Death Valley’s Scotty’s Castle – Image: NPS / Bob Greenburg [Enhanced using AI]
The National Park Service is offering limited guided exterior tours of the historic estate beginning October 10 . Tours are scheduled for most Saturdays and Sundays through April 17, while private weekday tours can also be arranged for small groups. Scotty’s Castle has been closed since October 2015, when an extraordinary storm hit the northern part of Death Valley. Beyond the extensive 2015 flood damage, restoration was affected by funding and contracting delays, the Covid-19 pandemic and later flooding elsewhere in Death Valley. Another major setback came in April 2021, when the historic Garage caught fire while repairs were underway. The building had been about 60% through its restoration when it was destroyed.
More than a decade after a devastating flash flood forced one of Death Valley National Park’s best-known historic sites to close, visitors are getting another chance to see Scotty’s Castle. The castle itself remains under restoration and is not yet reopening for regular interior visits. National Park Service rangers and guides from the Death Valley Natural History Association will lead visitors through the site, explaining its history as well as the restoration work underway. Tickets are being handled through the association. The arrangement gives visitors access to one of Death Valley’s most recognizable historic landmarks without reopening sections that remain affected by construction and preservation work. Its unusual architecture and remote desert setting eventually made Scotty’s Castle one of Death Valley’s most distinctive historic sites. The adjoining Longshed also suffered damage.