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Death Valley National Park

Salt Creek Boardwalk Educational Signs
A group of three people stand on a wooden boardwalk above a shallow creek in the desert
National Monument
1933
 
National Park
1994
 
Park Size
3.4 million acres, 91% wilderness
 
Annual Visitors
1.1 million
 
Park Fee
$30
 
Superintendent
Mike Reynolds
 
Park Partner
Death Valley Natural History Association
 
Location
Inyo and San Bernardino Counties, CA, Nye County, NV
Death Valley National Park features rugged mountains, expansive salt flats, deep canyons, rolling sand dunes, and spring-fed oases in the largest National Park in the Lower 48. Comprised of the Mojave Desert ecosystem in California and Nevada, the park is the lowest place in North America. The park's plant and animal diversity is rich, as is the cultural history of the many intrepid people who have lived and passed through this extreme landscape.

In 2022, a flash flood event destroyed the Salt Creek boardwalk, a popular place to see water, rare in the desert, and the endemic Salt Creek pupfish. Further damage was inflicted by flooding related to Hurricane Hilary in 2023. The park has received federal funding to rebuild the boardwalk in 2025, but there was no funding available to replace the educational signs.

​The Fund for People in Parks is collaborating with the Death Valley Natural History Association on the production of new educational signs, including four new tactile elements that will greatly enhance the experience for visitors of all abilities. The hands-on signs will provide directions for accessible paths and conservation lessons to inspire environmental stewardship from visitors of all ages.


Project Cost: $66,688                                                                Project Begun: 2025
     The Fund for People in Parks: $36,000
     Death Valley Natural History Association: $20,000
     National Park Service: $10,688
​
We believe this initiative is crucial to emphasize accessibility and inclusion within our park. We want to provide visitors with a complete experience at the boardwalk, which includes educational and interactive components that accommodate everyone, regardless of their abilities. Our vision is to create a park that inspires and educates all visitors on the importance of conservation, and this funding will bring us one step closer to that goal."
     -Kayla McCraren, Visual Information Specialist, Death Valley National Park

A group of students with National Park Service rangers stands and walks on a boardwalk in front of two educational signs
Before the floods, educational signs allowed visitors to learn about the landscape
A National Park Service ranger in uniform stands on a boardwalk, damaged by debris and mud flows
The same location after the flood
Boardwalk, covered in mud and debris, and damaged
The boardwalk after the floods
A layout of five different elements for the new educational narrative for the boardwalk: trailhead with regulations, pupfish overview, pupfish evolution, landscape/erosion, and soundscape/species
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The Fund for People in Parks is an official philanthropic fundraising partner of the National Park Service.

© 2025. All rights reserved, The Fund For People In Parks, a fiscally sponsored 501 (c)(3) project of  
Community Initiatives
P.O. Box 45515
​San Francisco, CA 94145

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