Death Valley National Park – Syndication Server

Historic Death Valley tram tower toppled by off-roading tourists

Damage to the 113-year-old tram tower appears to have been caused by a motorist who became stuck in mud while driving illegally off-road.

Death Valley National Park is seeking information that could help authorities identify the person or individuals responsible for damaging a 113-year-old tram tower.

The toppling of the historic salt tower in Saline Valley appears to have been caused by a motorist who became stuck while driving illegally off-road.

“It appears the tower was pulled over while a person used a winch to extract their vehicle out of deep mud,” the park stated Wednesday in a news release. “The damage happened sometime between April 1 and April 24.”

Tram tower standing upright, before it was damaged. Photo: NPS

The uprooted structure was part of a tram system built by the Saline Valley Salt Company in 1911.

The Saline Valley Salt Tram, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was used to deliver salt from Saline Valley to the Owens Valley – covering a rise of more than 7,000 vertical feet.

“Tram tower No. 1 is the tower closest to Saline Valley lakebed,” the park continued. “Nearby tracks show that a vehicle drove a short distance off the legal roadway and got stuck in mud.

Tram tower after it was uprooted by a motorist driving off-road. Photo: NPS

“Park rangers believe that someone used the tower as an anchor to pull their vehicle out of the mud. The tower toppled over, pulling its concrete footings out of the ground.”

The incident occurred after the National Park Service had planned a salt tram stabilization project to be funded by the federal Inflation Reduction Act.

It’s not clear if extra funding can be provided to repair and re-anchor the damaged tower.

Anyone with potentially helpful information is asked to call 888-653-0009 or visit the National Park Service’s online tip portal.

Lake in Death Valley makes temporary move two miles north; ‘amazing’

Weather created a new surprise at Death Valley National Park. “It was amazing to see an entire lake migrate,” a park official said.

The lake that formed in Death Valley National Park recently and provided kayakers with a new venue for about a month made a surprise move—two miles to the north.

“It was amazing to see an entire lake migrate,” park superintendent Mike Reynolds said.

Sustained high winds were responsible for making Lake Manly in the Badwater Basin a traveling lake, pushing it away from its original lakebed, according to a park press release.

The 40 mph winds spread out the surface area and helped speed up evaporation, lowering the water level and prompting the National Park Service to suspend boating on the shallow lake.

“Now the water is drying up, leaving wide mudflats,” Reynolds said. “People were walking a long way, sometimes dragging their boats. This leaves footprints and drag marks that will likely be visible for years. This left us with no choice but to curtail boating on historic Lake Manly at this time.

“Visitors for the next few years would prefer to see the natural polygon designs in the salt, rather than hard-crusted footprints and deep boat drag marks.”

Every few years there is enough rain to cover the salt flat to create the temporary lake, which is usually only a couple inches deep. But after an atmospheric river brought 1.5 inches in early February, runoff created a lake that was six miles long, three miles wide and one foot deep.

Visitors had the rare treat of kayaking on Lake Manly.

Things changed from February 29 to March 2 when the winds pushed the lake to the north and turned the boat launching area into a salty mud flat (top photos).

Once the winds subsided, what was left of the water returned to its original lakebed, but it was brown due to the suspended mud (bottom photo).

Photos courtesy of Death Valley National Park.

Coyote fails to learn lesson, becomes fatal victim in Death Valley

A coyote that learned to beg for food along a road in Death Valley failed to learn a lesson the National Park Service was trying to teach it.

A coyote that learned to beg for food along a road in Death Valley failed to learn a lesson the National Park Service was trying to teach it, which was to stay off Badwater Road near Golden Canyon.

Apparently, the coyote had learned that by crossing the road when it saw a car coming, the car would sometimes stop and feed it. It had been doing this for several months.

“We tried hazing it away from the road by shooting it with a paintball gun and pepper spray,” Park Superintendent Mike Reynolds stated in a Death Valley National Park press release. “The only thing the coyote learned was to stay away from park rangers.”

Alas, on Christmas Day, the coyote was struck and killed by a car on the road.

“It is illegal to feed wildlife within Death Valley National Park,” the park stated. “Feeding wildlife often later causes that animal’s death. Wildlife that have been fed by people learn to cross roads when they see a car coming. They learn that this behavior sometimes triggers the car to stop and feed them.”

Unfortunately, this coyote failed to learn its lesson.

Humans need to learn a lesson, too: don’t feed wildlife.

Photos courtesy of Bill Sloan/National Park Service.

Motorcyclists ignore signs, follow map app, and one crashes; charges pending

The road closed sign couldn’t be more clear in Death Valley National Park, but two men used the road anyway, and one paid the price.

Two men on motorcyclists chose to believe a map app about a road being open rather than clear signage saying the road is closed in Death Valley National Park, and one man paid dearly for it.

The National Park Service closed Titus Canyon Road temporarily because of hazardous conditions caused by flood damage, but on Saturday the motorcyclists bypassed a locked gate, concrete barriers and closure signs to ride on Titus Canyon Road.

One man crashed his motorcycle and broke his collarbone. He also sustained other non-life-threatening injuries, and they called 911 on a satellite phone just before sunset.

“Park rangers were not able to reach the injured man in a timely manner due to the road conditions, so they called for helicopter assistance,” a National Park Service press release stated. “The US Navy’s VX-31 helicopter responded from Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. They transported the injured man and his companion to Ridgecrest Regional Hospital.”

Charges are pending.

Photos of the road closed signs and the damage to Titus Valley Road courtesy of the National Park Service.

Truck crash in Death Valley involves bees, stings for several people

Passersby and first responders are stung by bees while tending to the driver who lost control of the big rig with its cargo of beehives.

A rollover crash of a tractor trailer carrying beehives in Death Valley National Park resulted in the driver and several emergency responders getting stung by bees.

On Sunday around 9:55 a.m., the unidentified male driver was traveling down a steep grade west of Towne Pass when he lost control of the big rig. The truck overturned several times, scattering the cargo of beehives, according to a press release by Death Valley National Park.

“Passersby extracted the driver from the truck, getting stung by bees in the process,” Death Valley National Park reported. “California Highway Patrol and National Park Service provided emergency response.

“The driver, a 35-year-old man from Las Vegas, had traumatic injuries from the rollover and bee stings. The patient was driven by ambulance to Panamint Springs Resort, where he was transferred to a Mercy Air helicopter ambulance to Antelope Valley Hospital.”

The driver’s condition was unavailable.

CA-190 was damaged in August as a result of the remnants of Hurricane Hilary. Most of CA-190 reopened Oct. 15, but is not fully repaired. However, there was no flood damage near this accident.

Photos of the truck and scattered beehives provided by Death Valley National Park.

Death Valley National Park cleans up illegal cannabis grow site

Jail Canyon has reopened to visitors.

When most people visit a national park, they expect to enjoy a day of hiking and sightseeing. One thing the average visitor doesn’t anticipate seeing is a secret cannabis grow site. Nevertheless, this is exactly what Death Valley National Park rangers found in Jail Canyon. Here are the details on what happened and how the National Park Service (NPS) cleaned up the area.

Death Valley National Park announced the grow site discovery on April 30, 2021. The find was reported after a fly-over of Jail Canyon. Located to the west of the Panamint Mountains, Jail Canyon is a little-visited part of Death Valley National Park.

Aerial view of a cannabis grow site in a canyon. — An aerial photo of part of the grow site. / *Photo via the NPS*

In addition to identifying cannabis plants in the region, rangers also reported trash, damage to the landscape, and hazardous chemicals such as carbofuran. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), carbofuran can cause blurred vision, abdominal cramps, convulsions, and several other symptoms in humans. The chemical can also affect wildlife.

“We are deeply saddened and concerned with the damage that these illegal activities cause,” Barbara Durham, Traditional Historic Preservation Officer for the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, said in a Death Valley National Park news release. “The natural and cultural resources in these areas are irreplaceable and invaluable, damaging them for profit shows incredible disrespect to our homeland.”

On May 16, 2023, a follow-up news release shared that a team had finished cleaning up the Jail Canyon grow site. This team included park rangers, American Conservation Experience members, and the California Air National Guard.

The clean-up removed 10,000 plants and 35 cubic yards of trash from the area. According to the NPS, the plants removed from the site had an estimated sale value of over $7 million.

In response to this incident, the NPS has increased surveillance throughout the park. Park visitors are encouraged to report unusual sightings to the NPS via visitor centers or the NPS tip line at 888-653-0009.

Must-see sights on a road trip through Death Valley

Live it up in Death Valley.

Death Valley in eastern California holds records for being the lowest place in North America and the hottest place on earth. In July 2018, the national park reached highs of 127 degrees Fahrenheit four days in a row. So why would anybody visit such a hellish place? Despite its ominous name, Death Valley is full of beautiful landscapes, history, and fun things to do outdoors. But we recommend going in winter when the average temperatures are in the 60s and 70s with a low of around 40 degrees. Here are a few of the places you might want to stop on a Death Valley road trip.

Death Valley National Park closes after rare flooding event

Extreme weather has left the valley reeling.

No one expects flash flooding in a hot desert environment. However, as extreme weather events become more common and severe worldwide, people may need to start expecting the unexpected. Recently, Death Valley National Park was the site of one such weather anomaly. As one of the driest and hottest areas in the United States, Death Valley was hit hard by heavy rainfall and flooding on Monday, Aug. 1, and Friday, Aug. 5. The park plans to remain closed into next week.

“The heavy rain that caused the devastating flooding at Death Valley was an extremely rare, 1000-year event,” Daniel Berc, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Las Vegas, said in a National Park Service news release. “A 1000-year event doesn’t mean it happens once per 1000 years, rather that there is a 0.1% chance of occurring in any given year.”

A park sign on the ground, covered with sand, near two rocky hills. — © NPS/N.Ramirez

The record-breaking rainfall delivered almost a year’s worth of rain to Death Valley in just three hours. Preliminary data recorded 1.46 inches of rain at the park’s Furnace Creek area. The park’s all-time record for rainfall occurred on April 15, 1988, after 1.47 inches of rain.

While no injuries were reported, the flooding temporarily trapped hundreds of visitors to the area. Debris swept up by the flood also covered 60 vehicles, according to NPR. As for Death Valley National Park’s infrastructure, “severe asphalt damage” has affected hundreds of miles of roads. Repairs will take time, and park superintendent Mike Reynolds says future extreme weather damage may be in the future.

Several cars partially covered in mud. — © NPS

“Death Valley is an incredible place of extremes,” Reynolds said. “It is the hottest place in the world, and the driest place in North America. This week’s 1,000 year flood is another example of this extreme environment. With climate change models predicting more frequent and more intense storms, this is a place where you can see climate change in action!”

Death Valley sets incredible summer heat records

Death Valley lived up to its reputation as the hottest place on Earth by setting several heat records over the summer of 2020, the fourth-hottest summer on record following 2018, 2017 and 2016.

Death Valley lived up to its reputation as the hottest place on Earth by setting several heat records over the summer of 2020, the fourth-hottest summer on record following 2018 (104.2 average day-and-night temperature), 2017 (103.5) and 2016 (103.3).

Death Valley National Park reported that in the meteorological summer (June-August) Death Valley saw an average day-and-night temperature of 102.7 degrees, and August and September experienced the hottest day or night ever recorded for that month, joining May in that category.

The temperature reached 130 degrees in August, the highest recorded in the park since 1913. May’s highest was 122 and September’s highest was 125.

“Death Valley National Park is known for its extreme temperatures, and this year certainly didn’t disappoint when it comes to heat!” said Superintendent Mike Reynolds.

“It is exciting to live and work in a place that is literally the hottest place on Earth. I’m proud to work with a resilient team of employees who have chosen to embrace the heat and carry out the mission of the National Park Service here.”

Heat highlights in 2020 to date:

35 days over 120 degrees (normal is 18.4)
8 days over 125 degrees (normal is 2.9)
6 nights over 100 degrees (normal is 0.5)
130 degrees on 8/16 was the hottest temperature recorded in the park since 1913, and possibly the hottest temperature in the world since 1931. A final verification process will be overseen by a climate extremes committee.
August’s average daily and nightly temperatures rank it as the second hottest August on record; however, August’s daily high temperatures averaged to be 118.8, which sets a record as the hottest average high temperature for the month.
August 17 had a high of 127 and low of 104 low degrees, for an average of 115.5, which is tied for the hottest average daily temperature ever recorded.
Heat records were set for both daily high, and highest daily low temperatures across many of the hottest months of the year: 6 in May, 1 in June, 1 in July, 12 in August, and 3 to date in September.

Many tourists, especially those from Europe, come to Death Valley just to experience the heat. Those who living in this extreme environment requires adjustments by park staff and the local communities. The park listed some of those:

The park has a strict heat-safety work policy, requiring cool-down and hydration periods after working in extreme heat conditions.
As the coolest hours of the day are usually 4 a.m. to 6 a.m., local residents usually get up pre-dawn to walk their dogs and get exercise.
Ground temperatures add heat to water pipes, resulting in extremely hot water coming from the tap naturally. To adjust for this, residents turn off their hot water heaters and use them as a reservoir to cool water down to room temperature, so tepid water comes from turning on the hot water faucet, and hot water comes from the cold faucet settings.
There are stretches of roadways where signs are posted recommending that air conditioning be shut off to avoid car engines overheating. As vehicles leave the extreme heat of the lower valleys and climb over mountain passes, overheated engines are a real risk. This summer saw two vehicle fires as a result of overheated engines, and numerous vehicle breakdowns. Turning off air conditioning might be uncomfortable but reduces the exertion of the engine.

Death Valley reminds tourists that the park continues to experience temperatures of over 110 degrees and will continue to have 100-degree-plus temps into October, so it recommends to plan and prepare to be safe when visiting.

Death Valley vandal revealed by tipster—himself

Death Valley National Park officials asked for help in identifying a park vandal, and someone with direct knowledge called the tip line.

Death Valley National Park officials recently reached out to the public for help in identifying a park vandal and asked anyone with knowledge of the illegal acts to call the tip line, and someone did. Turns out, it was the vandal himself.

The park announced on April 14 it suspected a man named Steve from British Columbia of defacing rock faces, buildings and other infrastructure with graffiti over the past two years while traveling with his dog. The man’s graffiti in part read, “Steve & Lacy.”

People shared the request for help on social media and some contacted the National Park Service with tips. On April 17, one tipster with direct knowledge of the crime left a message. It was the Steve rangers had been looking for. Lacy is his dog.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Watch ice fisherman pull a 50-pound fish through tiny hole

The next day Steve (no last name was revealed) spoke with the investigating park ranger and confessed to marking multiple sites in Death Valley. He also apologized.

Charges are pending. The penalties could be paying a fine and restitution; the man’s cooperative attitude will likely be a mitigating factor, the park said Monday.

The man who confessed told the ranger an acquaintance saw the story on social media and brought it to his attention, prompting him to come forward.

The graffiti, which occurred in January 2019 and January 2020, was found on rocks, a well, and historic structures in Echo Canyon, Butte Valley, Homestake Dry Camp and Crankshaft Junction.

“It is heartbreaking to see treasures like Death Valley National Park get damaged by intentional acts such as these,” Superintendent Mike Reynolds said in the first park announcement.

Illegal acts such as these can cause permanent damage, degrades the experience for other visitors, and are costly and time consuming to repair.

Though the park is currently temporarily closed, through traffic is allowed on CA-190 and Daylight Pass Road from Beatty, and park rangers are still patrolling the park.

Photo of park sign courtesy of Rhona Wise/AFP/Getty Images; photos of vandalism courtesy of the National Park Service.

Follow David Strege and the outdoors on Facebook.