Death Valley National Park Partially Reopens After Flooding

Visitors are once again welcome in Death Valley National Park after it suffered its longest-ever closure due to floods. However, it is only a partial reopening with some entrances still closed. Basically, the park, which sits over California and Nevada, has reopened the CA-190 road. This means visitors can now enter the park from the west via Lone Pine, and from the east via the Death Valley Junction entrance.

Death Valley National Park partially reopens

According to officials, while the CA-190 road is now open, allowing visitors to enter via Lone Pine and the Death Valley Junction entrance, all other entrances to the park remain closed.

It was back in August that the Death Valley National Park received more than 2 inches of rain in one day. According to the NPS, this is more than the area normally gets in an entire year. Meanwhile, the deluge of rain caused widespread flooding, washing away trails and undercutting pavement. It also filled collapsed roads with gravel, making them impassable.

Moreover, the deluge was the result of a tropical storm that slammed California and also temporarily closed Joshua Tree National Park.

“This was [the] longest closure in Death Valley National Park’s history,” Park Superintendent Mike Reynolds said in a statement. “I am excited to welcome people back to enjoy their park!”

Reynolds also said that now is a “really special time” to visit Death Valley. The reason is that the Badwater Basin currently features a miles-long temporary lake that will likely dry up in a few weeks. He added:

It’s pretty rare to see a lake in Death Valley!

About preparations to reopen

The National Park Service said “major repairs” were made to several paved roads to be able to reopen the park. This included CA-190, but visitors are warned to expect loose gravel. This will lead to lowered speed limits and traffic delays.

At this time, park officials have reopened the following roads:

• CA-190
• Badwater Road from CA-190 to the Badwater Basin
• Dantes View Road
• Artists Drive
• Twenty Mule Team Canyon Road
• Natural Bridge Road
• Mustard Canyon
• Mosaic Canyon Road

Meanwhile, visitors will now have access to lodging, fuel and food at Panamint Springs Resort. They will also have amenities at the Stovepipe Wells Village, the Oasis at Death Valley and at a number of NPS campgrounds. Moreover, the National Park Service said more park roads will be reopened as repairs continue.

While this was the longest-ever closure in the history of Death Valley, it isn’t the first time the park has been flooded. While Death Valley is known for being one of the hottest places on Earth, the park closed for a couple of weeks in August 2022, after receiving 1.45 inches of rain in one day.

Take time out to enjoy a visit to Death Valley National Park now it has partially reopened and at a time when the weather has cooled, at least a little!