A rare lake at Death Valley National Park has re-emerged — sort of
Two questions emerge when Death Valley National Park gets above-average rainfall.
Will a superbloom of wildflowers cover the desert floor? And is it enough rain to flood Badwater Basin?
Mojave Desert adventurers might just be in luck: In a Thursday news release, rangers said the ephemeral water body known as Lake Manly has re-emerged — with much less force than it did after record rains from Hurricane Hilary.
The lake, named after American pioneer William L. Manly, forms every so often at Badwater Basin, a salt flat that is 282 feet below sea level, making it the lowest point in North America.
“These fall storms brought more rain than Death Valley typically receives in an entire year,” the National Park Service wrote in the news release. “The lake, colloquially known as ‘Lake Manly,’ is much smaller and shallower than the one that formed after the remnants of Hurricane Hilary passed through the park in 2024.”
The 1.76 inches of rain experienced this November was the most seen that month in the park since 1923, rangers said. The period between September and November was also the wettest one on record, with 2.41 inches of rain.
The water is about a mile from the Badwater Basin parking lot, the park service said, and it wouldn’t be deep enough to submerge a shoe in most spots. Last year, it was deep enough to kayak.
No certainty on superbloom
It’s been a while since a so-called “superbloom” drew visitors to the national park, and rangers aren’t ready to commit to the possibility of one happening again.
Rain is only one ingredient needed to see a massive display of flowers.
“It is too early to predict whether conditions will lead to a spring ‘superbloom’ like the one seen in 2016,” the park service wrote.
The rain has caused flooding that damaged some roads, though rangers said popular spots such as Zabriskie Point, Dantes View, Badwater Basin and Mesquite Sand Dunes are still easily accessible. Visitors who wish to use unpaved roads should exercise extra caution, however.
Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.
