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20-620: The mine was dug during the early 1900s Death valley mining boom. Neighboring mines with names like Skidoo, California and Rhyolite, Nevada competed to pull as much gold out of the ground as possible. This boom slowed as a result of the Panic of 1907 and paused when the area was designated a National Monument by President Herbert Hoover . Mining in the valley did not stop completely until an increasing series of government interventions eventually resulted in Death Valley's 1994 designation as

40-524: A National Park . The last active mine in Death Valley closed in 2005. The location was discovered by a miner named Jack Keane. Keane and a partner named Domingo Etcharren had scouted the area, called Chloride Cliffs, and had located a potential silver mine. Etcharren eventually left while Keane stayed behind to scout the area more thoroughly. As Etcharren was leaving he noticed an outcropping of quartz , which can often be found near gold deposits. When Keane investigated further, he discovered gold . Keane named

60-500: A parking lot where the trail for the summit starts. The section from the Charcoal Kilns can be rough and might only be suitable for 4-wheel-drive cars with high clearance, depending on weather conditions. Hiking Telescope Peak by the normal route involves a 14 miles (23 km) round trip hike. The trail starts in the western part of Death Valley National Park at Mahogany Flat campground . The trail slowly winds itself up to

80-633: A seasonal water source that may not be available year-round. At the spring, the route then turns directly north (right) onto a scree/talus slope. Although this slope may look difficult to ascend, this is the correct way. Climbers should find the best route possible up the slope. Once finished climbing the talus slope and reaching the ridgeline, climbers should then follow the ridgeline West to the Telescope Peak summit, which should be readily apparent. The Shorty's Well to Telescope Peak route can be completed in one day by experienced hikers, and has one of

100-602: Is approximately 30 to 34 miles round trip and provides a net gain of elevation of approximately 11,311 feet (3,448 m). The route begins at the intersection of the West Side Road and the Hanaupah Canyon Road. For 6.5 miles, the route climbs out of the Badwater Basin and into Hanaupah Canyon. Approximately 1.5 miles after reaching the end of the road, the trail leads directly to Hanaupah Spring,

120-677: Is the high point of a range surrounded by low basins, Telescope Peak also has a particularly high topographic prominence of 6,168 feet (1,880 m), ranking it 22nd in the contiguous US by that measure. A variety of trees can be found on the mountain, including single-leaf pinyon ( Pinus monophylla ), limber pine ( Pinus flexilis ), and, at the highest elevations, the ancient Great Basin bristlecone pine ( Pinus longaeva ). From Ridgecrest , California State Route 178 leads northeast into Death Valley National Park . The road turns to unpaved about 50 miles (80 km) later as it loses its highway status. It winds up through Wildrose Canyon up to

140-694: The Skidoo Mine. Telescope Peak Telescope Peak ( Timbisha : Chiombe ) is the highest point within Death Valley National Park , in the U.S. state of California . It is also the highest point of the Panamint Range , and lies in Inyo County . From atop this desert mountain one can see for over one hundred miles in many directions, including west to Mount Whitney , and east to Charleston Peak . The mountain

160-521: The failure of the towns, the mine continued to be profitable throughout the Panic of 1907 and the subsequent depression. It was limited only by a lack of water and the extremely high heat in the valley, which forced Wilson to have the miners work at night. The mine's aerial tramway became an attraction, and a railroad was briefly built in the area to connect with the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad . However,

180-427: The find "Keane's Wonder" and the two miners quickly sold an option on the claim to a New Yorker named Joseph DeLamar. The discovery caused a brief gold rush, which was soon eclipsed by a larger find further north. DeLamar was disappointed with the gold his employees found and forfeited the option. This happened with a second investor as well. It was not until 1906 when investors John Campbell and then Homer Wilson turned

200-537: The find into a major mine. The mine turned out to be a profitable operation. Etcharren used his share to purchase a store, while Keane was later involved in two shootings and was imprisoned in Ireland for murder. Homer Wilson moved to the mine site with his family, and created two towns in the area called Keane Springs and Chloride City, California . Both towns failed within months of their founding in April, 1906. Despite

220-518: The floor of Panamint Valley in about 8 miles (13 km). This is comparable to the rises of other tall, but better known, U.S. peaks. It is even somewhat comparable to the rise of Mount Everest above its northern base on the Tibetan Plateau , a rise of roughly 13,000 feet (4,000 m). However, Everest rises much more, and much more steeply, above its southern base in Nepal . Since it

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240-567: The mill site. The fifteen-stamp amalgamation and cyanide mill built by the Skidoo Mines Company is a rare surviving example of an early 20th-century gravity-feed system for separating gold from its ore. The name Skidoo comes from the expression 23 skidoo , a slang expression of the time, for which various origins have been suggested. The Hoveck post office opened in 1906, changed its name to Skidoo in 1907, and closed in 1917. The name Hoveck honored Matt Hoveck, manager of

260-402: The mine was embroiled in a long legal controversy after a financial maneuver involving the failed State Bank and Trust Company of Nevada. The mine had largely been tapped out by 1912, and it was closed that year after being sold. The Keane Wonder Mine was among the most successful gold mines in the valley and followed the course of a rich vein of ore . The miners attempted to remove as much of

280-503: The ore as possible, and as a result dug out large areas, with only a few pillars to keep the mine from collapsing. This has led to the instability of both the mine and the land above it, and has led the National Park Service to close the area to visitors. The presence of toxic chemicals, such as lead and mercury, which are by-products of processing, and the detection of cyanide, which was used to process gold ore, added to

300-501: The output of the Skidoo Mine, a venture operating between 1906 and 1917. During those years the mine produced about 75,000 ounces of gold, worth at the time more than $ 1.5 million. Two unique items are associated with Skidoo's mining heyday. First the town possessed the only milling plant in the desert operated almost completely by water power. Second, the construction of the water pipeline was a phenomenal engineering feat; its scar can still be seen between its origin near Telescope Peak and

320-620: The park closing the mine area. In addition to the mine, a gravity-powered aerial tramway and a stamp mill were built on the site. Both of these structures were popular with tourists, but have suffered from neglect, but the National Park Service reopened the mill and mine site to visitors in November 2017. 36°40′9″N 116°54′34″W  /  36.66917°N 116.90944°W  / 36.66917; -116.90944 Skidoo, California Skidoo (formerly, Hoveck )

340-415: The ridgeline to the summit. This route can also be used to access two nearby peaks, Bennett Peak and Rogers Peak , a traverse that adds on minimal extra mileage. The last two miles has many switchbacks that are very steep. An established, but more advanced, climbing route is from Shorty's Well (elevation around −262 feet (−80 m)) to the summit of Telescope Peak at 11,049 feet (3,368 m). This route

360-486: The summit 7 miles (11 km) later at a steady gradient of roughly 8%. The standard route is maintained by the National Park Service, and no permit is required to climb the mountain. This route leaves directly from the Mahogany Flat Campground, and travels approximately two miles to Arcane Meadows. From Arcane Meadows, the trail winds five more miles gradually up toward Telescope Peak, mostly following

380-498: Was an unincorporated community in Inyo County , California . The geographical location of the old town site lies at an elevation of 5,689 feet (1734 m). Skidoo is a ghost town located in Death Valley National Park . It is on the National Register of Historic Places . Skidoo is representative of the boom towns that flourished in Death Valley during the early 20th century. The town's livelihood depended primarily on

400-411: Was named for the great distance visible from the summit. Telescope Peak is also notable for having one of the greatest vertical rises above local terrain of any mountain in the contiguous United States. Its summit rises 11,331 feet (3,454 m) above the lowest point in Death Valley, Badwater Basin at −282 feet (−86 m), in about 15 miles (24 km), and about 10,000 feet (3,000 m) above

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