Death Valley reopens roads ahead of ‘superb’ hiking season

The National Park Service reopened 95 miles of flood-damaged roads in Death Valley National Park on Saturday, just in time for what park officials say is an “ideal time to visit.”

Damage caused by Tropical Storm Hilary in August led to Death Valley’s longest closure in history. Several roads within the park remained closed for four months following the storm. But 95 miles of those roads reopened Saturday, the Park Service announced in a press release. 

Reopened roads include North Highway, Ubehebe Crater Road, Old Stovepipe Wells Road, Racetrack Road, Lippincott Road, Hidden Valley Road, Lost Burro Mine Road, White Top Mountain Road and the lower end of Titus Canyon Road.

Cooler temperatures and blooming wildflowers make December and January an optimal time to visit the park, officials said.

“The hiking in December and January is superb,” Death Valley superintendent Mike Reynolds said in the press release. He added that the park’s highlights this season include Lake Manly, a temporary lake at Badwater Basin that appeared after Tropical Storm Hilary’s rainfall, along with pockets of wildflowers that have cropped up throughout the area.

Currently, the best places to see flowers in the park are Panamint Valley and areas near Ubehebe Crater, according to the Park Service. It’s still too early to know if there will be any wildflower superblooms in the spring — there none at the park last spring, despite the previous winter’s record rainfall. 

Several roads within the park remain closed, including Beatty Cutoff Road, Wildrose Road, Emigrant Canyon Road, Bonnie Clare Road and the Scotty’s Castle area. These roads have reopening dates that range from this coming January to late 2025.