Death Valley National Park Reopens 195 Miles of Roads Damaged by 2023 Hurricane — What to Know If You're Visiting

Nearly 200 miles of roads have reopened in Death Valley National Park after they were damaged by a hurricane last year.

The National Park Service reopened 195 miles of roads over the past week following necessary repairs after 2023’s Hurricane Hilary swept through the park that straddles California and Nevada. Now, the Emigrant Canyon, West Side, Ibex, Saratoga, and Owlshead roads are all open to visitors.

To make the roads passable, the NPS said it repaired 174 miles of unpaved roads, while the Federal Highway Administration repaired the 21-mile paved Emigrant Canyon Road, including clearing debris, filling in shoulders, and filling in destroyed road sections.

But the NPS warned “repair work is not finished yet” and “NPS crews are shifting equipment to work on unpaved roads in the eastern and northern areas of the park.”

The NPS added it was still performing environmental and archeological assessments for the Titus Canyon Road, “which will likely reopen next spring.”

The remnants of Hurricane Hilary swept through Death Valley National Park last August, bringing a deluge of flooding and forcing the park to shutter. The park finally reopened in October after its longest-ever closure.

But the storm isn’t the only time the park has received an unusual amount of rain. Last month, the park saw so much rain that visitors were able to kayak in a temporary lake that formed over the Saltwater Basin. 

Typically, the park receives just two inches of rain per year. However, nearly five inches have fallen over the last six months, according to the NPS.

This is a full list of the roads that reopened in Death Valley National Park this week: 

• Emigrant Canyon Road, from CA-190 to Wildrose Campground
• Side roads off Emigrant Canyon, including Telephone Canyon, Aguereberry Point, Skidoo, and Wood Canyon
• West Side Road from the southern Badwater Road Junction to just north of Trail Canyon Junction
• Roads off West Side Road, Warm Springs, Galena, Queen of Sheba, Johnson, and Trail Canyon
• Saratoga Spring and Ibex Roads
• Owlshead Road