Skidoo, Ghost town in Inyo County, California, US

Skidoo is an abandoned mining town in Inyo County, California, at an elevation of 5,689 feet (1,734 m) within Death Valley National Park. The site retains the fifteen-stamp amalgamation and cyanide mill built by the Skidoo Mines Company, a rare surviving gravity-feed system for separating gold from ore. The scar of the water pipeline that powered the mill can still be seen between its origin near Telescope Peak and the mill site.

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.

The water pipeline was the engineering feat that made Skidoo stand out: its scar is still traceable across the desert between its origin near Telescope Peak and the mill site. The town also had the only milling plant in the desert run almost entirely by water power.