Scotty’s Castle, a landmark in Death Valley National Park tied to the so-called “Death Valley Scotty” folklore, is reopening for limited tours after years of flood repairs, park officials said Friday. Abby Wines, the acting deputy superintendent of the park, said the National Park Service has opened the grounds for limited flood-recovery tours in the coming months and is looking toward a fuller reopening later.
Wines said the castle’s location—and the story attached to it—is what draws visitors in. “The story of how it came to be in this extremely unlikely place is what makes it so special,” Wines said. She also described the castle in its heyday as “the stage for a massive practical joke on all of America.”
Park officials said the castle had been a top attraction before it closed after a flash flood, and they framed its return as part of the long recovery from that flooding. The National Park Service said it has scheduled limited tours through March, and Wines said the $35 flood recovery tours are already sold out. Officials said proceeds will go toward completing the restoration.
The tours focus on the site’s history, which Wines said centers on the friendship between Albert and Bessie Johnson and Scott. Park officials said Walter Scott, a con man nicknamed “Death Valley Scotty” and a former rider for the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show, convinced the Johnsons to invest in a fictional gold mine in Death Valley, where he thought his investors would not risk traveling.
The story continues with Scott meeting Albert Johnson, who invested in the mine and then traveled to Death Valley to see where his money was going, park officials said. Scott tried to scare Johnson off by staging a gunfight with bandits, and while Johnson realized it was a scam, Wines said Johnson did not mind; she said he found the desert air good for his health and enjoyed the adventure. The Johnsons then brought their wife, Bessie Johnson, and the group became friends, park officials said.
Over nine years, Scott and the Johnsons built a vacation home the family called Death Valley Ranch, but Scott lived on the grounds until his death and the property became known as Scotty’s Castle, park officials said. Wines said Scott would later tell visitors that he built “his” castle on top of the mine, and park officials described how servants operated tunnels beneath the castle—banging on pots and pans—to create the illusion that the gold mine was working.
Before the flash flood closure, the castle drew about 100,000 visitors each year, and guides dressed in period costumes offered tours of the castle with its original furnishings, according to park officials. Officials said interest in the attraction remains high as the grounds reopen on a limited schedule, while the restoration continues.
Park officials said the restoration is expected to cost around $90 million. They said repairs have taken longer than expected, citing multiple setbacks, including a fire in 2021 and historic rainfall in recent years. Wines said the full reopening is “eyed for a few years from now,” as the National Park Service works through the remaining flood-recovery work.