Death Valley National Park Alerts and Current Conditions

Cover of Brian Russ's guide to Death Valley National Park

Last checked: October 25, 2026. This page tracks what's closed, what's changed, and what's coming up at Death Valley National Park, California and Nevada, from the park's alerts, road status, and news releases. I check it daily and rewrite it when the park posts something new, so bookmark it rather than an old news story. A single storm can wash out roads across this park overnight, as it did on October 22, so check the park's own road status the morning you go.

Current alerts

  • Roads closed after the October 22 storm. Flooding washed debris across roads in several parts of the park. Ubehebe Road is closed, so there's no access to Ubehebe Crater; North Highway is open to Big Pine Road and closed past it. The Beatty Cutoff and Westside Road are also closed. (NPS)
  • Lower Wildrose Road is open with cautions. The October 22 storm left it washed out and covered in debris in many places. No vehicles longer than 25 feet, and the park doesn't recommend low-clearance cars or street tires. (NPS)
  • Titus Canyon Road is closed for flood repairs. It closed October 2. The park expects to reopen it in May 2027, and it's closed to cyclists and hikers too. (NPS)
  • Scotty's Castle: closed, with limited guided tours. Bonnie Clare Road and the castle are closed to all entry, including on foot, for flood recovery work, with no reopening date. A park release from October 8 announced guided exterior tours on most Saturdays and Sundays from October 10 through April 17, plus private weekday tours for small groups on request. With North Highway now closed past Big Pine Road, confirm a tour is running before you drive north. (NPS)
  • Darwin Falls road is gone in places. The park expects it to stay closed until likely summer 2027. Hikers can park on the shoulder of CA-190 and walk in. (NPS)
  • Other unpaved road closures. Hunter Mountain Road is closed because of deep mud that has stranded several vehicles. Cottonwood Road is closed for its final 2.8 miles, beyond Cottonwood Roadside Campsite 7. The closures apply to all motor vehicles, motorcycles included; bicycles are allowed. (NPS)
  • Saline Valley's Lower Springs is closed after a fire. The September 15 fire left hot spots and possible hazardous materials. The lower pools are closed; camping between Lower and Palm Springs is open. (NPS)
  • Emigrant Campground and restrooms are closed indefinitely for water-system repairs. The nearest open facilities are at Stovepipe Wells. (NPS)
  • Gas at night. Panamint Springs Resort sells gas from 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells have gas 24 hours.
  • Harry Wade and Phinney Canyon roads. Harry Wade Road has deep sand about 6 miles south of its junction with Badwater Road. The last 3 miles of Phinney Canyon Road are badly washed out and impassable to all vehicles. (NPS)
  • Water system work at Furnace Creek. The park broke ground on October 21 on a three-year project to replace aging water and wastewater systems at Furnace Creek. The work runs in phases, and the park says short, localized water outages and temporary parking reductions may happen along the way. (NPS)

Open and closed right now

  • The park is open 24 hours a day, every day. Entrance is $30 per private vehicle, good for seven days. (NPS)
  • Furnace Creek Visitor Center: open daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., holidays included. (NPS)
  • Campgrounds open: Furnace Creek (reservations accepted October 15 through April 15), Stovepipe Wells, Mesquite Spring, and Wildrose (no water), plus the primitive Thorndike, Mahogany Flat, Eureka Dunes, and Homestake. Saline Valley is partly open.
  • Campgrounds closed: Emigrant (indefinitely), and Texas Springs and Sunset, which haven't opened for the season yet.

Coming up in the next few weeks

  • Texas Springs and Sunset campgrounds are listed with a delayed opening through Monday, November 30.
  • Scotty's Castle tours are scheduled for most weekends through April 17, 2027, subject to the road closures above.
  • High campgrounds: the park says Thorndike usually stays open through December, pending snow, and Mahogany Flat is often closed in winter for snow and ice.
  • Later reopenings: Titus Canyon Road is expected in May 2027 and the Darwin Falls road likely in summer 2027. The park has no reopening dates for Ubehebe Road, the Beatty Cutoff, Westside Road, or Bonnie Clare Road.

What this means for your trip

The October 22 storm hit the north end hardest. Ubehebe Crater is out, the Scotty's Castle area is closed beyond the scheduled tours, and Titus Canyon, the park's classic one-way backcountry drive, is closed until spring. If you're coming from Beatty, the Beatty Cutoff shortcut is closed; Daylight Pass Road isn't on the closure list. Westside Road is closed too, so plan any Badwater-area driving on the paved Badwater Road.

The core of a first visit is still workable. Badwater Road and SR-190 aren't on the closure list. Neither are the classic stops along them, like Zabriskie Point, Badwater Basin, and the Mesquite Flat dunes. Backcountry drivers will feel the closures most, and the park asks everyone to stay on roads; driving around washouts damages the desert and creates new tracks.

For campers, late October is the in-between week. Texas Springs and Sunset aren't open yet, so in Furnace Creek your realistic choice is a reserved site at Furnace Creek Campground. Stovepipe Wells and Mesquite Spring are first-come alternatives. The seasonal campgrounds close in summer heat and reopen as the weather cools, which is where the park is now. The park says weather can change quickly here, so check the forecast for each travel day and keep your gas tank topped up between stations.

Earlier alerts (outdated)

  • Outdated: reported by the park as of October 24, 2026; no longer listed as of October 25, 2026. Storm closures. Flooding on October 22 washed debris across several park roads. North Highway (the road to Ubehebe Crater and the Scotty's Castle area), the Beatty Cutoff, and the unpaved Westside Road are closed, and Badwater Road is open but posted for caution because of debris. (NPS, as of October 23)

Before you go

  • Check the park's road status map and conditions the morning of your visit.
  • For roads outside the park, the park points to Inyo County road conditions, Caltrans, and the Nevada Department of Transportation.
  • Reserve Furnace Creek Campground on Recreation.gov or at 877-444-6777, from 5 days to 6 months ahead.

If a closure knocks out part of your plan, my guide to Death Valley National Park has nine one- to three-day itineraries at easy, moderate, and strenuous effort, each with a backup plan for weather or closures. You can also check alerts and conditions for every national park.

This page is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Always check the park's current alerts before you go.