Death Valley CLOSED: Fall/Winter 23/24 Trip Planning

[Beardilocks]

Just FYI.  News release from Caltrans:

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/ce2...jN2ktXTy0c

"The Furnace Creek Pavement project is a proposed project that will repair and extend the life of the existing pavement as well as repair existing drainage facilities and upgrade existing signs to current standards on SR 190 near Furnace Creek.

Caltrans is in the planning phase of the proposed project which includes two opportunities to collect public comment. This is the first opportunity and will last 30 days (October 2nd, 2023 to November 1st, 2023). The second opportunity will occur in Spring 2024. Both opportunities will include a Public Engagement Report which will be included in a Project Initiation Report (PIR) in late 2024. The project comment survey can be accessed by clicking the button below. "

Feel free to follow the link and give your opinion.  

It's interesting to me that THAT is where they feel they need to focus their attention on drainage, when that bit of pavement didn't take too much damage through all of the 2022 flooding.

[Beardilocks]

First News I've heard that an East entrance will tentatively open on Oct 15th.

Also, it looks like they will have Badwater Rd as far as Badwater and Dantes View open by then as well.

https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/r...eNdrOd31N8



West Entrance - CA HWY 190 through Lone Pine

Access to Death Valley National Park is estimated to be open starting October 15th. Travelers arriving from the west side of the park should take California Highway 136 (just south of Lone Pine, CA) to California 190, noting that access from Olancha is not available.

Only use this route:
Lone Pine to CA HWY 136 to CA HWY 190


East Entrance - CA HWY 190 through Death Valley Junction

Access to Death Valley National Park is estimated to be open starting October 15th. Travelers should take California Highway 190 into the park from Death Valley Junction when arriving from the east side of the park.

Only use this route:
Death Valley Junction to CA HWY 190

Most roads in the park will be closed. We are targeting that Badwater Road to Mile Marker 17 and Dantes View Road will also open along with the opening of CA Highway 190 through the park.

[DVexile]

Various Opening Estimates

DVNP recently updated their road conditions page including more information about the degree of damage as well as long term estimates for repair.  Some of the estimates are quite long, such as Titus Canyon closed until at least 2025 and Lower Wildrose closed until Fall of 2025.  A number of roads in the central valley may open in November with some others following this coming spring.

• CA-190
  Closed. Expected to reopen from CA-127 (Death Valley Junction) through the park to CA-136 (Lone Pine, CA) on October 15. At that point, there will be gravel sections where pavement has not been replaced yet. Expect lowered speed limits and several sections of traffic control, while Caltrans and their contractors continue working on the road for several months.
  
• Daylight Pass Rd, Beatty Cutoff Rd & Mud Canyon Rd
  Closed. Contractors will do temporary repairs on Mud Canyon/Daylight Pass. The road will likely reopen by mid-November, but will have gravel sections and a lowered speed limit. Then a second contract will be awarded to do permanent pavement replacement, which may include adding protection from future floods. That contract is likely to start in February or March 2024.
  Beatty Cutoff Road will stay closed until the contract for permanent repairs fixes it, meaning sometime after February or March 2024.
  
• Dantes View Road
  Closed. NPS road crews have fully repaired this road. It will open when the adjacent part of CA-190 opens (scheduled for October 15, 2023).
  
• Badwater Road/CA 178 (access to Badwater Basin, Artists Drive, Devils Golfcourse, Natural Bridge, Golden Canyon)
  Closed. NPS road crews have fully repaired the northern 17 miles of the road, from CA-190 to Badwater Basin, along with several side roads. This will open when the adjacent part of CA-190 opens (scheduled for October 15). The southern part of the road, from Badwater Basin to CA-178/Shoshone, CA, will be repaired by contractors, and is likely to open by late November or early December.
  
• North Highway (Scotty's Castle Rd) (access toUbehebe Crater)
  Closed. This will open sometime after February 2024. Work will be done by the permanent repairs contract.
  
• Wildrose Road / Emigrant Canyon Road (access to Wildrose Charcoal Kilns)
  Closed. This will open sometime after February 2024. Work will be done by the permanent repairs contract.
  
• Lower Wildrose Road (aka Trona - Wildrose Road, connects Wildrose to Panamint Valley)
  Closed. Completely impassable due to a 9-foot deep cut across the road. Likely to remain closed until fall 2025.
  
• Bonnie Clare Road and Scotty’s Castle due to flood recovery work . Unlikely to open before late 2025.
  

• Twenty Mule Team Canyon Road - Closed. This road has been fully repaired by NPS road crew, and will reopen when CA-190 opens (expected October 15).
  
• Mustard Canyon Road - Closed. This road has been fully repaired by NPS road crew, and will reopen when CA-190 opens (expected October 15).
  
• Mosaic Canyon Road - Closed. This road has been fully repaired by NPS road crew, and will reopen when CA-190 opens (expected October 15).
  
• Grotto Canyon Road - Closed. This road has been repaired by NPS road crew up to a new parking area at the top of the alluvial fan, where the road used to continue into the wash. This will reopen when CA-190 opens, expected October 15.
  
• Echo Canyon Road - Closed. NPS road crew used a dozer to do the first pass for repairs. We still need to get re-establish the permited roadside campsites and run a grader down the road before opening. Likely to open by late November.
  
• Hole in the Wall Road - Closed. NPS road crew used a dozer to do the first pass for repairs. We still need to get re-establish the permited roadside campsites and run a grader down the road before opening. Likely to open by late November.
  
• Cottonwood Canyon & Marble Canyon Roads - Closed. NPS road crew used a dozer to do the first pass for repairs. We still need to get re-establish the permited roadside campsites and run a grader down the road before opening. Likely to open by early November.
  
• Westside Road - Closed. As of 10/7/2023, NPS crews cannot get through the north end of the road due to a 4-foot drop-off into a muddy trench 10-feet wide and filled with a foot of water.
  
• Upper Wildrose Road (above the Charcoal Kilns) - Closed. No access due to extensive damage on Emigrant Canyon Road and Lower Wildrose (aka Trona-Wildrose Road).
  
• Keane Wonder Mine - Closed. The access via Beatty Cutoff is not likely to open until sometime after February 2024.
  
• Saline Valley Road - Signed closed by Inyo County.
  
• Hunter Mountain - Signed closed by Inyo County.
  
• Salt Creek - Closed. Will not open before fall 2024.
  
• Titus Canyon Road - Closed due to flood damage. Impassable. Not likely to open before January 2025.
  
• Steel Pass - Closed due to extensive flood damage. From an airplane, it appears the road is completely erased from Eureka Dunes through Dedeckera Canyon. Steel Pass itself looks okay. From Steel Pass to Upper Warm Springs, there's no sign of a road at all. Designated wilderness begins 50 feet on either side of the legal road (which is erased). Anyone trying to drive that would likely be illegally driving in wilderness. The park hopes to be able to work on this road in winter 2023/2024.
  
• Lemoigne Canyon Road - Closed due to flood damage. No estimated timeline.
  

Source: https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/conditions.htm

[netllama]

Wow. Sounds like a lot of the park is in a very different state than most people have seen in their lifetimes. I hope the NPS releases photos of the closed areas, so people can get a better sense of what's justifying the long term closures. 2025 is a long time.

[Beardilocks]

Ha! Just came here to post this.  Nice job DVexile.  I'm shocked that NPS put out such a detailed report.  Other than leaving the Southern part of the park out completely, this is extremely comprehensive.  

I was initially surprised by the damage to West Side Rd.  But I'm guessing the sticking point is probably still the Amargosa, so that makes sense.  

I'm seriously annoyed that they won't open Scotty's Castle Road (which I've heard is in perfect shape) to allow access to the Ubehebe/Racetrack/Eureka from that direction.  

I'm guessing that they will permanently close Lemoigne Canyon Rd, which is unfortunate.  

The Saline Valley people are trying to bring in their own bulldozer and have their own plans about that part of the park.

Looks like Winter 2023/2024 will have virtually no access outside of the main 190 corridor.

Only new pic I saw on the NPS site:
   

[Gtrsolo350]

Happy for the updates but I do hope Titus Canyon opens up sooner than expected. Did they mention where that picture was taken?

[Kauri]

The surroundings look like Wildrose to me, and since it's paved that's another clue towards that guess. But I'm not 100% sure.

[Gtrsolo350]

Found the caption and you're correct.
"Superintendent Mike Reynolds demonstrates how significant the damage on Lower Wildrose Road is. This photo was taken after the remants of Hurricane Hilary destroyed this road on August 20, 2023."

[MojaveGeek]

No mention of the road in Greenwater Valley road, I think it is officially called Furnace Wash? I thought Inyo County maintained it, but that doesn't really make much sense. They do say 178 at the south end will open later in the fall so maybe no comment until then?

[John Morrow]

I understand also that it is a county road. My hope is that it is open by Mid Nov full length and that CALTRANS opens 178 just beyond the jct at the park boundary. That was the repair progression last big event.

If Tutus could only open to the Fall Canyon TH, Titus will remain hiking only for quite some time. Be a nice opportunity