For just a few more days, if the conditions are exactly right, visitors may still be able to catch a glimpse of the ethereal “moonbows” at Yosemite National Park. These magical arcs of color in the waterfall spray are also known as “night rainbows” or “lunar rainbows,” and will only be visible with the light of June’s full Strawberry Moon. As full moonlight coincides with the end of Yosemite’s peak waterfall season, the last chance to see moonbows this year is through Friday, June 13, 2025.
What is a moonbow?
Each spring, subtle moonbows appear in the waterfall spray at Yosemite National Park, but only if several key conditions align: a clear evening, a full moon, abundant water in the falls, sufficient darkness, and the perfect angle, among several others.
John Muir himself once compared viewing the moonbows to a religious experience, describing them as a “grand arc of color, glowing in mild, shapely beauty.”
When and where will the moonbows be visible in Yosemite this year?
Nature photographers flock to Yosemite for a chance to capture the moonbows on camera. Brian Hawkins is one such photographer, and he maintains a website dedicated to predicting ideal conditions for moonbow viewing. Hawkins’ experience as a mechanical engineer allows him to create highly accurate 3D simulations, which help to predict the phenomenon each year at Yosemite’s Lower Falls, Upper Falls, and Glacier Point.
Hawkins has predicted the 2025 moonbows from April 10-15, May 9-14, and now June 7-13. “I expect the flow rate of the waterfalls to start drying up quickly through June,” he writes. “May was probably the better month for moonbows in that regard, but June should still look good.” He does not predict moonbows in July.
How can I see a moonbow?
Moonbows are much harder to see than rainbows, given that the sun is about 400,000 times brighter than the moon. While the dim arcs of the moonbows may appear colorless at first, Hawkins explains that you must give your eyes some time to adjust, and you’ll eventually pick up on the spectrum of colors. However, the moonbows will never be as vivid to the human eye as they are on camera.
You can learn more about moonbows, 2025 predictions, camera settings, and much more at Hawkins’ Yosemite Moonbow website. For additional information, check out Yosemite’s Moonbow Viewing Guide.
Before you go, read our article about Yosemite reservations for 2025 to avoid confusion at the entrance.