Death Valley National Park partially reopened over the weekend, welcoming visitors back to the park after its longest closure in history.
The park, which straddles both California and Nevada, reopened CA-190, allowing travellers to enter the park from the west via Lone Pine and from the east via the Death Valley Junction entrance, according to the National Park Service. All other entrances to the park remain closed.
The park was first closed in August after receiving more than 2 inches of rain in one day, which the NPS said was more than the area normally receives in a year. The deluge caused flooding that washed away trails, undercut pavement and filled collapsed roads with gravel.
The rain was the result of a tropical storm that swept through California, temporarily forcing the closure of Joshua Tree National Park.
“This was the longest closure in the history of Death Valley National Park,” park superintendent Mike Reynolds said in a statement. “I look forward to welcoming people back to enjoy their park!”
Reynolds added that it was a “really special time” to visit the park because Badwater Basin currently has a mile-long temporary lake that could dry up in a few weeks.
“It’s pretty rare to see a lake in Death Valley!” Reynolds said.
To reopen the park, the NPS said crews had made “major repairs” to several paved roads, including CA-190, but warned travellers to expect loose gravel, reduced speed limits and traffic delays. Currently, the park has reopened the following roads CA-190, Badwater Road from CA-190 to Badwater Basin, Dantes View Road, Twenty Mule Team Canyon Road, Artists Drive, Natural Bridge Road, Mustard Canyon, and Mosaic Canyon Road.
Travellers also have access to lodging, food and fuel at Panamint Springs Resort, Stovepipe Wells Village, Oasis at Death Valley and several NPS campgrounds.
The NPS said more park roads would be reopened as repairs continue.
This isn’t the first time Death Valley has been flooded. Last year, the park – known as one of the hottest places on earth – was closed for several weeks in August after receiving 1.46 inches of rain in one day.