VLOG 220: Death Valley Flooding & Road Damage - Complete Visitors Guide (Opening Day Conditions)
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- čas přidán 2. 06. 2024
- This week I’m taking you on a special road trip adventure through Death Valley National Park. In late August, the remnants of Hurricane Hilary ripped across California, hitting Death Valley and the surrounding regions particularly hard. Setting the record for the wettest day, the national park received over 2 inches of rain during the storm, which is more precipitation than it typically receives in an entire year! This resulted in major flooding and extensive road damage, causing the park to close for nearly 2 months, the longest closure in Death Valley’s history.
Last week, Death Valley National Park triumphantly reopened to the public on Sunday 10/15, and I was there to document the historic experience, including the temporary lake covering Badwater Basin. Join me as I take you along my journey through the entire park, providing you with a complete travel guide and all the information you need to plan for your upcoming visit during this unprecedented season in the park.
It’s important to note that much of Death Valley National Park is still closed to the public. The historic flooding deposited dirt and rocks up to 5 feet deep on some roads and chunks of the highway crumbled and washed away. Crews have been working around the clock throughout the park to make it safe for visitors, so please “pack your patience”, knowing that you will encounter delays of up to one hour in some spots. So give yourself plenty of extra time along your journey, and give the workers plenty of grace, understanding that they’re working in extreme conditions to restore these roads that we so often take for granted.
Currently there are only two ways to enter Death Valley National Park. The first is California State Route 190 from the west via the 136 just before Lone Pine, and the second is from the east via Death Valley Junction...all other park entrances are closed until further notice. Prior to visiting, it’s always wise to check out the official Death Valley NPS website for the most up-to-date road and entrance conditions.
Due to the immense amount of precipitation, the Badwater Basin terrain leading up to the temporary lake has been altered quite a bit. The dirty cracked earth has now been replaced by a thick layer of moist salt that is reminiscent of snow. Another familiar feature you won’t encounter on your trip now are the hexagonal patterns on the ground...they have all been covered and likely removed by the flooding, but I’m sure will return eventually as the water evaporates. From the parking area, it’s only a short quarter mile trek out to the lake’s edge. Since the lake here is so incredibly rare, I decided to capture sunset, stars, and sunrise here all on the same trip.
For details on what to expect on a Death Valley trip right now see my Complete Visitors Guide with current conditions and closures at:
www.flyingdawnmarie.com/new-b...
Interested in the hat I'm wearing? Click the link below for purchasing options:
www.pntrac.com/t/8-12700-3134...
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:55 Lone Pine, Eastern Sierra Visitor Center
3:37 Death Valley National Park Entrance & Panamint Valley
5:48 Darwin Falls
• VLOG 142: Darwin Falls...
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6:33 Panamint Springs Drive
8:31 Mosaic Canyon
9:30 Stovepipe Wells
9:48 Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
• VLOG 22: Death Valley ...
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10:31 Salt Creek
• VLOG 135: Salt Creek I...
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10:58 Harmony Borax Works
• VLOG 175: Harmony Bora...
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11:18 Furnace Creek
12:46 Zabriskie Point
• VLOG 131: Zabriskie Po...
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13:22 Twenty Mule Team Canyon
15:16 Road Work
16:30 Dante's View
• VLOG 184: Sunset & Sta...
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19:04 Badwater Basin
• VLOG 186: Badwater Bas...
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• VLOG 20: Badwater Basi...
24:36 Natural Bridge
26:55 Devils Golf Course
• VLOG 138: Devils Golf ...
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27:24 Artist's Drive, Artist's Palette
• VLOG 24: Artist's Driv...
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29:41 Golden Canyon
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#visitcalifornia #deathvalley #deathvalleynationalpark #californiaroadtrip #roadtrip #flooding #badwater #nationalpark
Love this!
Thanks for your comprehensive video. I was skeptical about visiting Death Valley due to the many road closures but you have given me confidence that there is still plenty to enjoy. Thank you!
I was a bit nervous about how my trip would be with so many road closures but it’s a really unique time to explore the park & I had a blast, I hope you do too!
Thanks for this excellent and comprehensive guide to Death Valley post Hilary. I've been curious as to what to expect. Those star photos and videos were particularly amazing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it & thanks for the encouraging words!
Thick 🎉 with information. Love it
Thanks so much!🙌
Thanks for the great information! 💃
Happy to share my experience.😊
Stunning and beautiful 👏👏👏👏
That’s exactly what I thought exploring the park over the past week.😊
I love all your videos but this is up there among my favourites with the morning , sunset , and night sky shots
@@andrewgaffney7603 oh wow, thank you for the kind words…it was so much fun to capture the night sky…I’m still learning how to film the stars but I’m having a blast learning.💫
The horse flies out there were awful last couple months. I was out in the South Nopah range and they were FEROCIOUS. I guess they spawn like crazy in the standing brackish water
Indeed, the longer the water stands the more intense they seem to be!
They need to pave all the dirt roads so it's easier for people to get to the sights.
Your visits to Badwater at different times of day and night were great. If you only see it midday, it can seem quite desolate. Zabriskie point at sundown is still my favorite.
Zabriskie is definitely one of my favorite spots in the park too…hiking from Golden Canyon and then coming up to the ridge top view is so magical.😊
Good morning 😁 If you don't mind me asking, what Mic are you using for commentating. The clarity is always clear👍🏽
Thank you for the kind words, I actually don’t currently use a mic…in-fact I often feel like my audio quality is the weakest part of my videos.🫣 I just film on my iPhone without an external mic while I’m out adventuring but I hope to focus on the sound quality in the future so if you have any good mic recommendations please feel free to share!😉
When I'm in Vegas filming the bands or talking to people I use the zoom F1 mic. When you purchase the mic it also comes with a small external mic that plugs into your phone or tablet
@@kreative-tv that’s awesome, thank you for the information. I will definitely check it out.
I did not know you needed a pilot/escort to visit the Panamint Valley portion of Death Valley.
I’m going to Death Valley National Park tomorrow😊 I’m coming from the left side and I’m wondering can I drive straight thru to las vegas? Is the roads passable straight thru or is there mud and gravel and rocks in the road? What do you suggest for us. We are coming from Torrance area and plan to visit the park then drive to Vegas for the night.any route suggestions?😊 thanks for the video
Can you car camp in the parking lot of Bad Water Basin to get those night shots???
Car camping is not allowed here - for context on this trip the sun went down at just after 6pm and I stayed until 10 pm (although I definitely wish I would have stayed longer!) and then I went back out at 5 am to be at the water while it was still dark out with the stars so I could capture the shift between night & sunrise. I tend to stay at Furnace Creek because it’s only 17 miles away (I’ve enjoyed both the campground & the hotels there over the years). If they allowed car camping here I would have definitely loved it last week the low was 65 degrees & the weather was perfect…but I’ve captured the night sky here in the dead of winter when the peaks were snow-capped and by 10 or 11 at night the wind and sub 30 degree weather made me glad I had a worm hotel room to head to!
@@flyingdawnmarie thanks for the clarification. Looks magical for star gazing.
Don't eat Rabbit brush, es no bueno.
Thank you for your work. Enjoyed it very much. Best video of DV I've watched! You might enjoy a movie called "Flight to Nowhere". A 1946 movie filmed there at Furnace Creek. It's free on CZcams.
Thank you so much, I’ll check that movie out.😊