Tours return to Death Valley's Scotty's Castle years after a major flood

INCREDIBLY REMOTE PLACES? The Golden State is fabulously full of them. True, our huge megalopolises are well-known, but there are some amazing away-from-it all corners around California that brim with mystery, history, and wondrous tales. And few California places are as remote and remarkable as Scotty's Castle, an elaborate estate that regally rose in Death Valley a century ago. The well-appointed landmark had long been a favorite tour spot for adventurous travelers who ventured north through the spare and spectacular region, but a terrible twist arrived in October 2015: A dramatic flood coursed through the area following an equally dramatic storm, instantly shuttering the castle and clouding its immediate future.

RECOVERY WORK... was soon underway, but the hardy gallivanters who had hoped to view this one-of-a-kind abode would have to wait years for the chance to visit or return. The closure was sad for castle supporters but necessary as "a year's worth of rain (fell) within a mere five hours," sending "a flash flood of mud and rocks" hurtling toward the structure. So dramatic was this weather event that rangers "sheltered in place" with park visitors on the rim of Ubehebe Crater, located about 30 minutes away. Details about the flood, as well as what the recovery effort has looked like, are available at this National Park Service page.

A LIGHT AHEAD: The National Park Service announced that Scotty's Castle Flood Recovery Tours will begin in just a few weeks, with informative walking tours taking place every Saturday and Sunday from early December through later March 2025. The money raised from ticket sales will be donated to the recovery efforts and castle conservation. As for some of the yarns you might hear on the tour? You'll certainly learn about the characters behind the colorful abode as well as how the castle first came to be in such an unlikely location. Built by Albert Mussey Johnson, who worked in mining operates, the home was fated for a fanciful nickname that would come to be known by many.

THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE... succinctly shares the backstory behind the grand handle: "Walter Scott, known as 'Death Valley Scotty,' convinced everyone that he had built the castle with money from his rich secret mines in the area." Fascinating stuff, especially when you're hearing it all in the very place it happened. Join a tour this winter to learn more, and to help this remarkable and remote Death Valley landmark stand tall in its second century.