Kayakers Hit up Death Valley’s Temporary Salt Lake in ‘Once-In-A-Lifetime’ Opportunity
Death Valley is famously the driest place in North America, and is thought to be one of the hottest places on the entire planet in the dead heat of summer. Its rolling beige dunes and parched salt flats are usually devoid of moisture, and only the hardiest desert flora and fauna can survive out there, giving Death Valley its ominous name.
But if you went to Death Valley right now, you'd see a very different picture than the one I just painted. After weeks of rainstorms across Southern California, a temporary lake has formed over the salt flats in Death Valley, and some kayakers are taking advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Gotta say, I love their can-do attitude- imagine having the bragging rights to one day say you kayaked in Death Valley! According to @abc7newsbayarea, the valley has received a surprising 4.9 inches of rain over the past six months, starting with Hurricane Hilary last summer and continuing to collect water as the El Niño hit Southern California with lots of winter rainstorms. To put that into perspective, the National Park Service reports that Death Valley National Park gets less than 2 inches of precipitation per year on average, "a fraction of what most deserts receive."
At only a few inches deep, Death Valley's itinerant lake doesn't exactly make for a great swimming hole. But for a few intrepid kayakers willing to haul their watercrafts out to Death Valley, the water's just deep enough.
Death Valley's Lake Is Sticking Around Longer Than Expected
When the mysterious lake first appeared on Death Valley's salt flats late in the summer of 2023, no one expected it to stick around as long as it did. In early November, NPR reported that the lake was already showing signs of evaporation and could disappear by the end of the month. No one anticipated how much rain the area was about to receive over the next few months, though, and with rainstorm after rainstorm replenishing its waters, the Death Valley salt lake stuck around.
Now 6 months old, the lake has continued to defy expectations, leaving people to wonder when it will actually dry up for good. Every time it seems like it's starting to evaporate, another rainstorm comes through and fills it right back up. At this point in time, no one really has a solid estimate for the lake's expiration date. However, as Desert Research Institute research professor Guo Yu told USA Today, higher than normal groundwater levels in the area could "help keep the water level high for a long period of time."
Eventually, though, the rainy season will end, and the lake will evaporate just like all water in Death Valley does. If you want to see Death Valley's lake in person- or even take a kayak out on it- get out there as soon as possible, and don't let this rare chance pass you by!
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