Encourages visits, in spite of no ‘superbloom’
DEATH VALLEY, Calif. – Death Valley National Park opens North Highway, continuing its digging out from last summer’s historic flash floods. However, those intense summer rains do not seem to be triggering a hoped-for ‘superbloom.’
North Highway reopens
On Thursday afternoon, the National Park Service reopened North Highway. This paved road had been closed since August 5, 2022 due to extensive flood damage.
North Highway provides access to Mesquite Springs Campground and Ubehebe Crater, both of which are also now open.
A contractor replaced washed-away asphalt and road base, removed up to 3 feet of debris from the road surface, and filled in undercut shoulders. Drivers should use caution until the end of February as road striping and other detail work will continue with delays possible.
The project was funded by Federal Highway Administration via the Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads (ERFO) program. ERFO assists federal agencies with the repair or reconstruction of federally owned roads that are open to public travel, which are found to have suffered serious damage by a natural disaster over a wide area or by a catastrophic failure.
Some northern park roads are still closed. Mud Canyon, Racetrack Road, and the two-way end of Titus Canyon Road are likely to open by late February. Scotty’s Castle will remain closed through August 2024.
Park is beautiful without a ‘superbloom’
‘Superbloom’ is an unofficial term used to describe unusually spectacular spring blooms. In Death Valley National Park, this event happens about once a decade.
“Death Valley is beautiful – with or without a carpet of flowers,” said Superintendent Mike Reynolds. “This spring we are predicting an average flower bloom.”
While the park is not forecasting a superbloom, there should be flowers in low elevations from late February through early April. Higher elevations will bloom through June.
The park received record rainfall during last summer’s monsoon season. August 5 was the rainiest day ever recorded at the Furnace Creek weather station: 1.70 inches. For context, the park averages 2.20 inches — over a full year.
However, timing is everything. “Rain on Tuesday does not always yield flowers on Thursday,” Reynolds quipped. “But rain in August may be too early to sprout flowers in March.”
Fall rain appears to be a key ingredient in the last three superblooms. The spectacular flower displays of 1998, 2005, and 2016 were preceded by 1.6, 2.7, and 1.3 inches of fall rain. Death Valley received about 0.3 inches of rain last fall.
“The canyons, sand dunes, and night skies here are amazing,” said Reynolds. “And spring is an ideal time to visit Death Valley.”
Roads Still Closed
CLOSED:
- Mud Canyon. Large areas of missing pavement following floods. No timeline for reopening, not likely to be open before March.
- Bonnie Clare Road and Scotty’s Castle due to flood recovery work . Unlikely to reopen before fall 2024.
UNPAVED/BACKCOUNTRY ROADS
Note that road closures listed below apply to ALL vehicles, including motorcycles and bicycles. The roads were completely washed out in places and entry will cause tire tracks and braided roads in wilderness as users try to locate what was once the road. Thank you for your patience as we work to reopen these locations.
IMPASSIBLE:
- North Pass, due to snow and ice.
CLOSED:
- Wildrose Canyon beyond Charcoal Kilns – Seasonal closure due to ice and snow.
- Salt Creek Road – Flooding destroyed the boardwalk. No timeline for reopening.
- Titus Canyon Road (one-way section) – Extensive flood damage. No timeline for reopening.
- Racetrack Road – Extensive flood damage. No timeline for reopening.
- Steele Pass – Extensive flood damage. No timeline for reopening.
- Grotto Canyon – Extensive flood damage. No timeline for reopening.
