Flash floods strand 1K people in Death Valley National Park

[Old Crank]

18. Used to go there just before Xmas

With my wife to bike around.
One year we went after a summer monsoon had hit. There was a car in a wash half a mile or so from the Furnace Creek inn with a huge boulder shoved in where the windshield was.
There parking lot has signs that say park at your own risk. The road to the hotel is in the outlet that acts like a funnel if it rains in that area. It quickly becomes an alluvial fan. When driving around most passages out of the mountains are such.
Furnace creek is a bit away and usually doesn't get much damage because the water spreads out. On that trip for us it was about 2 inches deep through the trailer park where most residences are. The tent campground is higher and escapes damage.

They publish a daily weather forcast. Can't tell you if it included this possibility.

Even in winter we have had some epic bike rides these.