In late spring the National Park Service released a prospectus for the Death Valley National Park concession at Stovepipe Wells Village. The concession offers lodging, food and beverage, gas, and retail at the only NPS-owned commercial complex within the park. The national park’s three other major facilities, the Inn at Death Valley, the Ranch at Death Valley, and Panamint Springs Resort, are each inholdings, privately-owned land within the park.

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.

Monsoonal rains led to flooding in Death Valley National Park, washing away cars in some instances and closing roads into and within the park.

A new storytelling tool helps both park managers and visitors understand the value of park wilderness.