Flood-damaged Death Valley to reopen popular sites to public

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — Death Valley National Park’s most popular sites will reopen to the public on Saturday, two weeks after massive flash-flooding. But the National Park Service cautions visitors to expect delays and continuing road closures. Locations that will reopen include the Furnace Creek Visitor Center, Badwater Basin, Zabriskie Point, and Mesquite Sand Dunes. Access to the park will be limited to State Route 190 which reopened Friday and to the Panamint Valley Road. Officials say visitors should plan ahead and not rely on GPS because all other paved roads will remain closed for repairs. Backcountry roads are still being assessed. Death Valley was hit by downpours from monsoonal thunderstorms on Aug. 5.