustic architecture and luxury. It’s a National Historic Landmark that was designed by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood. The Ahwahnee was temporarily renamed the Majestic Yosemite Hotel three years ago due to a legal dispute between the National Park […]
Yosemite National Park is quite possibly the most beautiful location in all of California (or even the United States) with great options for photography ranging from unique mountains to rivers to waterfalls to even gorgeous lodging. It’s truly an oasis for landscape photographers, and it’s no surprise that it draws us in herds. If you’ve […]
For today’s 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service, I wanted to share a hike I made over the weekend to the “Diving Board” in Yosemite National Park, a spot made famous by Ansel Adams’ “Monolith” photo. This location stands a stone’s throw from the face of Half Dome, offering a close-up view of that […]
We left off Part 1 of the Cathedral Lakes Hike Report with our heroes faced with a dilemma that could* have a ripple effect that would impact the fate of mankind: scramble up the mountain for a higher sunset vantage, or stay at ground level to run around like chickens with their heads cut off, […]
John Muir Trail is a popular hike in Yosemite National Park, and the trail actually runs from Yosemite Valley all the way to Mount Whitney. My photo trekking buddy Bill and I hadn’t done anything crazy in a while, so when he emailed me suggesting we make the hike to Upper Cathedral Lake in Yosemite […]
Part 1 of my Pacific Coast Highway Trip Report left off with a nail-biting shootout with a squad of FBI agents, and left readers wondering whether our heroes would escape in a blaze of glory. Okay, that’s not quite what happened, but on our way up from Shark Fin Cove, we were stopped by two […]
If you’ve ever been to Yosemite National Park, you’re probably familiar with Tunnel View. It’s the iconic view in Yosemite, the place where everyone stops for a photo. It’s an incredibly cliched photo, but as I often stress, many photographic cliches are that way for a reason: because they are awesome. There’s no denying that Tunnel View […]