Infos zum Death Valley NP

Death Valley Won’t Have a Super Bloom This Year—But the Flowers Will Still Be Spectacular

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It may not be super, but high rainfall this year is expected to bring a better-than-average wildflower bloom to Death Valley.

When you think of California’s Death Valley, you may think of an unforgiving desert—one with the hottest recorded temperature on earth. Surely not much can grow in such a harsh environment, right?

Well, not exactly.

Death Valley’s average rainfall has been about 2.6 inches per year since such data has been recorded (compared with California’s average of 14.8 inches per year). But thanks to this year’s powerful El Niño weather system, Death Valley has already seen almost 2.38 inches of rainfall in 2024, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The result? A blanket of beautiful wildflowers.

According to the National Park Service, Death Valley will not have a super bloom in 2024. Super blooms occur when a high concentration of wildflower seeds that have been dormant for a few years because of inadequate rainfall bloom to life after an unusually heavy rain season. This rare occurrence happened most recently in 2016—and before that, in 2005.

But that doesn’t mean no flowers for the desert park. Although the region didn’t have the exact conditions needed to create a super bloom, it is still expected to have a bountiful and beautiful wildflower season this year, helped by the precipitation this winter. Considering that springtime blooms can sometimes be sparse in the harsh desert environment, even this amount of color is special enough to warrant a visit.

Given the variety of elevations within the park, the best spots for wildflowers depend on when you visit. Desert wildflowers at lower elevations—including the valley floor—will begin to appear in mid-February and last until mid-April. At higher elevations, above 5,000 feet, visitors will typically see flowers well into June and July.

“The most impressive are the blooms at low elevation, because of the contrast between rocks and the flowers,” says Abby Wines, a spokesperson for the park. “By far the most numerous flower during a super bloom is the desert gold, which looks like a gold daisy, so there will be big fields of yellow.” Other flowers include the fragile white gravel ghost, sand verbena, and purple phacelia.

In 2023, which was also an above-average year for flowers in the park, some of the best blooms were found at Daylight Pass Road, North Highway, Big Pine Road, and Emigrant Canyon Road.

Wherever you go, make sure to tread carefully and stay on the trail, and do not pick flowers. These ecosystems are vibrant yet fragile. Leaving them alone will help ensure that these beautiful blossoms can continue to thrive and color the desert for years to come.

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Death Valley National Park to launch online backcountry permits system on Recreation.gov

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Beginning April 30th, 2024, Death Valley National Park will implement a new backcountry permit system for specific backcountry areas, making reservations available on Recreation.gov up to 6-months in advance of start dates. This permit system replaces the current system, which was only available on the same day and in person during business hours at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center or Stovepipe Wells Ranger Station.

This system adds convenience to visitors allowing them to plan ahead and acquire their backcountry permits online. Recreation.gov provides trip planning and reservation services for public lands nationwide and using it for backcountry permits issuance brings the park into alignment with other surrounding public lands. The new backcountry permit fees are $10/per night for Backcountry Roadside Camping Permits and $10/per permit for Wilderness Backpacking Permits. Permit fees will cover costs associated with the new system and fund park projects that provide additional visitor services, address deferred maintenance needs, protect resources, and improve and rehabilitate visitor facilities.

In the fall of 2022, Death Valley National Park acted on the previously developed Wilderness and Backcountry Stewardship Plan by requiring mandatory permits for overnight use of the park’s most popular backcountry areas. This was done to provide a less crowded experience for visitors while limiting impacts to the park’s resources. Permits are a way for the park to communicate with campers about Leave No Trace ethics, current conditions, including hazards, rules and regulations and how they can protect Death Valley. Permit usage information will provide insight for future management decisions to protect the fragile desert ecosystem.

Backcountry permits are required for roadside camping along Cottonwood Canyon, Marble Canyon, Echo Canyon, Hole in the Wall, and Greenwater Valley Roads, and for backpacking in the Cottonwood Canyon and Marble Canyon areas.

Backcountry permits for areas not listed above will continue to be free and optional. For more information where roadside camping and backpacking are allowed visit the park’s backcountry camping page.

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Fires at Death Valley National Park destroy historic wagon, three housing units

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A historic wooden wagon and three housing units were damaged or destroyed after two separate fires at Death Valley National Park.

According to the National Park Service, the first fire happened just after midnight on April 4 behind the Borax Museum. The fire destroyed a historic wooden wagon that was used in the 1890s to transport borax out of Death Valley. An old steam engine named "Old Dinah", which pulled the wagon, was near the fire but wasn't significantly damaged.

Rangers said only five wagon sets were constructed and used during the Twenty Mule Team era, from 1883 to 1898. Of that, only three are "relatively intact". The wagons behind Old Dinah were "about 50% integrity", with the original running boards and some metal hardware.

A second fire was reported the same day, around 5:15 a.m. Rangers said that fire was about 500 feet away from the original fire and affected prefabricated housing units that had been delivered for employee housing. No one had moved into those units yet so no one was inside at the time of the fire.

According to the National Park Service, no one was harmed and the cause of the fires is unknown, as of Friday afternoon.

The incidents are under investigation by the Inyo County Sheriff's Office and the State Fire Marshall.

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So sah es mal aus:

Over 1,300 miles of roads now open in Death Valley

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Steel Pass and Wildrose Charcoal Kilns now open

After eight months of intense work, National Park Service (NPS) employees in Death Valley National Park are celebrating the end of the emergency phase of flood repairs. Emergency repairs were done on several utilities and 1,323 miles of roads inside the park. Steel Pass and Wildrose Charcoal Kilns opened recently.

On August 20, 2023, the remnants of Hurricane Hilary brought 2.2 inches of rain, which is more rain in a day than the park normally receives in a year. All roads in the park were damaged. In some places, roads disappeared for miles. Waterlines, sewer lines, and sewage lagoons had to be repaired. Repairs needed added up quickly in the 3,400,000-acre park—about the size of Connecticut.

“The last eight months have involved a lot of work. I’m really proud of Death Valley staff and all those across the National Park Service who came to help get access quickly restored. It is rewarding to see the public to visit their favorite Death Valley places again,” said park Superintendent Mike Reynolds. “We are so grateful to everyone involved: 152 Death Valley National Park employees, 256 NPS employees from other Park Service units, the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, Caltrans, Federal Highway Administration, Inyo County, multiple contractors, our neighboring communities, and countless others. It truly was a massive and complex disaster recovery effort.”

There is more work to do, but the park is shifting out of emergency response mode. Permanent repairs to some of the paved roads will begin later this year. Erosion control features will be added to sections of paved roads to make them more resilient to future flash floods. Over the next 12-18 months, the park plans to do major repairs at Salt Creek, Titus Canyon, Lower Wildrose, and Darwin Falls.

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Death Valley National Park visitor admits to toppling historic salt tram tower

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A Death Valley National Park visitor has stepped forward and taken responsibility for knocking over a 113-year-old salt tram tower last month, claiming it happened during a time of desperation and that there was no intent to harm the historic structure, park officials announced.

“We are grateful to the dozens of people who reached out to the park with information and for all the statements of support that we received from people who care about this place and its cultural resources,” said acting Supt. Elizabeth Ibañez in a written statement. “Although we would certainly prefer that this damage hadn’t happened, we are glad that the person who did this ultimately took responsibility for their actions and came forward.”

The confession comes three days after park officials sought help from the public about the damaged tower that was part of the Saline Valley Salt Tram, a 13-mile aerial tramway built in 1911. The officials said someone toppled it between April 1 and April 24 when they attached a winch to the tower to pull their vehicle out of the mud after driving off the main road.

“The individual responsible for pulling over the salt tram called the tip line provided in an earlier press release, stating that this was done during a time of desperation while being deeply stuck in mud, and that it wasn’t their intent to cause harm to the historic structure,” the statement read.

Park officials did not identify the person but an 11-minute dash cam video reported by Outside Magazine may have shown those responsible for knocking the tower down.

An edited version of the video was posted on the magazine’s website. That version of the video, which is about two minutes long, starts with a man pulling up next to a woman wearing a pink bikini top, jean shorts and a trucker hat. The woman tells the driver that she needs a winch.

“We went a little too far into the mud, and there’s nothing to press the winch onto,” she’s heard saying.

The video then shows a white truck with a camper deep in mud, and at the edge of the screen is the tram tower, which appears to already be lying on its side. The video also shows the woman next to a man in a flannel shirt and jean shorts after an attempt to pull the vehicle out failed. Eventually, a second line is needed to pull the truck out, but the video ends before it can show the results of that attempt.

It’s unclear whether the couple or any of the people seen in the video caused the tower to topple, but the magazine included a photo of the man in the flannel shirt removing a winch from the downed tower.

A spokesperson did not respond to questions from The Times about whether the person taking responsibility was in that video.

National Park Service said a resource management team will assess the damage to the salt tram tower and make restoration plans. It also asked the public to remain patient and not attempt to restore the tower themselves.

The incident, officials said, was a reminder of why it’s important to carry a satellite-based communication device when traveling in areas where cellphone service is limited.

“As Death Valley’s famous summer temperatures continue to increase, park rangers encourage people to stay on paved roads during this time of year, as help is more readily available.”

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Touristen riskieren im Death Valley ihr Leben

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In den USA herrscht eine extreme Hitzewelle. In Kalifornien brennen Wälder, in Las Vegas wird die höchste jemals gemessene Temperatur erreicht. Dennoch zieht es Hunderte Touristen ins Death Valley.

In den USA widersetzen sich Touristen und Touristinnen weiter den eindringlichen Hitzewarnungen im kalifornischen Death Valley. Hunderte Europäer, die durch den Westen des Landes reisten, sowie Abenteurer aus den gesamten USA fühlten sich in den vergangenen Tagen von dem Gebiet angezogen, das in Deutschland als Tal des Todes bekannt und einer der heißesten Orte der Erde ist.

Ungeachtet dessen verließen französische, britische und schweizerische Touristen in dieser Woche ihre klimatisierten Mietwagen, um die karge Landschaft zu fotografieren. Amerikanische Besucher taten es ihnen gleich, auch wenn Vertreter des Death-Valley-Nationalparks dazu aufforderten, kein Risiko einzugehen.

"Ich war begeistert, dass es so heiß sein würde", sagte Drew Belt aus dem US-Staat Mississippi, der auf dem Weg zur Besteigung des kalifornischen Mount Whitney einen Zwischenstopp im Death Valley einlegen wollte. "Das ist eine einmalige Gelegenheit im Leben. Das ist so, als würde man auf dem Mars laufen."

Am Samstag starb ein Motorradfahrer im Death Valley in Kalifornien, wo an dem Tag mehr als 52 Grad gemessen wurden. Nach Angaben des Nationalparks musste ein Mensch, der zur Gruppe des Motorradfahrers gehörte, ins Krankenhaus gebracht werden.

Mehr als 160 Millionen Menschen in den USA und damit rund die Hälfte der Bevölkerung des Landes sind am Dienstag von Hitzewarnungen betroffen gewesen. Die "gefährliche Hitze" werde im Westen der USA voraussichtlich für den Rest der Woche anhalten, warnte der US-Wetterdienst NWS. Die Hitze sei für alle ohne Möglichkeit zum Abkühlen "extrem gefährlich".

Bereits in den vergangenen Tagen hatten Teile der USA unter ungewöhnlich hohen Temperaturen gelitten. In der Casinometropole Las Vega wurde am Sonntag mit 48,9 Grad die höchste jemals gemessene Temperatur registriert. Im Bundesstaat Oregon wurden seit Freitag mindestens vier mutmaßlich hitzebedingte Todesfälle gezählt, wie örtliche Medien berichteten.

In Kalifornien machten die hohen Temperaturen angesichts mehrerer Brände auch den Feuerwehrkräften zu schaffen. In der Gegend um Santa Barbara wurden fast 11.000 Hektar Land verwüstet. Das Feuer bedroht auch die Neverland-Ranch, die lange Zeit Michael Jackson gehörte.

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Heatwave and power outage July 2024

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Death Valley National Park reached at least 125°F (51.7°C) for nine consecutive days, July 4-12. Now areas of the park are dealing with a multiday power outage during temperatures above 120°F.

A thunderstorm triggered the power outage around 4:45 pm on Saturday, July 13. The issue is on a powerline from a Southern California Edison (SCE) substation leading to Furnace Creek Visitor Center, National Park Service (NPS) offices, and employee housing. SCE supplied a large generator, and Furnace Creek Visitor Center reopened on Monday morning. NPS housing and offices are still without power. The affected employees, families, and pets have evacuated to nearby hotels.

Park visitors were only affected by the Visitor Center closure. Hotels, restaurants, and gas stations in the park did not lose power.

Average high temperatures in July are 117°F (47°F). The recent heat wave included three daily heat records and peaked at 129.3°F (53.9°C) on July 7. This was the park’s second-longest streak of high temperatures at or above 125 degrees, just behind the ten-day streak measured in 1913.

The National Park Service encourages park visitors to stay safe in the summer by not hiking at low elevations after 10 am, staying within a short walk of air conditioning, drinking plenty of water, and eating salty snacks.

Link – mit einem Bild von überraschenden Temperaturen

Death Valley National Park Press Release: Hottest Month in Death Valley History

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Death Valley National Park experienced the hottest month on record this July, with a with an average 24-hour temperature of 108.5°F (42.5°C). This beats the park’s previous record of 108.1°F (42.3°C) set in 2018.

The average high temperature during the record-breaking month was a sweltering 121.9°F (49.9°C) with the park experiencing nine days 125°F (51.7°C) or greater and only seven days that didn’t reach 120°F. The highest temperature came on July 7 when the weather station at Furnace Creek recorded 129.2°F (54°C).

High temperatures only tell half the story with overnight lows regularly staying in the high 90’s and low 100’s. The average low temperature of 95.2°F (35.1°C) meant that there was little relief overnight.

Park rangers responded to multiple life-threatening heat-related incidents in July including one fatality where heat was a factor and another incident where a man had to be rescued from sand dunes after losing his flip flops and experiencing second degree burns.

“We just experienced the hottest month in history in the hottest place on Earth! Six of the 10 hottest summers have come in the past 10 years, which should serve as a wake up call,” said Superintendent Mike Reynolds. “Record-breaking months like this one could become the norm as we continue to see global temperatures rise. Visitors to the park should plan ahead and come prepared to face extreme temperatures during the summer months.”

Park rangers urge summer travelers to Death Valley National Park to stay within a 10 minute walk of an air conditioned vehicle, to drink plenty of water, east salty snacks, and to wear a hat and sunscreen.

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Salt Creek Boardwalk environmental review complete

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The National Park Service (NPS) completed the environmental review of plans to replace Salt Creek Boardwalk, which was destroyed by a flash flood two years ago. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will put the project out to bid. All public access to the site will be closed during construction, which is planned for fall 2024 through spring 2025.

For decades, people enjoyed viewing Salt Creek pupfish (Cyprinodon salinus salinus) from the boardwalk, one of the park’s few wheelchair-accessible trails. The boardwalk prevented people from trampling the creek, which is this fish’s only habitat.

A flash flood in August 2022 destroyed the boardwalk and vault toilet. The parking lot and road were further damaged during the remnants of Hurricane Hilary in 2023.

The Salt Creek Boardwalk project will replace the raised boardwalk, reconstruct the road and parking area, and install a new restroom at a reconfigured trailhead. The project is funded by FHWA’s Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads (ERFO) program and Federal Lands Transportation Program (FLTP), NPS Disaster Supplemental, and donations from Death Valley Natural History Association.

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Hottest Summer in Death Valley History

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Death Valley National Park experienced the hottest meteorological summer (June-August) on record, with an average 24-hour temperature of 104.5°F (40.3°C). This surpasses the previous record of 104.2°F (40.1°C), set in 2021 and 2018.

The record-breaking summer was highlighted by July when the weather station at Furnace Creek recorded its hottest month ever. During this month, the park experienced nine consecutive days of 125°F (51.7°C) or higher, and only seven days in total where temperatures did not reach 120°F (48.9°C). The highest temperature this summer was 129.2°F (54°C) on July 7.

Overnight lows also played a significant role in the extreme heat. The average low temperature of 91.9°F (33.3°C) meant that there was little relief overnight. From June 1 to August 31, the temperature dipped below 80°F only five times, and there were nine days when overnight lows never fell below 100°F.

Park rangers responded to multiple life-threatening heat-related incidents during the summer including two fatalities where heat was a contributing factor . During another incident, a man had to be rescued from sand dunes after losing his flip flops and experiencing second degree burns.

Travelers heading to Death Valley National Park should expect triple digit temperatures to continue into early October. Visitors are advised to stay within a 10-minute walk of an air-conditioned vehicle, drink plenty of water, eat salty snacks, and wear a hat and sunscreen.

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Eleven burros found dead near Owls Hole Spring

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Park biologists suspect toxic algae is the cause

Eleven burros died in near Owls Hole Spring in Death Valley National Park. The cause of death is under investigation, but the National Park Service (NPS) suspects a harmful algae bloom was to blame.

The NPS warns that the water in Owls Hole Spring should be considered unsafe for humans or pets to drink or touch. In addition, people and pets should not handle any of the carcasses. Park rangers installed a warning sign.

Algae and cyanobacterial occur naturally in water and are more likely to grow into a harmful algae bloom when water is slow-moving, warm, and contains high levels of nitrogen and phosphorous, such as from fertilizer or sewage, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

All three of those conditions existed at Owls Hole Spring this summer where the water is stagnant. Death Valley experienced its hottest summer on record this year and feral burros defecated in and near the water.

So far only dead burros have been found, but other animals were likely affected. No pupfish live in this spring.

“I hate to see any animal suffer,” said Superintendent Mike Reynolds. “The National Park Service is working to remove feral burros from Death Valley, for their own safety and to reduce impacts to native wildlife.”

Burros are not native to Death Valley. The park’s estimated 4,000 burros are descendants of animals released by miners decades ago. The NPS seeks to relocate feral burros from the park. Due to lack of funding, roundups have not been conducted on a large scale since 2005. The Bureau of Land Management worked with the NPS to remove 43 burros in recent years. The nonprofit Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue has captured 256 burros from the park since 2018. The park has funding to resume roundups in fiscal year 2026.

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Death Valley National Park's Scotty's Castle To Finally Reopen For Walking Tours

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Scotty's Castle, in Death Valley National Park, is reopening for walking tours on select Saturdays and Sundays, starting December 7, 2024, and lasting through March 23, 2025.

The Spanish Mission style villa has a fascinating history and has largely been closed to the public following devastating flooding in 2015. Just as recovery efforts began to deal with the flood damage, a fire broke out in the visitor center in 2021. It's been a marathon recovery effort ever since.

“The patient is not dead. In fact, while closed indefinitely ... we are actively working to get it back on its feet again," Superintendent Reynolds said back in 2016. "We’re estimating that there’s $50 million in damage to the roads and Scotty’s Castle infrastructure. By order of magnitude, it's certainly the costliest flood in the history of Death Valley and many times the magnitude of any recent flood.

"Much of the infrastructure at the castle was in severe deferred maintenance. A lot of backlogged challenges with trying to maintain a historic site, very costly, and competing for limited dollars," said Superintendent Reynolds. "And this was pre-flood. Now, it’s going to get fixed right. The water system, for example, is completely destroyed, every bit of it. When you put it back, you don’t put back an 80-year-old crumbling water system. You put in a new one that works well, with adequate capacity, and meets state standards, and all of the things that we were struggling with before."

So, it's sorta like rebuilding an old house after you just meant to add a room, then ended up taking things down to the studs, then figuring, heck, let's put in new studs since we're already here with the walls taken out. What we'll end up with, as park users, is a Scotty's Castle that is better prepared to fascinate visitors for decades to come.

Oh yes, about that fascinating history.

The villa was built starting in 1922 by a wealthy Chicago financier named Albert Mussey Johnson. He'd been lured to Death Valley, by a charming swindler named Walter Scott, who'd sold Johnson on investing in a non-existent gold mine in Grapevine Canyon in 1904. OVer the years, Johnson seemed to have convinced himself that even though the mine had proven to be a fraud, Scott may have found a trace of gold somewhere out there in the desert. Johnson also discovered a love affair with Death Valley, and had become unlikely friends with Scott, and decided to build a winter home on land he'd purchased. This became the mansion Johnson initially called Death Valley Ranch, but which was referred to as Scotty's Castle by locals who thought Scott owned the place.

For the tours, visitors will be able to tour areas previously closed, but only with a ranger present. It's expected tickets will sell out quickly

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