Flooding at Death Valley on Friday turned Mud Canyon into a river/NPS

As Saturday dawned over Death Valley National Park the impacts of flooding the day before could be seen in most directions: extensive debris flows of mud and gravel, undercut roads with asphalt damage, broken water lines. Overhead, aircraft searched for any stranded vehicles in remote areas of the 3.4-million-acre park, while down below law enforcement provided escorts for visitors who were leaving the park. 

Despite Friday's monsoonal downpours, which dumped 1.46 inches of rain on the desert park in a matter of hours, spawning floods that piled gravel beds around dozens of vehicles at Furnace Creek parking lots and turned roads into streams, there were no reported injuries or stranded visitors.

Recovery work was underway, but it was going to take time. Highway 190 between Furnace Creek and Pahrump, Nevada, was not expected to open before Tuesday. When the park might reopen remained to be seen.

The rainfall had trapped roughly 1,000 visitors and employees in the park Friday afternoon, as all roads into and out of Death Valley were closed by rubble washed in by the floodwaters.

Monsoonal rains this year have been heavier and lasting longer into the summer months than typical. Heavy rains earlier this week in the park washed away cars in some instances, and closed roads. On the west side of Death Valley, floodwaters swept away a vehicle as it traveled Highway 190 a few miles west of Stovepipe Wells.

The return of the torrential rains on Friday caused the Cow Creek Water system, which provides water to the Cow Creek area for park residents and offices, to fail. Park staff identified a major break in the line due to the flooding and worked to repair it.

The park on Friday received at least 1.46 inches of rain at Furnace Creek, nearly an entire year’s worth of rain in one morning; the park’s annual average is 1.9 inches of rainwater. While the park initially reported 1.71 inches of rainfall, that was an unofficial measurement. The rainfall for Friday did set a record August amount of precipitation; the previous mark was 1.35 inches received in August 1936.

The flooding stranded many vehicles at Furnace Creek in debris/NPS

A park release Saturday morning listed some of the damage that was known:

• Highway 190: areas of undercutting, complete shoulder loss, and asphalt damage. About 20 palm trees fell into the roadway by the Inn at Furnace Creek. Debris flows in numerous areas, and floodwaters still over the road at Devils Cornfield as of this morning. California Department of Transportation crews are working hard to clear areas for travel, with estimates of a partial opening by Tuesday. 
• Water damage to the NPS Emergency Operations Center building. 
• Residential water lines in Cow Creek were blown out in multiple locations. Some water availability was returned to housing, but offices (including the Emergency Operations Center, maintenance buildings, and residential dorm) remain without water. 
• Water damage to park staff residences 
• Badwater Basin Road: large debris flows 
• North Highway: asphalt damage 
• Beatty Cutoff/Mud Canyon roads: major asphalt damage and undercutting 
• Artists Drive: debris flows 
• Titus Canyon Road: washouts 
• Emigrant Canyon to Wildrose: debris on roadway 
• Lower Wildrose Road: damage to roadway 
• 20 Mule Team Canyon Road: washouts 
• Salt Creek Road: flooding on roadway 
• Cottonwood/Marble Road: extensive flooding  

Staff noted, however, that that was not an exhaustive list, as Death Valley contains more than 1,000 miles of roads, and access issues prevented updates from Scotty's Castle in the northeastern corner of the park and other areas.

“I want to thank park staff , the California Department of Transportation, and other partners who are working hard to reopen major roads for travel and manage this incident,” said Death Valley Superintendent Mike Reynolds. “With the severity and wide-spread nature of this rainfall it will take time to rebuild and reopen everything, and we appreciate your support and patience as we continue this work.”