That lake in Death Valley? It’s ‘just a puddle’
Social media and blogs were ablaze this week with photos of a so-called “lake” that formed in Death Valley National Park last week after another heavy rainstorm.
But a park spokeswoman said in reality, the “lake” is not actually a lake — it’s more like a series of puddles.
“It is exaggerated,” spokeswoman Abby Wines said. “It is just a puddle, it is not continuous and it is shrinking fast.
“It is not a thing,” she said.
The water pooled in the park after it rained about .84 inches in the valley on March 6. A similar thing happened when it rained about .44 inches on Feb. 14. The state has been doused this winter with a series of storms.
The puddles in Death Valley are between Furnace Creek and Salt Creek, Wines said.
The scene can be beautiful if there is no wind to disrupt the surface of the water, she said, but that’s rarely the case in the blustery valley.
There is still water on the valley floor and it appears to be slowly working its way south, toward Badwater, but it is evaporating, Wines said..
“That doesn’t mean it isn’t beautiful,” she emphasized.
Photographer Elliott McGucken told sfgate.com that he captured the big pool the day after the latest rain during a pause in the wind.
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