Death Valley visitors need helicopter rescue after ignoring warning signs

Two men had to be rescued after they went around a barrier onto a closed road in Death Valley and one crashed his motorcycle.

They told rangers that they were using a map app that said Titus Canyon Road was open, though it was blocked by a locked gate, concrete barriers and two signs declaring it was closed, said a press release from the national park.

The men, from California, were touring on motorcycles on the afternoon of Saturday, Nov. 18, when they decided to take the Titus Canyon turnoff from Highway 374 west of Beatty, Nev.

Titus Canyon is one of several roads in the park that remain closed because of damage caused by the heavy rain of Hurricane Hilary in August. In the best of conditions, the 27-mile dirt road requires high clearance; currently, it is blocked by boulders and gullies.

One of men crashed his motorcycle and suffered injuries including a broken collarbone. Just before sunset, the men called 911 on a satellite phone, the park said.

Because the road conditions hindered rangers from reaching the men by ground vehicle, a helicopter was called from the naval air station at China Lake, and the men were taken to a hospital in Ridgecrest.

Charges against them are pending, the park said.