LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A getaway as 450,000 people descend on Las Vegas for Super Bowl weekend could include a trip to see the desert beauty of Death Valley, and recent rains have extended visitors’ chance to see Lake Manly.
Officials at Death Valley National Park said on Thursday that 1.5 inches of rain fell Feb. 4-7, causing a temporary closure of CA-190, the main road through the park. But the road reopened by mid-morning Feb. 7, and the lake in Badwater Basin has grown.
“Most of us thought the lake would be gone by October,” park ranger Abby Wines said. “We were shocked to see it still here after almost six months. This week’s rain will extend how long the lake is here. It’s too shallow to kayak in, but it makes amazing reflections of the mountains.”
Heavy rain in August filled Badwater Basin with a vast, shallow lake — Lake Manly. At its largest, it was about 7 miles long, 4 miles wide, and two feet deep. By late January it had shrunk to about half that size, and was inches deep, according to park officials.
The lake has attracted photographers and other visitors who want to see the temporary lake before it’s gone. In addition, snow fell at elevations as low as 4,000 feet in the park, so mountains are snowcapped.
The rain has increased the chance of a “good bloom” of wildflowers in the park this year, but officials said not to expect a “superbloom.” Flowers have been blooming in isolated middle-elevation areas of the park since late November, officials said.
The atmospheric rivers have passed, and damage to roads was described as a setback.
Badwater Road was opened a few hours after CA-190 on Feb. 7.
Side roads to some attractions are still closed, including Dantes View, Artists Drive, Devils Golf Course, Mustard Canyon, and Twenty Mule Team Canyon. Find full information on roads in the park at nps.gov/deva.