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