Death Valley likely to reopen Oct. 15 after storm damage

Death Valley National Park, whose roads and trails were scarred and flooded by August storms, will likely reopen Oct. 15, rangers say.

If current repair plans hold, that reopening will give travelers renewed access to many popular spots in the park, including lodges at Furnace Creek, the Mesquite Flat sand dunes, views from Zabriskie Point and Dante's View, and the Badwater salt flats, all connected landmarks. via State Route 190 and the northern portion of Badwater Road.

But most other roads in the park will remain closed. So will the eastern entrances to the park and the portion of Badwater Road south of the Badwater Basin trail and parking area (near road marker 17). The only route into the park will be through Lone Pine along U.S. Route 395.

If the Oct. 15 reopening goes ahead, park service officials said, lodging, food and fuel will be available at Panamint Springs Resort, Stovepipe Wells Village and The Oasis at Death Valley, which is in the Furnace Creek area. Some NPS campgrounds would open at the same time, likely including Texas Springs, Furnace Creek and Sunset. Stovepipe Wells Campground is not expected to reopen due to a water line issue.

Xanterra, the dealership that operates the Inn at Death Valley, Ranch at Death Valley and Fiddlers Campground, is showing availability at all three locations as of October 15. Recreation.gov, the website that handles reservations for most national park campgrounds, shows available reservations at Furnace Creek Campground as of Oct. 15. (Other campsites in the park are on a first-come, first-served basis.)

Many Death Valley roads had been repaired after suffering damage in the record-breaking summer storms of 2022. Then came Tropical Storm Hilary, which closed the park on August 20 and dumped 2.2 inches of rain on Furnace Creek, breaking a single-day rainfall record of 1.7 inches that had been set the previous year. The park averages 2.15 inches of rain annually.

Some unpaved rural routes, such as Titus Canyon Road, have been completely destroyed, park officials said. The trail to Darwin Falls was also destroyed, officials said. Scotty's Castle has been closed and under repair since a flood in 2015, and is expected to reopen no earlier than December 2025.

Locations rangers hope to reopen include Harmony Borax Trail (traversable but not ADA accessible), Mustard Canyon and Father Crowley Vista Point along State Route 190; and Artists Drive and Natural Bridge along Badwater Road.

Locations closed include Rainbow Canyon, Emigrant Canyon Road, Cottonwood Canyon, Marble Canyon, North Highway, Salt Creek Trail, Beatty Pass and Saline Valley. The Rangers said Devils Golf Course could open next week.

Park service officials said in a statement that the reopening timeline “depends on several factors, including future weather events and the availability of materials to fix the road. When this section of CA-190 reopens, drivers should anticipate multiple 24-hour traffic control points where repair work is underway.”