PHOTOS: As Death Valley roads reopen, visitors have chance to see rare lake in national park

DEATH VALLEY, Calif. — Officials and tourists are celebrating the partial reopening of Death Valley National Park after record-breaking rainfall created enough flooding and extensive road damage to close down the popular travel destination, roughly 68 miles northwest of Pahrump.

According to Park Superintendent Mike Reynolds, visitors will now be able enter the park via California Highway 190 from the west via Lone Pine, or from the east via Death Valley Junction, while all other park entrances will remain closed for the time being.

“This was longest closure in Death Valley National Park’s history,” said Reynolds. “I am excited to welcome people back to enjoy their park.”

The roads being opened are not yet fully repaired as collapsed road segments have been filled in with gravel.

“Travelers should expect loose gravel on roads, lowered speed limits, and traffic delays. California Highway 190 will have one-hour delays due to an extensive section of one-lane traffic control between Panamint Springs and Father Crowley Vista, park officials stated. “Several other areas will have delays of up to 20 minutes for traffic control.”

What’s open

As of Sunday, Oct. 15 the following roads in Death Valley were open: California Highway 190, Badwater Road, as well as Dantes View Road, Twenty Mule Team Canyon Road, and Artists Drive, Natural Bridge Road, Mustard Canyon and Mosaic Canyon Road

Those roads provide access to many of the park’s most popular viewpoints and hikes, including Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Zabriskie Point, Golden Canyon, and Mosaic Canyon.

All other roads in the park are closed to vehicles.

Rare lake appears

Badwater Basin according to Reynolds, now has a temporary lake from the flood waters that is several miles long

The lake is only a few inches deep and may dry up within a few weeks, he said.

“This is a really special time,” Reynolds said. “It’s pretty rare to see a lake in Death Valley.”

Lodging, food, and fuel will be available at Panamint Springs Resort, Stovepipe Wells Village, and the Oasis at Death Valley, while many National Park Service campgrounds will also be open.

Historic rainfall

On Aug. 20, the park received more than two inches of rain in one day, which is more than the area typically sees in an entire year, Reynolds said.

“Extensive flooding washed away trails and undercut pavement, causing catastrophic damage to roads and trails throughout the park.”

Work continues

Over the past eight weeks, Caltrans, National Park Service officials and contractors have made major repairs to many of the paved roads, including Highway 190 running east-west through the park.

Additional park roads will open as repairs continue.

For more information, log-on to nps.gov/deva.

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes