Re: Staggered Opening of Death Valley’s Campgrounds

DEATH VALLEY, CA – Death Valley National Park announces this fall and winter season’s camping options. Most campgrounds open, some will open later as repairs are completed and seasonal staff report for duty.

CURRENTLY OPEN

• Furnace Creek Campground (154 sites)
• Stovepipe Wells Campground (190 sites)
• Emigrant Campground (10 sites)
• Wildrose Campground (23 sites)
• Thorndike Campground (6 sites) until closed by snow.
• Mahogany Flat Campground (10 sites) until closed by snow.

DELAYED OPENING

• Mesquite Spring Campground (40 sites) is temporarily closed due to damage from two storms. A microburst wind event heavily damaged the roof of one of the restrooms. Flash flooding damaged the access road.
• Texas Springs Campground (92 sites) will be closed until enough maintenance workers are on staff.
• Sunset Campground (270 sites) temporarily open November 3-13, then closed again until enough maintenance workers are on staff.

The park should have adequate space for camping most of this fall, except for Veterans Day weekend, Thanksgiving, and the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s.

Campgrounds are also available from private companies at the Oasis at Death Valley, Stovepipe Wells, and Panamint Springs and in nearby communities, including Shoshone, Pahrump, Beatty, and Lone Pine.

We drove through Death Valley on September 21, a Thursday. Howling wind, but there was quite a lot of traffic. (Saw a motorcycle get blown over.) Furnace Creek was quiet, with the campgrounds shut down and the ranch readying for demolition.

Dove back through on Saturday Sep 30. Furnace Creek was a ghost town! Two visitors in the visitor center...on a Saturday! The ranger in the center had said that he expected the campgrounds to open mid October.