Free Republic

Every year from mid- to late February, the setting sun hits Yosemite’s Horsetail Fall along the eastern edge of the soaring El Capitan at just the right angle, creating the illusion that the 1,575-foot waterfall is on fire. This Yosemite National Park phenomenon, aka “firefall,” is ultra-popular, and this year is expected to be even more crowded. For the first time since 2021, park reservations are not required to visit Yosemite during firefall. The past 12 months have been tumultuous for the National Park Service, with a 43-day government shutdown, changing free-entry days, and price increases. Now, its rangers will...

A 19-year-old hiker who tragically drowned in a Utah waterfall and accidentally filmed her own death has been identified. Cynthia Ann Grimwood of Springville went hiking with her dog around 3 pm on Friday afternoon at Horsetail Falls in Alpine, and was swept away in the fast moving current after falling into the swollen river. Two hikers found a small dog and her cell phone that captured the teen walking into the water before she disappeared, the Utah County Sheriff Sgt. Spencer Cannon told KSL.com. The water level was 'abnormally high' that day and officials have called the young woman's...