February's 'Firefall' at Horsetail Fall & Visiting Yosemite in Winter (Badger Pass & Ice Rink)

While summer brings the biggest crowds, winter in Yosemite Valley (December through March) is a photographer's dream: sitting at 1,200 metres elevation, the Valley floor stays open 365 days a year with snow-frosted meadows, morning mist on the Merced River, 50% fewer visitors, and for two weeks every mid-to-late February, one of the rarest optical illusions in nature.

1. How the Natural February 'Horsetail Fall Firefall' Works (Mid-to-Late February)

From 1872 until 1968, hoteliers at Glacier Point pushed a bonfire of glowing tree-bark embers off the cliff at night to create a man-made 'Firefall'. In 1973 photographer Galen Rowell captured a natural 'Firefall' on the eastern edge of El Capitan. For two weeks between 10 February and 28 February, when three natural conditions align at sunset, the setting sun shines through the narrow western canyon gap at the exact angle to backlight 480-metre Horsetail Fall, turning the falling water into a glowing ribbon of orange and red liquid lava against the shadow of El Capitan.

• Conditions Needed & February Weekend Reservations: there must be snowpack atop El Capitan and warm afternoon temperatures to melt it so Horsetail Fall is flowing, plus a clear western sky at sunset. Because thousands gather along Northside Drive (a 2.4 km walk from Yosemite Falls parking), the park requires a weekend vehicle reservation in mid-to-late February on recreation.gov.

2. Three Atmospheric Winter Activities in Yosemite (December to March)

1. Outdoor Ice Skating Under Half Dome at Curry Village (Since 1928): lace up rented skates on an outdoor rink looking straight up at the 1,000-metre granite walls of Half Dome and Glacier Point, with a fire pit beside the ice.
2. Badger Pass Ski Area (California's Oldest Ski Resort, 1935, Along Glacier Point Road): while Glacier Point Road closes beyond Badger Pass in winter, the first 9 kilometres are ploughed daily so you can ski, snow-tube or rent snowshoes and cross-country skis to hike along the snow-covered road to Dewey Point.
3. Mandatory Winter Tyre-Chain Law: from November to March, every car (even 4WD or AWD) entering Yosemite is legally required to carry tyre chains in the boot in case a storm hits (enter via low-elevation Highway 140 through El Portal).