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You can kayak a temporary lake in Death Valley right now

Kayaking at Badwater Basin on February 9, 2024.
Michael Kohler
/
NPS
Kayaking at Badwater Basin on February 9, 2024.

Ever feel like kayaking an ephemeral lake at the driest place on earth? Now’s your chance: Lake Manly in Death Valley National Park is just deep enough for that right now.

The temporary lake, at Badwater Basin, is a very rare event, according to park ranger Abby Wines.

False-color satellite images of Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park. The light blue areas are damp, and dark blue is standing water. From left to right, they are July 5, 2023 (before Hurricane Hilary), August 30, 2023 (ten days after Hurricane Hilary), and February 14, 2024 (one week after atmospheric river).
Death Valley National Park
False-color satellite images of Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park. The light blue areas are damp, and dark blue is standing water. From left to right, they are July 5, 2023 (before Hurricane Hilary), August 30, 2023 (ten days after Hurricane Hilary), and February 14, 2024 (one week after atmospheric river).

“Normally the amount of water flowing in is much less than the evaporation rate,” she said in a news release.

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The park averages two inches of rain per year, but in the past six months has seen 4.9 inches.

“The lake was deep enough to kayak for a few weeks after Hurricane Hilary, but unfortunately people couldn’t come enjoy it then,” said Wines. “Every road in the park was damaged by flash floods, and it took two months to open the first road into the park. Now most of the main roads are open, so it’s a great time to come visit.”

The lake is currently six miles long, three miles wide and one foot deep, and will likely remain deep enough to kayak for a couple of weeks. Rangers say the lake will remain through April.

Kristen DeSilva (she/her) is the audience engagement specialist for Nevada Public Radio. She curates and creates content for knpr.org, our weekly newsletter and social media for Nevada Public Radio and Desert Companion.