In a rare opportunity, Death Valley’s Badwater Basin — normally a salt flat — has enough water for kayaking, park officials say.
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The temporary lake is currently about a foot deep over much of its 18-square-mile area. In a couple of weeks it may be too shallow for kayaking, the park says, though the reflections afforded by even a few inches are likely to make the area a photographer’s dream through April.
The last time the basin held enough water for kayaking was for a few weeks after last summer’s Hurricane Hilary — and damage to the park’s roads at that time meant Badwater was off limits to visitors.
Most of the park’s main roads are now reopened, as are its hotels and most campgrounds.
Park officials said it’s too early to know if Death Valley will experience a wildflower superbloom this year, as it did in 2016.