THE GOVERNMENT NEWS DESKPERMANENT NPS STORY ARCHIVE
Organized by publication date and destination. Each story retains its permanent State & Nation address and official NPS source.
Titus Canyon Road, one of Death Valley National Park’s most popular backcountry drives, will close Oct. 2, 2026, as work begins to repair and strengthen the road following extensive flood damage.
Official NPS sourceGreat Basin National Park will celebrate two major milestones Oct. 23: the park’s 40th anniversary and the completion of major improvements to the Lehman Caves lighting system and tour route. The all-day celebration will feature a 2 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Lehman Caves Visitor Center, along with guest speakers, ranger programs, free ranger-led cave tours, an Eskdale High School choir performance, and presentations by cave specialists and historians.
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The National Park Service reopened a portion of Saline Valley Warm Springs Campground on September 17. The burned area at Lower Springs is closed to public entry by order of the Death Valley National Park superintendent.
Official NPS source
Saline Valley Warm Springs Campground is temporarily closed due to a fire that occurred on September 15, 2026.
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The National Park Service urges commercial truck drivers to use caution when traveling State Route 190 through Death Valley National Park, particularly on the steep descent from Towne Pass. A tractor-trailer caught fire on SR-190 at approximately 7:45 p.m. Sept. 9 after its brakes overheated while descending about 5,000 feet from Towne Pass.
Official NPS source
Great Basin National Park will celebrate its dark skies with the 17th annual Great Basin Astronomy Festival from Thursday, Sept. 10, through Saturday, Sept. 12.
Official NPS sourceA 68-year-old French visitor died Monday, Aug. 17, after he and a traveling companion became stranded on a remote road in Death Valley National Park.
Official NPS source
The National Park Service announced today that Death Valley National Park will begin an $69.5 million infrastructure project this fall to modernize two critical water systems and a wastewater system. Funded through President Donald J. Trump’s Great American Outdoors Act’s Legacy Restoration Fund, the three-year project will improve essential infrastructure responsible for providing safe drinking water and reliable wastewater treatment for park visitors, employees, hotels, campgrounds and the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe.
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Firefighters responded to a vehicle fire on State Route 190 in Death Valley National Park on June 20, 2026. All six occupants escaped without major injuries, but the van and attached trailer were destroyed.
Official NPS source
On June 2, 2026, the National Park Service reopened Lower Wildrose Road, which was closed for nearly three years due to extensive flood damage. The narrow, unpaved road is restricted to vehicles shorter than 25 feet. Also known as Trona-Wildrose Road, it provides access to high-elevation areas of Death Valley National Park.
Official NPS sourceTitus Canyon Road, one of Death Valley National Park’s most popular backcountry drives, has reopened after an initial phase of flood repairs. The road will close again on October 1, 2026, for additional work, including improvements to reduce damage from future flash floods.
Official NPS source
Public tours of Great Basin National Park's Lehman Caves will resume on Friday, May 22, just in time for the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
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Death Valley National Park welcomed more than 1.32 million visitors to the park in 2025. This was the park’s fourth-highest visitation year, despite extended closures of large sections of the park due to flash flood damage.
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The National Park Service is opening public comment on an evaluation of accessibility across Death Valley National Park. The “Accessibility Self‑Evaluation and Transition Plan” includes restrooms, walkways, interpretive exhibits, ranger programs, and other visitor services.
Official NPS sourceBeginning today through March 1, Great Basin National Park is planning to burn 23 acres of piled fuels, part of the park’s ongoing efforts to reduce the risk of wildfire and restore natural ecosystems.
Official NPS source
Death Valley National Park is pleased to announce the reopening of Salt Creek Boardwalk, three and a half years after it was destroyed by flooding. This wheelchair-accessible trail provides easy access to view Salt Creek Pupfish.
Official NPS sourceLake Mead National Recreation Area will reopen Government Wash at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, after completing a significant operation to remove long-term encampments and restore safety, environmental stability, and public access to Lake Mead.
Official NPS source
The National Park Service has reopened South Badwater Road as of Jan. 31 following months of closures due to extensive flash flood damage.
Official NPS sourceDeath Valley National Park, in partnership with the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, will host a special event on Jan. 30 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Timbisha Shoshone Homeland Act.
Official NPS source
Death Valley National Park is seeking the public’s help to identify the individuals responsible for illegal off-road driving on Eureka Dunes in Death Valley National Park on Dec. 17. More than five miles of unauthorized vehicle tracks caused significant damage to rare and sensitive desert plants.
Official NPS sourceGreat Basin National Park is pleased to announce the selections for the park's four 2026 Artists in Residence.
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Lake Mead National Recreation Area will begin a significant road improvement project on Willow Beach Road on January 5, 2026, with construction anticipated to conclude by mid-March 2026.
Official NPS source
The National Park Service reopened several flood-damaged roads in Death Valley National Park in recent days. An upcoming storm may cause new road closures.
Official NPS source
Public tours of Scotty’s Castle grounds will be available on select Sundays from January through March 2026. Scotty’s Castle, a historic district in Death Valley National Park, has been closed for 10 years while the National Park Service repairs extensive damage caused by a flash flood and a later fire.
Official NPS source
Death Valley has experienced record-breaking rainfall, according to the National Weather Service. The wettest fall (Sept-November) measured 2.41 inches, and the wettest November on record measured 1.76 inches of rain. The November rain broke the previous record of 1.70 inches set in 1923.
Official NPS sourceGreat Basin National Park is seeking proposals to provide food and beverage, retail, and other services from the Lehman Caves Visitor Center within Great Basin National Park.
Official NPS sourceThe National Park Service has released on November 18, 2025, a business opportunity soliciting proposals to award a new ten (10) year concession contract to operate Guided Water Tours, Food & Beverage, and Retail Services in Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Attachments and additional information at the link provided.
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A storm on November 15, 2025, produced 0.6 inches of rain at Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park. At just over a half of an inch, this is more than a quarter of the annual rainfall for Death Valley.
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Great Basin National Park is seeking applicants for the 2026 Artist-in-Residence program. Several residencies are available throughout the year for artists of all disciplines and backgrounds.
Official NPS sourceGreat Basin National Park’s Lehman Caves will close to the public on October 20, as park staff and contractors begin work on a six-month, $5.8 million project to replace the cave’s 48-year-old, failing electric lights.
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A new National Park Service report shows that 1,440,484 visitors to Death Valley National Park in 2024 spent $146 million in communities near the park.
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The remnants of Tropical Storm Mario brought significant rainfall to Death Valley National Park on the night of September 18, 2025. The following roads are closed due to storm damage: Badwater Road, North Highway, West Side Road, Twenty Mule Team Canyon, Cottonwood - Marble Roads, Mustard Canyon, and Keane Wonder Mine Road.
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Construction has begun on the first permanent, accessible trails at Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, which are expected to be unveiled to the public in 2027.
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Great Basin National Park is banning campfires, charcoal grills, and smoking outdoors within park boundaries.
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Great Basin National Park recently completed a $5.5 million rehabilitation of the park’s water distribution and wastewater collection systems, made possible by funding from the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund.
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As the 5th anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act approaches, residents and staff at Death Valley National Park are thrilled about an upcoming major overhaul of the park’s largest water and wastewater systems. To celebrate the Act’s anniversary, all National Park Service sites will offer free park entrance on Monday, August 4.
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Just 21 minutes after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, waves were triggered nearly 4,000 miles away in Death Valley National Park. Biologists are not concerned about impacts on the endangered Devils Hole Pupfish.
Official NPS sourceVisitors to Great Basin National Park can now explore the park’s 10-million-year-old Lehman Caves from a new perspective by joining an Introduction to Wild Caving Tour.
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The National Park Service has awarded LMNRA Guest Services a 10-year contract to operate visitor services at Willow Beach.
Official NPS sourceA 46-year-old man from Death Valley died in a single-vehicle rollover in Death Valley National Park sometime before 5:30am on June 13. The accident occurred on CA-190 just east of North Highway.
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Early morning on June 19, a truck caught fire while descending Towne Pass on California Highway 190 within Death Valley National Park. The tractor trailer was traveling from Battle Mountain, NV, to Long Beach, CA. The tractor was destroyed by the fire. The driver protected the trailer by disconnecting it before the fire could spread. No injuries were reported.
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Entrance to Death Valley National Park will be free on June 19, 2025, in honor of Juneteenth National Independence Day.
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Furnace Creek, a stream in Death Valley National Park, is now flowing further in its natural channel- thanks to a recent California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) project. The agency added three culverts under Highway 190 to increase driver safety by preventing water from ponding on the highway.
Official NPS sourceTwo separate vehicle fires occurred in Death Valley National Park in late May 2025, both of which were extinguished by quick-thinking bystanders using available tools.
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Death Valley National Park is urging motorcycle riders to think twice before traveling by bike during the hottest months of the year.
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A tractor trailer crash on May 20, 2025 left the driver deceased, damaged a historic structure, and closed CA-190 for 22 hours.
Official NPS sourceThe Park's only year-round campground will be refreshed and doubled in size.
Official NPS source
Death Valley National Park and Federal Highway Administration have reopened Emigrant Canyon Road, a key high-elevation route that is a popular access point for cooler summer recreation. The road suffered heavy damage following a severe flash flood in August 2023. Temporary fixes allowed it to reopen after a few months but left it vulnerable to wear and tear and further flooding.
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Following a sudden population decline caused by two recent earthquakes, one of the world’s rarest fish – the Devils Hole pupfish – is on the path to recovery, according to a multi-agency team of biologists.
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Park rangers successfully rescued a stranded hiker from a steep and unstable gully in Death Valley National Park on January 15, following a challenging evening operation.
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The National Park Service (NPS) seeks help identifying the person or people who illegally drove on Eureka Dunes in late December or early January. The vehicles caused significant damage to rare plants that are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
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As 2025 begins, consider planning a visit to Death Valley National Park. Fee free days and good star-gazing periods can all be ideal times to plan a visit to the 5,000-square-mile desert park.
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Prescribed fires will be conducted in the Cottonwood area at Astin, Copper Mountain, and Ski Coves to remove invasive tamarisk.
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National Park Service (NPS) and Beatty firefighters successfully extinguished a trailer fire in Death Valley National Park on December 29, 2024.
Official NPS source
Preservation specialists from the National Park Service are working to protect three historic wooden towers in Saline Valley. Additional work is planned for Tower #1, which was toppled in April 2024.
Official NPS source
Emigrant Canyon Road will close starting January 6 for road repairs. There will be no road access to Wildrose until early March 2025.
Official NPS sourceThe NPS is no longer considering rerouting Willow Beach Road and will instead pursue options to address erosion and deterioration of the road within the existing alignment in order to ensure safe use of the road for the public and concessionaires.
Official NPS source
Devils Hole in was shaken by an earthquake that happened 500 miles away. This impacted the only habitat of an endangered species of fish.
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A tractor-trailer carrying 44,000 pounds of dried chickpeas burned up in Death Valley National Park on November 21, 2024.
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In celebration of Veterans Day, Death Valley National Park will offer free entrance to all visitors on Monday, November 11.
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The National Park Service (NPS) has selected Patrick Malone as program manager of Region 6, 7 and 8 National Trails Office. In this role, Malone will administer the Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail, California National Historic Trail, El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail, El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail, Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail, Old Spanish National Historic Trail, Oregon National Historic Trail, Pony Express National Historic Trail, Santa Fe National Historic Trail, Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, and the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program.
Official NPS sourceThe National Park Service has announced an award of $8.66 million in Conservation Initiative funds from the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (SNPLMA) for a five-year project addressing impacts related to illegal roads at Lake Mead National Recreation Area (NRA).
Official NPS sourceThe National Park Service (NPS) has issued a prospectus for the Willow Beach Black Canyon Concession Contract in Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
Official NPS source
Lake Mead National Recreation Area plans to conduct a prescribed fire on Monday, September 23, 2024, in the Katherine’s Landing and East Cottonwood areas. The fire treatment will cover approximately seven acres and is expected to last one day, with additional patrols and monitoring taking place for up to two days after ignition.
Official NPS sourceLake Mead National Recreation Area is pleased to announce the reopening of several popular trails on October 1, 2024, following the summer seasonal trail closure. The annual closure, in effect from May 15 through September 30, is implemented to protect visitors from extreme summer heat.
Official NPS sourceThe Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Park Service (NPS) announce the completion of a commercial air tour management voluntary agreement for Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The agreement guides the FAA and NPS in managing commercial air tours over the park and portions of Grand Canyon Parashant and Avi Kwa Ame national monuments.
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The National Park Service is closing the Government Wash portion of Lake Mead National Recreation Area to motor vehicle access and overnight camping beginning Aug. 1, 2024.
Official NPS sourceScientists from the U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service partnered on a first-of-its-kind, nationwide harmful algal bloom, or HAB, field study that began this summer and will continue over the next two years.
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