Death Valley floods, roads closed
Death Valley, Calif. — Heavy rainstorms that crossed the region over the July 28 weekend have forced the closure of several Death Valley National Park roads due to flood damage. The following roads are closed and will remain closed until repairs can be made:
• Badwater Road — south of Badwater Basin to the south entrance on Highway 178 near Shoshone, Calif., is closed.
The Badwater Road from Highway 190 at Furnace Creek to Badwater Basin is open, and visitors can access the scenic viewpoints along that 17-mile section of road.
• Big Pine/Death Valley Road — maintained by Inyo County
• Emigrant Canyon Road
• Panamint Valley Road — maintained by Inyo County
• Harry Wade Road
• Mustard Canyon Road
• Wildrose Road
• West Side Road
With the number of roads needing to be cleared, and some of the road damage being significant (approximately 1,000 feet of the Badwater Road is gone and over 20 miles of road is buried under flood debris) some of these major roads may take up to four weeks to re-open, and it may take longer to get to some of the back-country roads like Harry Wade Road.
The park posts a daily Morning Report on its website and current road conditions will be listed. The park’s website is www.nps.gov/deva or call 760-786-3200.
