The Road To Oatman

Beautiful Overlook or Murderous Death Plunge

For several years, I have had my sites set on visiting the pseudo-ghost town of Oatman, Arizona. However, I was not sure my wife…a very spastic car passenger…could survive the road to Oatman. They call it the Arizona Sidewinder. The Sidewinder is the final 8 miles to Oatman consisting of 191 curves, a steep mountainside ledges, and limited guard rails. I feared the Arizona Sidewinder may be the end of our marriage. But, the road to Oatman was worth the risk.

Where I see beautiful mountain overlook, Carol sees a murderous death plunge. Somehow, she thinks that yelling at me to “be careful” or “drive slower” is the only way we can survive. We stopped at the top so she could recompose herself, and I could get a break from riding with her.

Beyond the beautiful views and murderous death plunges, there are other obstacles to raise the degree of difficulty. Early in the trip, free range cattle may take the right of way. Then, as you get further into the mountain, the wild burros can be anywhere.

Somehow…We Made It!

As with the previous thousands of road trips…and despite significant nagging and yelling… I once again delivered us safely to our travel destination. Welcome to Oatman, Arizona…

Oatman has the usual ghost town history. This booming gold town existed from 1904 to 1931. At its peak, there were 50 operating mines and 10,000 residents. But, then the gold ran out and Oatman soon died. The town remained pretty much dead and abandoned about 1970. Then, someone decided to make Oatman a tourist destination. They fixed up the original buildings and added just enough modern conveniences to make Oatman a popular tourist destination.

In my humble opinion, Oakman has just the right ingredients for a great, tourist, “ghost town.” The buildings are mostly restored from their original heyday. There is a restaurant, a couple bars, and plenty of interesting shops. You can tour an abandoned mine, and catch a wild west shoot out. But, none of that matters. The real draw to Oatman is the BURROS!

Its all about the Burros!

Yeah, I completely buried the lead. Back in 1970, the main reason for the revitalization of Oatman was the wild burros. The wild burros are everywhere. When the miners abandoned their operations in the 1930s, the burros used in mining operations were left behind. Then, over the decades, the burros proliferated and declared Oatman and the surrounding area to be their home.

I would describe the burros as completely ambivalent to the tourists. They are not overly friendly, nor unfriendly. The burros won’t avoid you, nor come to you, nor get out of your way. Its their town…as well as their bedroom and their toilet. So, they do not always maintain a PG-13 rating for young visitors. Also…it does not rain much in Oatman. That huge puddle on the ground is probably not water.

Wrap It Up

I really have to force myself to cut this post off. I loved Oatman and the road to Oatman . Its just the right blend of tourist vs ghost town. The ubiquitous burros are something that you do not encounter in most towns. Furthermore, the Arizona Sidewinder adds significantly to a great day of adventuring. To be transparent, you can also enter Oatman from the west (i.e. California). But, the road is no longer scary, thus ruining all the fun of getting here. If you are anywhere near NW Arizona…go to Oatman. Have a wonderful day. PT

I hope you have enjoyed “The Road to Oatman” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks.

Here’s another old mining town that I thoroughly enjoyed https://travelingwithpt.com/most-interesting-town-in-america/

If you need more on Oatman, here you go https://www.visitarizona.com/places/cities/oatman/

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