Calico Ghost Town

Odessa Canyon is the flagship of offroad trails in the Calico area near Barstow, California. Comprised of many challenging obstacles with no bypasses, this extreme 4x4 jeep trail makes you earn your trip to the top. Odessa also provides great views of the area. But be ready. This trail has a 7-foot waterfall, an extremely narrow rollover spot you must see to believe, and a super tight off-camber canyon. With all these challenges, don't be surprised if the trail wreaks havoc on your vehicle.

A drive down Mule Canyon Road provides a visual feast of interesting shapes and colorful landscapes. Wonderful dispersed camping locations are abundant along the trail for a great evening getaway to enjoy the sunrise and sunsets that light up the Calico Mountains. Camping here serves as a staging point to explore the many BLM trails of the Calico Mountains and view the extensive silver mining that once drove the area's economy. Be sure to visit the nearby restored Calico Ghost Town.

The trail was used in the 2004 "Kill Bill 2" movie. Moving 1.3 miles east into the trail, a flat, dusty box canyon off to the west was the location for Budd's (Michael Madsen) trailer.

Kramer Arch, located near the abandoned ghost town of Calico, is a stone arch just large enough for a vehicle to squeeze through. Because of this, people come from far away to experience this unique site for its interesting challenges and photogenic qualities. Simply said, a photo of your vehicle crossing the event horizon of Kramer Arch is a spectacular moment for both vehicle and driver. A moment that can live forever on the wall of your living room or office.

Whether heading to the SoCal Desert for the Famous Mojave Road or Calico for its legendary silver mining history and off-roading, a stop at Kramer Arch is a life-changing and must-do event.

Odessa Doran Scenic Loop Lower is a popular camping and hangout area. Nestled in the hills of Calico, the lower part of Odessa and Doran Scenic Loop is an ideal location for taking the family out camping, exploring, and shooting. The area is RV and 5th-Wheel friendly. The area has lots of natural wonders, including arches, red rock canyons, slot canyons, and mines. The area's offroad trails range from easy overland tracks to extreme rock crawling. There is something for everyone in his area, making this the perfect basecamp for your adventures.

Climbing into the eastern edge of the Calico Mountains, Tin Can Alley is an easy drive that provides beautiful views across the desert and into the mountains. Near the trailhead, a large area on the side of the trail is covered with rusting tin cans left by the miners decades ago, hence the trail's name. Years of exposure have eroded any markings that tell of the can's contents, but still, it is an enticing stop to rummage through the field to find the last can still standing. At its end, this trail connects to the heart of the challenging Calico Mountain trail network.

Leading into the heart of the Calico Mountains, Phillips Canyon East meanders next to open tunnels and deep pits, providing constant reminders of the silver mining era that once dominated this area. Beginning over flat soft sandy washes, this short trail soon transforms into a rough, rocky, narrow driving challenge. As the trail descends west from its peak, impressively tall and jagged rock walls hug the path leading to the very difficult Phillips Canyon West and Odessa Canyon trails.

Deep in the mountains near Calico lies trails rarely taken. Vodkaberry is a short but fun 4x4 trail with a couple of obstacles. Vodkaberry's main attraction is a double waterfall with the upper fall comprised of a 6-foot ledge. If you have the skill, this can be a fun trip when cutting across Doran Canyon and Wall Street.

Near the end and on the west side of Tin Can Alley is the entrance to this easy-to-miss unmarked trail. Following this rocky trail south for 1-mile connects with Phillips Canyon East. Situated on a high ridge, the trail provides phenomenal east and west views below of the heavily silver-mined canyons, sometimes driving within a few feet of open tunnels and deep vertical shafts.

There are no markings over the entire trail. Following the .gpx will keep you on track. The last bit of the trail is a long steep decline made up of large stone ridges covered in loose rock and gravel. This obstacle should only be attempted by experienced drivers and with other vehicles in the group. A bypass to this obstacle is available to the east that follows a much easier path to Phillips Canyon East and to the bottom of the hill and the end of CM7632a.

There are no pre-disturbed campsites along the trail, and the only flat locations are full of large rocks. There is better camping back down Tin Can Alley at Waypoint 5.

Connecting Odessa Canyon and Doran Canyon, this shortcut, sometimes referred to as Josh's Cut-Through, will save you several minutes when making the loop between the two canyons. With tons of rich mining history, this is the perfect trail for groups that want to avoid the rock crawling of Doran or Odessa Canyons and would rather spend their day exploring the old mine ruins and history of Calico.

This trail is a shelf-mining road, so if heights are not your thing, this won't be your favorite trail. This trail also has a steep, loose, and slightly off-camber descent and ascent on both ends that can be intimidating but can easily be handled by stock 4x4s with little assistance outside of airing down.

Camping along this trail is not ideal, and no pre-established sites exist.

The Mud Hills Southern Route is an entirely different experience than the other Mud Hill routes. While the other routes run along deep, narrow canyon floors, the southern route is up on the hills the entire way. Because of this, the route is much easier and an easy way to connect Odessa and Phillips Canyon. Since this trail is mostly an easy dirt trail, 2WD high ground clearance vehicles with offroad tires that are aired down can drive this trail in normal conditions.

There is no camping along the trail.

Accessed via Mule Canyon, this 2.5-mile trail follows the sandy desert basin to the north until, at its last 1/2 mile, climbs into a box canyon and dead ends at a perfect camping spot. This ultimate camping getaway has a large plateau-like area that is quiet and sheltered, with room for five or more vehicles. Surrounded on three sides by the easternmost mountain of the Calico Mountain range, the canyon opens to the west, providing a view of the vast desert below.

CM7600 parallels the paved Calico Road for 0.8 miles from its trailhead at Mule Canyon. It provides convenient access to large flat sandy staging areas and dispersed camping with many existing rock fire rings.

The trail is easily driven by large recreational vehicles. The location is conveniently close to gas, charging, and supplies at EddieWorld, only about 1.5 miles to the south. Also, Calico Ghost Town, with its improved camping, is only two miles north.

Two interesting connecting spurs, CM7606 and CM7608, invite exploration, but these require four-wheel drive high clearance vehicles.

At its end, CM7600 connects to the paved Calico Road.

This short 0.4-mile spur offers inspiring geology at an impassible shear-walled box canyon that looks back over the desert basin. Some maps show CM7606 continuing through to Mule Canyon, but whatever road once existed has long ago disappeared, leaving only an impassible shear wall of rock.

Only a high clearance, four-wheel drive vehicle should attempt this rough rocky trail. The road narrows at its end, requiring a careful turnaround to keep the tires on the road. A spotter is very helpful here.

There is no flat camping area here. The best nearby campsites are on the connecting CM7600.

CM7608 is a short drive up this rocky spur into a box canyon with a wide rocky floor. The trail becomes impassible in the canyon. The return trip provides lovely views back down the trail to the desert basin.

The best location for a flat, comfortable campsite is near the trailhead.

The Bismark Shortcut in the famous Calico Ghost Town area, located in Yermo, CA, is a shortcut on Doran Canyon to the Bismark Mine. For the longest time, people thought this was Doran Cayon Trail. To many's disbelief, it isn't. This trail immediately turns right where the canyon opens up and heads up a tailing pile/jeep trail up the side of the mountain. You pass many open mines just feet off the trail along the route, so use caution while driving the trail. Once on top, you are at the Bismark Mine main spot that everyone photographs, which is the towering open-face mines where the cliff wall was just destroyed by what looks like a giant woodpecker looking for what might be his last meal. The trail is comprised of mine tailings, with rocks ranging in size from golf balls to baseball. These rocks have been compacted into a solid surface for the last 100 years. It is common for rocks to move around a little near the top of the trail as they are still settling in. This trail is suitable for any high-ground clearance vehicle with aired-down, durable off-road tires. Offroad experience is recommended, and 2WD is generally sufficient. Less experienced drivers may require 4WD.

Since this is just a shortcut, there are no suitable campsites along the trail. One spot at the top could support a group of 5+ vehicles at the top of the trail at the Bismark Mine. The spot is flat but mostly tailings, so the ground wouldn't be conducive to sleeping on it. Also, watch out for all the open mineshafts, as they have been known to ruin people's days.