DEATH VALLEY, CA –Update as of 8/10/22 –
State Route 190 is open to the western portion of Death Valley National Park. The road remains closed from the Trona/Wildrose Junction in Panamint Valley through Death Valley Junction. Additional areas are expected to open no earlier than August 19 as work to clear debris and repair roads continues.
This partial opening allows for access to limited areas, including, Panamint Springs Resort (a private inholding), Father Crowley Overlook & Lee Flat
⛔️The most highly visited areas of the park remain closed due to extensive flood debris and damage.
⚠️While areas of the park are still wet and muddy following Friday’s storm, it is important to give these areas time to dry out. Walking onto wet playas can leave footprint scars for years to come and driving on muddy dirt roads can cause deep ruts adding to the damage and time to repair these areas.
🚧Some navigational apps are routing travelers onto primitive backcountry dirt roads to avoid the paved road closures. Park Rangers have responded to aid stranded motorists. Some had all four tires on their vehicle flat, no injuries have been reported.
⚠️Backcountry dirt road travel is strongly discouraged in the summer under normal conditions, as there is increased risk of being stranded in a remote location in extreme heat. Not all roads have been assessed for current conditions due to the scale of the flooding impacts.
For more detailed information click the link in our bio.
As areas slowly reopen, current conditions will be updated on our park’s website, https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
Original Post
State Route 190 will remain closed through at least August 17 as Caltrans maintenance crews continue to clean up after last week’s flash floods.
Approximately 30 miles of the highway were partially or fully buried under flood debris within Death Valley National Park following Friday’s storms. Since beginning work to clear State Route 190, crews have managed to remove debris from approximately 20 miles of the road. An estimated 60 percent of debris has been removed from the highway so far.
Drivers are urged to stay clear of the highway and respect closure points that allow crews to safely work within the incident area. State Route 178 E from Shoshone to the Lower Badwater Gate in Death Valley National Park will remain closed into next week as well.
All park roads remain closed as damage assessments, crucial repairs, and flood recovery work are underway. Conditions are subject to change as the Death Valley area is expecting a chance of additional thunderstorms this week. Photographs of storm damage can be seen in the photo gallery linked here.
Death Valley National Park is the homeland of the Timbisha Shoshone and preserves natural resources, cultural resources, exceptional wilderness, scenery, and learning experiences within the nation’s largest conserved desert landscape and some of the most extreme climate and topographic conditions on the planet. Learn more at www.nps.gov/deva.
Header Image Credit : Highway 190 is missing shoulders and undercut in several areas NPS/N. Ramirez.
