Death Valley: More Than Half of Saline Valley Warm Springs Campground Reopens
More than half of Saline Valley Warm Springs Campground has reopened after the September 15 fire, but the burned Lower Springs area stays closed.
By Jocelyn Pion, · Updated
Developing story · 1 update since the first story Jump to where it started
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Latest update
More than half of campground reopens, fire cause confirmed
Official bulletin of October 5, 2026, added October 6, 2026
Investigators with the U.S. Wildland Fire Service have determined the cause: a propane grill accidentally ignited a palm tree in the Lower Springs area. More than half of Saline Valley Warm Springs Campground has now reopened. The immediate fire area stays closed, however, as lingering hot spots and hazardous materials still make entry off-limits.
Official source : Most of Saline Valley Warm Springs Campground Reopens After Fire
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Death Valley: Saline Valley Warm Springs Campground Partially Reopens After Fire
A portion of Saline Valley Warm Springs Campground reopened September 17, 2026, but the burned Lower Springs area stays closed to the public.
Good news if you're planning a trip out to the remote corners of Death Valley. The National Park Service has reopened part of Saline Valley Warm Springs Campground. The reopening took effect on September 17, 2026, following a fire that had burned through the area.
This campground makes you work for it. It sits in Saline Valley, one of the most isolated stretches of the park, known for its hot springs out in the open desert. Getting there means hours of rough dirt road and a vehicle that's genuinely up to it. If you had this spot on your route, the way in is partly open again, and that really changes how you plan your trip.
One important caution here. The reopening only covers a portion of the site. The burned area at Lower Springs stays closed to the public by order of the Death Valley National Park superintendent. In other words, some of the facilities aren't accessible, and entry there is prohibited, not just discouraged. Follow the signs on the ground. These closures protect both visitors and land that the fire left fragile.
Here's our advice before you head out. Check the exact status of the roads and the springs when you go, because things could still shift over the coming weeks. Bring water, fuel, and a backup plan, since Saline Valley doesn't forgive improvisation. Don't count on any cell service once you're out on the dirt road.
To place this area in the context of the whole park and plan out the rest of your itinerary, keep our Death Valley park guide handy. And if you're putting together a bigger loop through the West, this spot fits nicely into our road trip route that runs through the park. It's an easy way to slot Death Valley in between two stops without giving up the rest.
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Where it started
Death Valley: Saline Valley Warm Springs Campground Closed After a Fire
A fire on September 15, 2026 temporarily closed Saline Valley Warm Springs Campground, in a remote corner of Death Valley. No reopening date yet.
Bad news for anyone dreaming of Death Valley's most remote hot springs. Saline Valley Warm Springs Campground, tucked deep in the park's backcountry, is closed for now. The cause is a fire that broke out on September 15, 2026. Park officials are calling it a temporary closure, with no reopening date announced so far.
If you were planning to pitch a tent out there in the coming weeks, that plan's on hold until further notice. This isn't your typical campground. You reach it by long, unpaved roads that are hard on a vehicle, and the spot draws a small crowd of regulars who come for the warm-water pools out in the middle of the desert. In other words, improvising a backup once you're on site isn't easy.
Our advice for now is simple. Don't head toward this area without checking whether it's open right before you drive out. In a park as vast and as barren as Death Valley, a zone can stay closed long after a fire is out, while crews secure the site and control access. Conditions change fast, and official information always beats whatever's floating around the forums.
There's some good news, though. This closure stays very localized. It affects only this one campground, not the whole park, which keeps its major sites open. If you're planning a trip, the rest of your itinerary still holds up, from the Mesquite Flat dunes to the lowest point in North America at Badwater.
To build a solid itinerary despite this hiccup, lean on the Death Valley park guide, where we break down the areas worth seeing and the logistics on the ground. And if Death Valley is just one stop on a bigger trip, take a look at our road trip itinerary that runs through this park to fill in the rest of your days.
Official source : Backcountry campground in Death Valley National Park closed due to fire