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New Floods Close Death Valley Roads

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By Compiled From N... - September 14th, 2022

Park spokesperson Abby Wines stands in an eroded shoulder on the side of Badwater Road/NPS, Charles Thompson

Yet another round of rainstorms has shut down most roads in Death Valley National Park, with the only access to the park on Wednesday from the east.

The west entrance to the park was closed due to extensive damage to California Highway 190 (CA-190) west of the park’s boundary, a park release said, adding that Caltrans had not yet released an estimated timeline for reopening.

Most paved roads into the park are closed. Visitors who do reach the park from the east can drive only to Dantes View, Zabriskie Point, The Oasis at Death Valley, Furnace Creek Visitor Center and Campground, Harmony Borax Works, Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, and Stovepipe Wells.

The flooding on Tuesday was very spotty. The park’s east entrance on CA-190 was closed for a couple hours in the early evening while floodwaters crossed the highway in multiple places. This meant every road into and out of the park was closed. Traffic control contractors who were already on site were redirected to temporarily allow visitors to exit through Beatty Cutoff, which is not repaired yet from previous flood damage.

Multiple storms have pummeled the park since late July. Road crews are exhausted from clearing, and then re-clearing, the same sections of roads.

“It’s been an exciting few weeks of rain, record-setting heat, and even a hurricane remnant!” said Superintendent Mike Reynolds. “There aren’t any more storms in the forecast. Hopefully we can make real progress getting more of the park open soon.”

The Park Service road crew initially was concentrating on the Badwater Road. Sections of the road had debris up to three feet deep. Shoulders have eroded away, leaving unsafe drop-offs. The park anticipates opening the road from CA-190 to Badwater Basin by September 24.

A contractor will start work on Beatty Cutoff on September 23. The park anticipates opening that route to Beatty by mid-October, even though some short sections will be unpaved.

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