April 15, 2018 Skidoo, Panamint Range and Death Valley

This fine spring day in Southern California found myself and my friend, Jennifer, exploring a handful of areas in the Death Valley region. First stop was the Fish-Head Rocks on the road to Trona, and then lunch in Wildrose Canyon.

In the Panamint Range, we turned off from Wildrose Road and onto Skidoo Road. I wanted to explore the ruins of the old mining operations. Along Skidoo Road, we found an abandoned mine and shack. From here, it was another few miles to Skidoo.

Skidoo was a gold-mining boomtown from about 1906 to 1916. Except for a few trails on the desert plain and a roadside sign, there is nothing to see where the town used to be. I visited here in the 1980s, and there was nothing to see then, either! Back then I did not realize that the mill was a little farther to the west, as it is not visible from the townsite. Today we continued another mile or so beyond Skidoo. The road to the mining area is great, but you have to do a little easy hiking to get close to the mill ruins.