The Wild Road to Oatman Arizona

The Wild Road to Oatman, Arizona

Driving to Oatman, Arizona is not for the faint of heart. The road is winding—very winding. There’s even a sign at the end that says, “I survived 191 curves in 8 miles on the Arizona Sidewinder.” And honestly? Surviving it feels like an accomplishment.

When you finally arrive, Oatman feels like a time capsule—like stepping straight into the early 1900s. It was once a booming gold mining town, and while the gold rush is long over, the spirit of the Old West still lingers. One of the town’s most memorable spots is the historic hotel, where miners used to pin dollar bills with their names on them to the walls to run bar tabs. That tradition has left quite a mark—literally. Today, they estimate there are over $400,000 worth of $1 bills decorating the walls. Some are so old they’ve yellowed with age.

And then there are the donkeys.

The wild burros roaming the town are actually descendants of the pack animals once used by the miners. When the mines shut down, the miners left—but the burros stayed. Over time, they adapted to the desert and now live wild in the area. They're everywhere in town and incredibly friendly. You’re not allowed to feed them from your car, but if you’re on foot, they’ll walk right up to you—especially if you’re holding a treat.

We went into a little shop to buy a bag of food, and the woman behind the counter was so sweet—she just handed it to us and said, “Oh, just take it.” So we went back out and started feeding the donkeys. At one point, I walked into another store, and the woman working there suddenly yelled, “Don’t come in here!” I thought she was yelling at Janet, but then I turned and realized a donkey had followed me in—apparently, the bag of food was too tempting. The donkey paused, hesitated, and then walked back in again when the clerk turned away. She yelled again: “I’m counting money! Get out!”—and unbelievably, the donkey actually turned and walked out like it understood. It was hilarious.

Honestly, I think they should leave brushes around so you can give them a good scratch. A few of them looked itchy and were rubbing themselves against fences and buildings for relief.

While walking through town, we met a Native American man sitting and making beautiful beaded necklaces and bracelets. We stopped to talk with him, and he shared that he started making jewelry while stranded in Peru—his airline had gone bankrupt while he was there on vacation, and he had no way to get home. So, he started stringing beads to raise money and eventually made it back to the U.S. Now, he lives just outside Oatman and drives in every day to sell his handmade jewelry. It was such a unique and heartfelt story—it made the moment really special.

Oatman, Arizona: Classy Asses & Road-Blocking Burros

Oatman isn’t just old-timey and wild—it’s full of surprises.

While we were exploring town, I found a picture labeled “classy ass,” and I thought it would be hilarious to pose in front of it with my own classy ass. What I didn’t notice, though, was the nearby sign that read, “No peeing off the porch.”Don’t worry—there were no accidents, and I didn’t get wet. Just a lot of laughter.

Janet found a t-shirt that had us cracking up:

“I’m retired, but I work part-time as a pain in the ass – Oatman, Arizona.”

It was so fitting and funny.

As we were leaving town, we still had some donkey food left. We saw a family parked near the edge of town and asked if they’d fed the burros yet. The dad said no, so we offered them the rest of our food. A little boy in the group lit up like it was Christmas morning—he looked like we’d just handed him the best gift ever.

Getting out of Oatman, though? That’s a whole other adventure. The donkeys completely rule the roads. Some were chasing each other, some were just standing there refusing to move, and others were just being adorable little roadblocks. You’ve got full donkey families—from babies to big ol’ burros—hanging around like they own the place. (Which, honestly, they kind of do.)

It was definitely a one-of-a-kind place to visit. We left with so many laughs, a few new stories, and a whole lot of dusty charm.

Oatman might be small, but it’s full of big character—from the dusty gold rush history to the friendly burros and the kind people keeping the spirit of the town alive.