Death Valley National Park Partly Reopens After ‘Longest Closure’ Ever
Gary Yeowell/Getty Images
Death Valley National Park partially reopened over the weekend, welcoming visitors back to the park after its longest-ever closure.
The park, which sits in both California and Nevada, reopened the CA-190 road, allowing travelers to enter the park from the west via Lone Pine and from the east via the Death Valley Junction entrance, according to the National Park Service. All other entrances to the park remain shut.
The park first closed in August after it received more than 2 inches of rain in one day, which the NPS said is more than the area typically gets in a whole year. The deluge of rain caused flooding, which washed away trails, undercut pavement, and filled collapsed roads with gravel.
The rain was the result of a tropical storm that slammed California and temporarily forced Joshua Tree National Park to close as well.
“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 added it is a “really special time” to visit the park since the Badwater Basin currently has a miles-long temporary lake that may dry up in a few weeks.
“It’s pretty rare to see a lake in Death Valley!” Reynolds said.
To reopen the park, the NPS said crews made “major repairs” to several paved roads, including CA-190, but warned travelers should expect loose gravel, lowered speed limits, and traffic delays. Currently, the park has reopened the following roads: CA-190, Badwater Road from CA-190 to the Badwater Basin, Dantes View Road, Twenty Mule Team Canyon Road, Artists Drive, Natural Bridge Road, Mustard Canyon, and Mosaic Canyon Road.
Travelers will also have access to lodging, food, and fuel at the Panamint Springs Resort, the Stovepipe Wells Village, the Oasis at Death Valley, and in several NPS campgrounds.
The NPS said more park roads would re-open as repairs continue.
This isn’t the first time Death Valley has flooded. Last year, the park — which is known for being one of the hottest places on earth — closed for a couple weeks in August after it received 1.46 inches of rain in one day.
For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on Travel & Leisure.
