Calico Ghost Town Campground: Camp Amidst An Abandoned Mining Town That Dates Back To 1881

Welcome to Calico Ghost Town Campground! A campground in California’s Mojave Desert where you can camp amidst an abandoned silver mining town that dates back to the 1880s.

Hidden in the colorful Calico Mountains is Calico Ghost Town, an abandoned silver mining town that dates back to 1881. During the twelve years that Calico was in operation, the mines here produced over $20 million in silver ore making Calico the largest silver producer in California’s history!

But it all went south in the mid-1890s when silver lost its value, leading miners to pack up their bags to find fortunes elsewhere.

Calico turned into a ghost town and remained a deserted place, that is until Walter Knott, the owner of Knotts Berry Farm, purchased Calico in 1951 and brought the ghost town back to life.

Now, Calico Ghost Town is a tourist attraction where visitors can see restored western buildings, tour a former mine, and learn a little bit about the area’s geology. It’s a fun place to visit!

What’s more is that you can actually camp at this ghost town!

Calico Ghost Town Campground offers a unique camping experience where campers can fully immerse themselves in the restored mining town.

The adventure begins when you drive into the campground, which is situated in the Calico Mountains. As you approach the ghost town, you’ll veer to the right where you’ll drive through a narrow canyon. At first you’ll wonder where on earth this road is taking you, but in a few seconds the canyon opens up to a huge camping area.

All of the campsites have views of the captivating desert landscape. We got there just in time to enjoy a sunset over the valley, and because we were visiting during the week, we practically had the whole campground to ourselves! Hence, noone blocking our sunset views.

One of the best things about camping at Calico Ghost Town Campground is that every guest who stays here receives free entry into the ghost town! Admission into Calico Ghost Town is $16 for two people so essentially you’re only paying $19 for the campsite.

The entrance to Calico Ghost Town is less than half a mile from the campground thus you could easily walk to it from your campsite if you wanted to. Hungry? Need a drink?? Stroll up to Lil’s Saloon for a pizza and beer.

You’ll only need about half a day to explore the ghost town which means plenty of time left to discover other attractions in the surrounding area. Believe it or not, there is surprisingly a lot of things to do in this desolate and isolated part of California.

For example you can hike in the Calico Mountains, go off-roading, check out Peggy Sue’s Diner, drive out to Zzyzx, go for a spin on historic Route 66, and visit Barstow.

Keeping that in mind, you might want to plan for a two night stay here, if not longer because this campground is the perfect base for exploring the above mentioned destinations.

Calico Ghost Town is located just off Interstate-15, the main highway that connects Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Therefore if you’re on a road trip between the two cities and looking for interesting places to visit along the way or somewhere to stay overnight to break up your trip, be sure to add a stop in Calico to your L.A to Vegas driving itinerary!

Calico Ghost Town Campground Amenities

Calico Ghost Town Campground offers 265 sites that accommodate both RVs and tent camping. You can choose from sites with no hookups, partial hookups and full hookups. All of the campsites have picnic tables.

This campground is set amongst the Calico Mountains, therefore campers will enjoy mountain views all around. There are some short trails that can be hiked along to explore the mountainside.

Although it is a very basic campground, amenities do include hot showers, potable water and two dump stations. Restrooms are clean, but keep in mind they are basic “state park” facilities. Basically they are on par with rest area bathrooms.

The hot showers are coin operated, however during our stay the showers were available to use for free. Although the showers were free, the water kept turning off every ten seconds so the button had to be continuously pressed for the water to come back on. But on the positive side, the showers did have good pressure and the water was nice and hot. Normally it is $1 for six minutes.

Camping here did feel safe, and there was a security guard patrolling during the day and late into the night. It was very quiet during our stay.

There are a few restaurants inside Calico Ghost Town but they all close at 5pm. Peggy Sue’s Diner is nearby and open until 10pm. Otherwise you will have to drive to Barstow for the closest restaurants or to pick up groceries and fill up on gas.

Something to keep in mind if you are planning to camp during the summer months is that it can get incredibly hot here with temperatures regularly reaching over one hundred degrees before midday. There is no shade! If you have air-conditioning in your RV you will be fine, but tent camping won’t be a comfortable experience between June and September.

The most ideal time to camp at Calico Ghost Town Campground is between October and May. Enjoy the ghost town during the day, and starlit skies on a cool desert night.

In conclusion, Calico Ghost Town Campground is a unique and fun spot to camp! The Calico Mountains offer an unusually-beautiful camping location, and its a great spot to enjoy starry skies and California’s desert landscape.

The free admission into Calico Ghost Town also make it the better choice over other campgrounds in the area, especially if you are already planning a visit.

Pin For Later!