Are roads still closed in Death Valley?

DEATH VALLEY, Calif. — On Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023 Death Valley National Park was hit by the remnants of Hurricane Hilary, which included heavy rain, and led to flooding in many areas of the park as well as a park-wide closure for public safety due to roadways being washed away.

The following day, the rains were measured at 2.2 inches in the area of Furnace Creek, making the deluge the all-time wettest day recorded for that location.

As a result, the road, according to park officials, suffered heavy damage following severe flash flood in 2023.

Road trip

Fast-forward to April 2025, with temperatures climbing into the low 100s, the park has reopened Emigrant Canyon Road, a key high-elevation route that is a popular access point for cooler summer recreation.

As stated in a news release, the National Park Service made long-term road repairs, reinforcing vulnerable segments with buried concrete barriers and rock-filled baskets to improve resilience against future floods.

“Emigrant Canyon Road leads to Wildrose Campground,” the release noted. “Located at 4,000 feet, the higher elevation campground offers a welcome respite from the heat, as it is typically around 15 degrees cooler than Furnace Creek. Beyond the end of the paved road, a two-mile stretch accessible by passenger cars leads to the historic Wildrose Charcoal Kilns, the beehive-shaped stone structures dating back to the 1870s.”

Getting higher

According to park officials, adventurous visitors with high-clearance vehicles can continue on to Thorndike Campground and Mahogany Flat Campground, perched at 8,000 feet.

Temperatures at that elevation can be 30 degrees cooler than the Furnace Creek Visitor Center.

Meanwhile, nearby Mahogany Flat serves as the trailhead for Telescope Peak, the park’s highest summit at 11,049 feet.

“Visitors are reminded to bring their own food and water, as none is available on site,” the release stated. “Vehicles over 25 feet in length are not permitted on Emigrant Canyon Road.”

Death Valley National Park is the homeland of the Timbisha Shoshone and preserves natural resources, cultural resources, exceptional wilderness, scenery, and learning experiences within the nation’s largest conserved desert landscape and some of the most extreme climate and topographic conditions on the planet.

Learn more at www.nps.gov/deva.