{"id":2486,"date":"2014-01-21T04:29:41","date_gmt":"2014-01-21T04:29:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.backroadswest.com\/blog\/titus-canyon-road-trip-copy\/"},"modified":"2022-09-21T19:22:03","modified_gmt":"2022-09-21T19:22:03","slug":"calico-mountains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.backroadswest.com\/blog\/calico-mountains\/","title":{"rendered":"Calico Mountains"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Calico Mountains 4WD Road Trip:<\/h3>
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The Calico Mountains near Barstow offer a treasure trove of hiking and opportunities for exploring back roads, along with unusual geologic formations and classic California mining history.<\/strong> Best known for the Calico Ghost Town, not many people are aware of what lies behind the famous ghost town. Several days can be spent exploring the different corners and fascinating places to see in the Calico Mountains. The virtual road trip on YouTube (see below) will take you on an introductory tour through the heart of the Calico Mountains.<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Not only are the Calicos full of history and geologic fascination, they live up to their name by being very colorful. Exploring the Calico Mountains can easily take a full day, but after you see them on this introductory trip and discover all of the inviting dirt roads, you may find yourself going back many times (like we do) to check out all of its hidden corners.<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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This trip requires that you have a 4WD vehicle with good ground clearance.\u00a0 You need to also have experience in driving on rough terrain because there are challenging spots along the way.\u00a0 Your vehicle could sustain some serious damage if you are not familiar with its limits.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t have such a vehicle, you can still drive a portion of the trip and get a glimpse of what\u2019s inside the colorful Calico Mountains.\u00a0 Read on and we\u2019ll tell you where only 4WDs should dare to tread.<\/p>

Be advised that of all the maps we\u2019ve looked at covering the Calico Mountains, none of them cover the roads mentioned in this article.\u00a0 Mule Canyon Road is on the map, as well as an extremely rough 4WD road through Odessa Canyon (which we don\u2019t cover in this article), plus a few other roads, but most other roads are not mapped.\u00a0 Even the BLM map shown on the kiosk posted in some places in the Calicos does not show all the roads.\u00a0 Aerial imagery available on Google and Bing on-line maps are really the only good source of maps, but even those don\u2019t show spots that are impassable.\u00a0 So having a good instinct for trail finding and being aware of previous tire tracks is important when exploring the Calicos.<\/p>

Lots of Mines<\/h3>

As mentioned, the Calicos are also full of historical mines.\u00a0 There are literally hundreds of open mine shafts scattered throughout the Calicos so be very careful<\/i>.\u00a0 Some mines are vertical shafts (deep holes in the ground) that anyone could easily step up to, loose their footing, and fall into.\u00a0 There are even a few vertical shafts right next to the road so, even as you step out of your vehicle, pay attention and look before you step!<\/i>\u00a0 You are a long way from getting any help and some of the shafts are deep enough that you may not survive.\u00a0 That said, don\u2019t let this keep you from exploring.\u00a0 Just be aware and use caution.<\/p>

Mule Canyon (Getting There)<\/h3>

Our trip starts by driving up Mule Canyon.\u00a0 Exit I-15 on Calico Road (which is one exit beyond Ghost Town Road as you head northbound) and head north, towards the hills for one mile.\u00a0 Turn right onto the dirt of Mule Canyon Road, reset your odometer to zero and, if you\u2019re driving a classic 4WD vehicle, get out and lock in the hubs because you\u2019ll need 4WD in about 2.5 miles.<\/p>

Incidentally, the Calico Road exit off I-15 is close to the small town of Yermo. \u00a0There are a couple of businesses located on the main street through town, which is old US 91. \u00a0This was home to the original Del Taco, which is no longer there (the oldest Del Taco now is in Barstow near Route 66 and First Ave). \u00a0Yermo is also the location of a sizable rail yard for Union Pacific, which is the location where train crews are changed going north to Las Vegas\u00a0or south into Los Angeles.<\/p>

The road you are now driving on got its name for a very good reason.\u00a0 Remember the famous 20-mule teams that brought ore across the desert from Death Valley?\u00a0 Well, after they were used at the borax mines there, the same mining company brought them here to be used.\u00a0 Further up Mule Canyon was a large borax mine that operated in the last part of the 1800s.\u00a0 At the time, the Calicos were the world leader in borax production.\u00a0 Ore was brought from the mine to the town of Daggett on this road where it was then shipped out by railroad.\u00a0 If you look behind you, you\u2019ll see the old road continue across the valley towards Daggett.\u00a0 Later, a narrow gauge railroad was built on top of the road you are now driving.\u00a0 That operation lasted until about 1905.<\/p>

Soon, you will be in Mule Canyon.\u00a0 You\u2019ll notice the colorful hills of different hues indicating that there are many different types of minerals in the dirt.\u00a0 In 1.4 miles, you\u2019ll reach several rocky outcroppings known as Camp Rock.\u00a0 This area is popular with people who enjoy exploring by motorcycle or quad-runner.\u00a0 Often, those people will park their RVs here to camp.\u00a0 It is common to see many people camping here on weekends and it can even be a little crowded.<\/p>

At 1.9 miles from the pavement, we\u2019re going to leave Mule Canyon and turn left.\u00a0 Mule Canyon Road continues several miles to the east and can easily be explored on 2WD.\u00a0 At 2.1 miles, you\u2019ll pass through some contorted landscape.\u00a0 This is evidence that the Calico Mountains are heavily faulted and earthquakes are common.\u00a0 Park off the road here to get out and see all the crazy formations on both sides of the road.\u00a0 This faulting can be traced in both directions for several miles.<\/p>

More…<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Pictures<\/h3>

Below are some pictures of what you will see along the way.<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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