Pickleweed along banks of Salt Creek. A damaged section of the original boardwalk is in the background/NPS
A plan to replace the Salt Creek Boardwalk in Death Valley National Park that was destroyed by a flash flood two years ago calls for rebuilding the half-mile-long walkway.
The proposal, now open for public review, was devised by the National Park Service and the Federal Highway Administration.
Salt Creek is the only habitat of the Salt Creek pupfish (Cyprinodon salinus salinus). For decades, the half-mile-long boardwalk provided wheelchair access, while preventing people from trampling the pupfish’s spawning ground and surrounding riparian plants. Loss of vegetation would decrease shading along the creek, which is a critical component of the pupfish’s habitat.
A flash flood in August 2022 destroyed the boardwalk and vault toilet. The parking lot and road were further damaged during the remnants of Hurricane Hilary in 2023.
The proposal calls for the two agencies to reconstruct the 1.2-mile unpaved road to its pre-flood condition, restoring vehicle access to the site. Material will be buried to protect portions of the road from future floods. The parking lot location will be shifted slightly eastward, and will have an improved layout. The agencies plan to rebuild the boardwalk to its original length, with a slightly different route and using helical piles to anchor it. The damaged single vault toilet will be replaced with a double vault toilet. Damaged infrastructure will be removed. All public access to the site will be closed during construction, which is planned for fall 2024 through spring 2025.
The public comment period on the Salt Creek Boardwalk Replacement Project Environmental Assessment is open through June 23. A previous round of civic engagement in March 2023 helped park staff refine the project designs and provided valuable input as to which environmental considerations would be carried forward for further analysis.
The public is invited to submit written comments on the environmental assessment online at parkplanning.nps.gov/SaltCreekEA, Comments may also be submitted by mail to:
Death Valley National Park
ATTN: Salt Creek Boardwalk Replacement
P.O. Box 579
Death Valley, CA 92328
