No Camping!

[SilverBob]

From Death Valley National Park's Facebook page:

In support of the State of California’s Stay at Home Order for the Southern California Region, Death Valley National Park will temporarily modify park operations.
At noon on December 7, all campgrounds (developed campgrounds and backcountry sites) will be temporarily closed until further notice. Bookstore sales, pass sales, and information will still be available at Furnace Creek. Park roads, trails, and overlooks remain open.
Lodging for non-essential use is temporarily closed and restaurants will provide take-out food service per the California Stay-at-Home order (https://www.cdph.ca.gov/.../Regional-Stay-at-Home-Order...)
Updates and current park conditions will be posted on our website at: https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/conditions.htm.
The health and safety of our visitors, employees, volunteers, and partners is our number one priority. The NPS urges visitors to do their part when visiting the park and to follow CDC guidance to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.


I can't tell whether or not "Lodging for non-essential use.." includes Dispersed Camping in the backcountry.  If it does, they'd better have a LOT of overtime money available to pay Rangers to patrol the remote places in the Park to keep those "filthy campers" out!

This whole thing has gotten way beyond absurd!

[Desert Fog]

The Oasis at Death Valley has this posted for both of their properties at Furnace Creek...

Travel Advisory: Given the current state requirements to close bars, restaurants, hotels and limit gatherings, we are required to suspend our operations beginning Monday, December 7 at 12:00 pm local time.

The temporary closure is anticipated to last through December 27, 2020.

We regret that this situation has resulted in the necessity to cancel all lodging and tour reservations for stays from December 7 – December 27.

[MojaveGeek]

This is how it went down in the spring.  All the campgrounds got closed and a lot of people headed out to dispersed camping (e.g. we saw many parties between SPW and the mouth of Cottonwood Canyon).  The next day all the lodging closed.  They also at that time closed the VC and all the toilets.  It wasn't for a few weeks later that the park officially closed for access beyond driving 190. 

At least some of what transpired appeared to be pressure from Inyo County, rather than a system-wide NPS directive.  Various parks near populated areas closed at various times over the next few weeks.

>This whole thing has gotten way beyond absurd!

Indeed.  280K dead in a country with our resources is nothing short of absurd.  And tragic.  It didn't have to be this way 

[Candace66]

No Christmas visit to DVNP, sigh.

As far back as last year, I had penciled-in an extended (two weeks or so) trip to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park for this month. Obviously that definitely isn't happening now!

[netllama]

Sorry folks, but I'm putting an end to this thread. If people aren't able to engage in civil conversation without going off into unsubstantiated conspiracy theories, then we can't discuss this topic.

Everyone is entitled to express their opinion, but they are not entitled to spread misinformation, or present opinions as facts.

Also, please treat this as a warning for future threads that devolve into personal politics.