Our Public Lands to the north have had a long year of recovery and repair from multiple events in 2023. As we slip back into colder weather, its a reminder of the winter storms last year that shut down roads and towns in the San Bernardino mountains, and the subsequent melt, heavy rains and a certain tropical storm washed out roads here in the hi-desert, and down the hill in Palm Springs.
It also did a doozy on Death Valley National Park, which saw unprecedented amounts of rain and weather for a place that is internationally known as being low, dry and hot. Death Valley comes by its name honestly – visiting in the summer months isn’t advised as it can literally be the hottest place on earth at that moment.
Don’t let that scare you off though, Death Valley holds unique beauty that you can’t experience anywhere else, and fall and winter are the best times to explore the enigmatic and expansive national park, and park staff and road crews have been working hard to reopen access to parts of the park that are currently featuring natural phenomena that may not occur again in our lifetimes.
Badwater Basin is located at the southern edge of the park – and its the lowest point in North America, sinking 282 feet below sea level. Our wet winter has created a shallow lake on the expansive salt flat – just a few inches of water spread over the miles of salt, turning the normally bright-white dry lake into a giant briny mirror.
There have been a smattering of recent road reopenings to the park, providing access not only from down south, but from Pahrump in Nevada and the Sierra Nevadas west of the park.
Death Valley’s National Park Service website has a good list of road closures and access – and if you are on Instagram, they are providing photos and updates on there as well.
