DEATH VALLEY (KTNV) — Death Valley National Park has been making headlines and drawing visitors from all over due to the formation of a temporary lake —however, strong winds over the weekend have already shrunk the size of "Lake Manly."
Even last week, when the lake was seven miles long and three miles wide, it was still just about one foot deep. Now, that water is even more shallow.
Due to changed conditions, the National Park Service says its no longer allowing people to attempt to boat as it would involve walking through mud which could scar the landscape.
But even at its deepest, park visitors couldn't just grab any boat.
Pat McCoy, a Pahrump resident, told us it has to be a vessel that can handle shallow water, like a canoe or a paddle board. She brought along a Tucktec folding kayak.
“It’ll fold up real small to fit in the back of my Jeep. I mean, it’s a workout putting it together, but it floats really well!” McCoy said.
Located about 120 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Death Valley National Park is one of the most unique places in the world.
“I look at the statistics — OK, [it's the] hottest place on earth, deepest place in North America, driest place in North America…but those aren’t reasons to come here," said Park Ranger Abby Wines. "The reason to come here is how absolutely beautiful and undeveloped this site is.”
Wines said she's worked at the park almost 19 years. During the beginning of her tenure was the last time the lake was kayak-able.
“It was the winter of 2004, 2005," Wines said.
The lake will soon completely disappear, and it's already smaller due to windy weather.
In an email to Channel 13, Wines said:
"Lake Manly has changed. Strong winds 2/29-3/2 moved the lake about two miles north, and spread it out. Spreading out means it's less deep. Now it's slowly moving back downhill to where it was before, but is substantially smaller. Not deep enough to kayak anymore."
But why is the lake there in the first place?
Well, it's at Badwater Basin, a valley 282 feet below sea level, which collects lots of the surrounding moisture in the mountains and in the park. And since the elevation is so low, no water that falls will make it out to the ocean. Typically, the valley heat evaporates any moisture that collects in the basin.
"It's so hot here — hottest place on earth — and the little bit of water we get usually doesn't stick around very long," Wines said.
Things were a lot different this year. In just six months, 4.9 inches of rain fell in the park. That’s more than two-and-a-half times what they typically see in a year.
“We had Hurricane Hillary hit Death Valley very hard," Wines said.
One more thing about the lake — it’s salty! A high concentration of sodium chloride (that’s table salt) is the main mineral deposit left behind from decades of evaporation.
Park rangers tell us, although the lake might not be deep enough to kayak in anymore, water will at least be around to enjoy and provide a reflection through late April.
