In a rare opportunity, Death Valley’s Badwater Basin — normally a salt flat — has enough water for kayaking, park officials say.
The temporary lake is currently about a foot deep over much of its 18-square-mile area. In a couple of weeks it may be too shallow for kayaking, the park says, though the reflections afforded by even a few inches are likely to make the area a photographer’s dream through April.
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The last time the basin held enough water for kayaking was for a few weeks after last summer’s Hurricane Hilary — and damage to the park’s roads at that time meant Badwater was off limits to visitors.
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Most of the park’s main roads are now reopened, as are its hotels and most campgrounds.
Park officials said it’s too early to know if Death Valley will experience a wildflower superbloom this year, as it did in 2016.
