Skidoo, ghost town in Inyo County, California
Skidoo is an abandoned mining town in Inyo County situated above 5,600 feet in elevation within Death Valley National Park. The remains include an old stamp mill, mine shafts, scattered building foundations, and a visible water pipeline that once supplied the settlement.
Skidoo began in 1906 when two prospectors discovered gold during a fog and staked claims on the land. The town grew rapidly and reached about 700 residents by 1907, but as gold production declined after 1909 most people left and the post office closed by 1917.
The name Skidoo came from a slang phrase meaning to leave quickly or disappear. The ruins today show how people lived and worked in this remote place, while the surrounding desert landscape remains quiet and undisturbed.
Access to Skidoo requires driving on rough dirt roads with a high-clearance vehicle. The remote location offers little shade and extreme temperatures, so bring plenty of water and sun protection when visiting.
A pipeline stretching over 37 kilometers carried water from mountain springs to supply the mine, an impressive engineering feat for a desert operation. These pipes remain partially visible today and show the determination of early miners to extract gold under extreme conditions.
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