People are swimming and kayaking in the driest place in the US right now — thanks to heavy winter rains

dlandselnyp
·3 min read
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death valley rains
death valley rains

Death Valley is alive and well.

During a normal year, tourists stream into the sun-scorched Badwater Basin area of Southern California’s Death Valley National Park to see what it feels like to be at the lowest point in North America.

The answer is that it’s hot, very hot, sometimes hotter than anyplace else on earth.

Sinking to 282 feet below sea level, Badwater also happens to be one of the driest places in the United States.

But not in 2024.

After the West Coast experienced a rare hurricane last summer, followed by a string of heavy rains this winter, Badwater is living up to its name, drawing kayakers, swimmers, paddle boarders and gawkers.

A parched, ancient lakebed is back in action after a series of storms walloped California’s Death Valley. AFP via Getty Images
A parched, ancient lakebed is back in action after a series of storms walloped California’s Death Valley. AFP via Getty Images

They’re all here to play in the the massive lake that’s temporarily taking up space where bone dry salt flats were only recently the main attraction.

“I said to myself, ‘Oh my god, this is incredible,'” visitor Patrick Donnelly of the Center for Biological Diversity told the BBC of the rare change in the landscape.

“[Death Valley] is the hottest, driest place in North America, and all of a sudden, it literally has billions of gallons of water. It has been completely transformed,” he said.

The basin is named for the ancient lake that once existed here. The area, a main draw to California’s Mojave Desert, receives just 2 inches of rain each year; local temperatures typically ensure that the moisture evaporates almost before it lands.

During the last six months however, the area has taken on a whopping 5 inches of wet, resulting in the six-mile-long, three-mile wide, pristine body of water about 1 foot deep that’s now luring lookie-loos from all over.

One of the driest places on earth is suddenly more like a day at the beach. AFP via Getty Images
One of the driest places on earth is suddenly more like a day at the beach. AFP via Getty Images

The phenomenon hasn’t occurred for a number of years, said Elyscia Letterman of the National Park Service. And, she cautions, it won’t last for long.

“It’s evaporating rapidly,” Letterman told a reporter. “We’re not sure how long it will stick around, but it is disappearing.” .

But for the time being, a trip to rugged Death Valley feels more like a day at the beach.

Visitors are swimming, paddleboarding, kayaking and just soaking up the sun in lawn chairs. AFP via Getty Images
Visitors are swimming, paddleboarding, kayaking and just soaking up the sun in lawn chairs. AFP via Getty Images
Badwater Basin at Death Valley after a series of rains left billions of gallons of water at the lowest point in the United States. AP
Badwater Basin at Death Valley after a series of rains left billions of gallons of water at the lowest point in the United States. AP

“It’s quite beautiful, especially at sunrise and sunset when you have these beautiful reflections from the mountains around the lake,” Letterman said. “There’s some snow on the mountaintops. So, the reflection of the snow-capped mountains on the water is very beautiful.”

“It doesn’t feel like you’re in Death Valley,” she said.

Donnelly, who lives in nearby Nevada, said he’s looking to make the most of the time with the lake — before it disappears.

“This is something I want to experience as much as I can,” he said. “It’s likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”