Additional areas of Death Valley National Park opened over weekend

Areas include north Highway, Ubehebe Crater, and the Racetrack

On Saturday, Death Valley National Park reopened 95 miles of flood-damaged roads. Pockets of wildflowers and cool temperatures make this an ideal time to visit the park, according to the National Park Service.

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“The hiking in December and January is superb,” said Death Valley National Park Superintendent Mike Reynolds.

Added to that, there’s a temporary lake at Badwater and some wildflowers are out.”

The roads opened four months after they were heavily damaged by flash floods caused by the remnants of Hurricane Hilary.

The repairs were funded by a combination of the National Park Service’s (NPS) Disaster Supplemental and Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Emergency Relief for Federally Owned

Roads (EFRO) programs.

The repairs were done by contractors, National Park Service employees stationed in Death Valley National Park, and NPS employees assisting from other parks across the country.

Roads that reopened on Saturday, Dec. 23 include:

North Highway Ubehebe Crater Road Old Stovepipe Well Road

Lower end of Titus Canyon Road

Racetrack Road

Lippincott Road

Hidden Valley Road Lost Burro Mine Road White Top Mountain Road

These roads provide access to some of the park’s iconic features. Ubehebe Crater is a 600-foot-deep volcanic crater. There are currently unseasonable patches of pink and yellow flowers on crater’s black slopes.

The Racetrack is famous for tracks left by moving rocks on the dry lakebed. A lake was present for at least a month after Hurricane Hilary.

National Park Service photo

Now the lakebed is dry again, so people can walk on it without causing damage. No vehicles or bicycles are allowed on the Racetrack.

Many of the park’s roads, including Racetrack Road, are only suitable for high clearance vehicles.

Many park roads remain closed until flood repairs are completed. Mesquite Springs Campground will likely open before Dec. 31.

Information on Death Valley’s camping, lodging, activities, and road conditions is at nps.gov/deva.

Photos by Abby Wines (top)/ Han Pauley (bottom)/NPS Death Valley National Park reports more areas have been reopened and the December weather is a perfect time to visit. At top, a patch of desert gold wildflowers near Ubehebe Crater in December 2023. Crater provides spectacular views. Bottom, Ubehebe

The Racetrack in Death Valley is famous for tracks rocks moving on the dry lake bed. left by