The driest place in America is filled with water for once: tourists can now go kayaking in Death Valley

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It’s a real weather spectacle currently taking place in California’s Death Valley National Park. Where there is nothing but drought and scorching heat, a large amount of water has collected and formed a small lake.

Instead of admiring the park in unbearable temperatures, tourists can now explore the beautiful nature of the driest national park in the US by kayak, the National Park Service (NPS) said in a statement. The NPS manages America’s national parks.

“A great time to visit”

The reason for the water adventure is the heavy rain showers that are currently falling over California. But Hurricane Hilary, which hit the region last August, also left some droplets behind. However, tourists could not yet benefit from it.

“The lake was deep enough after the hurricane for kayaking for a few weeks. But unfortunately people could no longer really enjoy it,” park ranger Abby Wines wrote in the statement. “All roads in the park have been damaged by flash floods. And it took two months before the first road into the park could open.” According to the ranger, most of the main roads are now passable again. “It’s a great time to visit.” The lake will probably only be deep enough for kayaking for a few weeks.

The lake is 86 meters below sea level

Tourists visit the lake’s famous Badwater Basin, which is approximately nine and a half miles long and three miles wide. The depression is the deepest point in North America and is 86 meters below sea level. Normally there is nothing there except a dry salt flat.

“You might think that Death Valley will always have a lake because there is no outlet to the sea,” Wines said in the statement. “But this is an extremely rare event. Normally the amount of incoming water is much lower than the evaporation rate.

Double the water mass within six months

That may not be entirely true, at least right now. While Death Valley averages only about 30 rainy days and a total of 50 millimeters of rain per year, the valley floor recorded about four inches of rainfall in the past six months alone. According to the NPS, the surrounding mountains received even more rain.

It’s no surprise that park rangers expect an influx of tourists to Death Valley in the coming weeks. If you want to take a boat tour in Death Valley, there is one thing you need to know: you cannot rent kayaks in Death Valley. “If you want to paddle in the park, you must bring your own equipment,” writes park ranger Abby Wines. (ced)

Source: Blick