Posted on Nov 3, 2023
A stunning — but fleeting — lake has formed in California's Death Valley
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https://www.npr.org/2023/11/02/ [login to see] /death-valley-lake-national-park-california-visitors
When the driest place in North America and one of the hottest places on Earth becomes a desert oasis complete with a lake, it's impossible not to take note.
When the driest place in North America and one of the hottest places on Earth becomes a desert oasis complete with a lake, it's impossible not to take note.
A stunning — but fleeting — lake has formed in California's Death Valley
Posted from npr.orgPosted in these groups: 
State of California
State of California
Posted 7 mo ago
Responses: 2
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."... there's usually vegetation: scattered blooms of orange and yellow wildflowers have popped up, and the landscape looks a little more green than normal.
Visitors gather at the sprawling temporary lake at Badwater Basin salt flats at the recently reopened Death Valley National Park.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
What's the big deal? It's pretty unusual to see a literal lake in Death Valley (it's not called Death Valley for nothing, after all), and the sight is fleeting.
All the water from Hurricane Hilary damaged 1,400 miles of Death Valley's roads — the park was closed for nearly two months.
Some stretches of road have since reopened, affording lucky visitors a sight to behold.
The lake is slowly shrinking as the water evaporates, so it could be gone by the end of this month.
In 2022, rain caused a flash flood through the park, damaging roads in the park. Crews were still working to fix that damage when Hilary hit.
What are people saying? Laura Cunningham co-founded the desert conservation group Basin and Range Watch. She's lived near Death Valley for decades, so when the park partially reopened to visitors, she went to see it for herself.
"This area is pretty stark, and so when you see a lake in it, you know, it's sort of joyful," she told NPR.
"It was beautiful. It was like a mirror. There's no wind when I went, and it reflects Telescope Peak. So you have this 11,000 ft mountain reflected in this desert lake. So it's very special."...
..."... there's usually vegetation: scattered blooms of orange and yellow wildflowers have popped up, and the landscape looks a little more green than normal.
Visitors gather at the sprawling temporary lake at Badwater Basin salt flats at the recently reopened Death Valley National Park.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
What's the big deal? It's pretty unusual to see a literal lake in Death Valley (it's not called Death Valley for nothing, after all), and the sight is fleeting.
All the water from Hurricane Hilary damaged 1,400 miles of Death Valley's roads — the park was closed for nearly two months.
Some stretches of road have since reopened, affording lucky visitors a sight to behold.
The lake is slowly shrinking as the water evaporates, so it could be gone by the end of this month.
In 2022, rain caused a flash flood through the park, damaging roads in the park. Crews were still working to fix that damage when Hilary hit.
What are people saying? Laura Cunningham co-founded the desert conservation group Basin and Range Watch. She's lived near Death Valley for decades, so when the park partially reopened to visitors, she went to see it for herself.
"This area is pretty stark, and so when you see a lake in it, you know, it's sort of joyful," she told NPR.
"It was beautiful. It was like a mirror. There's no wind when I went, and it reflects Telescope Peak. So you have this 11,000 ft mountain reflected in this desert lake. So it's very special."...
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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