Calico Ghost Town Campground offers one of the most unique camping experiences in California’s Mojave Desert, allowing visitors to camp overnight at a historic ghost town that dates back to the 1880s.
Tucked into the colorful Calico Mountains near Yermo, California, this former silver mining town was founded in 1881 and quickly rose to prominence, producing more than $20 million in silver ore in just over a decade, making it the largest silver producer in California history.
Today, Calico Ghost Town has been restored into a living history attraction where visitors can explore Old West buildings, tour a former mine, and learn about the area’s mining past and desert geology.
What makes this destination especially memorable is that you don’t just visit—you can actually camp right next door, giving you after-hours access to one of California’s most iconic ghost towns.
The Location: Calico Ghost Town
Calico Ghost Town Campground is located in the starkly beautiful Mojave Desert, tucked into the colorful Calico Mountains near the small desert town of Yermo, California. This remote and visually striking setting is a perfect fit for desert lovers.
Despite its secluded feel, the campground is conveniently located just off Interstate 15, making it an ideal overnight stop for road trippers traveling between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. You’re close enough to the highway for an easy in-and-out, yet far enough removed to feel immersed in the quiet, wide-open desert landscape.
Whether you’re breaking up a long drive, planning a Mojave Desert adventure, or simply looking for a unique place to camp with history right outside your tent, Calico Ghost Town’s location strikes the perfect balance between accessibility and escape.
What You’ll Love About Camping Here ❤️
What you’ll love most about this campground is its location—hidden and tucked away in the desert mountains of the Mojave, surrounded by rugged hills streaked with sun-burnt reds, soft greens, and muted purples. The scenery alone is worth the stay.
From your campsite, you’ll be treated to sweeping desert vistas, colorful rock formations, and that unmistakable high-desert stillness. If you love the stark beauty of the desert, this place delivers big time.
And then there’s the unbeatable proximity to Calico Ghost Town itself. All campers receive free entry to the ghost town, which means you can simply walk over whenever you want—no parking hassles. Hungry? Need a drink? Just stroll on over to Lil’s Saloon for pizza and a beer, or check out one of the other restaurants inside the ghost town. After hours, don’t worry—the famous Peggy Sue’s Diner is just a five-minute drive away and open until 10 p.m.
Campground Overview: What You Need To Know
Calico Ghost Town Campground is a large desert campground offering 265 campsites that accommodate both RV and tent camping. Campers can choose from no-hookup, partial-hookup, and full-hookup sites, making it a flexible option whether you’re road-tripping in an RV or setting up a tent for a few nights. All campsites are generously spaced and include picnic tables, with plenty of room between neighbors.
Set among the rugged Calico Mountains, the campground offers mountain and desert views in every direction. There are a few short trails within the campground that allow campers to explore the surrounding hillsides and take in the colorful rock formations up close.
While this is a fairly basic campground, it does offer several helpful amenities. These include potable water, two dump stations, flush toilets, and hot showers.
The restrooms are clean but simple—best described as on par with state park or rest area facilities. Showers are coin-operated at $1 for six minutes (the water pressure was strong and consistently hot, though the push-button system required frequent pressing to keep the water running during our visit).
Dining options are limited once you’re settled in. There are a few restaurants inside Calico Ghost Town, but they typically close around 5:00 p.m. For later meals, Peggy Sue’s Diner is just a short drive away and stays open until 10:00 p.m. Otherwise, Barstow is the closest place to stock up on groceries before you arrive.
Our experience camping at the Calico Ghost Town Campground in Yermo, California
We camped at Calico Ghost Town Campground as part of a slow-moving road trip along historic Route 66 through California and Arizona. While we had visited Calico Ghost Town before and loved it, we didn’t realize you could actually camp here until we started looking for a place to break up the drive to Needles.
We also wanted to be close to Mojave National Preserve so we could spend a full day hiking Kelso Dunes, making Calico the perfect base for this stretch of the trip.
Arriving at the campground was an experience in itself. To reach it, you veer off near the ghost town and drive through a narrow canyon carved into the Calico Mountains. For a moment, it feels like you’re heading nowhere—but then the canyon opens up and reveals a wide, open campground surrounded by colorful desert hills. It immediately felt exciting and a little surreal, like we had stumbled into a hidden pocket of the Mojave.
Because we were visiting on a weekday, the campground was nearly empty—just a couple of other vehicles scattered throughout the large camping area. With our pick of sites, we chose one at the very back of the campground, perched slightly on a hill so we could enjoy unobstructed sunset views over the desert.
Campsites here are impressively spacious, with no sense of being crowded or boxed in. Each site has a picnic table and fire pit, and even though we were close enough to the restrooms for convenience, it was far enough away to remain quiet and peaceful.
One of the biggest surprises during our stay was just how quiet it was. Once the day visitors to the ghost town left, the campground felt incredibly calm—ideal for relaxing, watching the light change across the mountains, and enjoying the stillness of the high desert.
We were also pleasantly surprised to find hot showers available, which isn’t always a given at desert campgrounds. While they’re coin-operated and fairly basic, the water was hot with good pressure—welcome after a dusty day outdoors.
We stayed for two nights, which gave us time to really enjoy both the campground and Calico Ghost Town itself. The following morning, we explored trails within the campground before walking over to the ghost town to wander its historic streets, grab lunch, tour one of the old mines, and spend time photographing the restored buildings (perfect timing to put a brand-new Sony A7 IV to the test). Being able to come and go from the ghost town so easily made the experience feel especially fun and relaxed.
Overall, camping at Calico Ghost Town Campground felt like a rare combination: a peaceful desert camping experience paired with walkable access to one of California’s most iconic ghost towns. It’s the kind of place that works equally well as a quick overnight stop on a Los Angeles–to–Las Vegas road trip or as a two-night stay for travelers looking to explore the Mojave at a slower pace.
Overall, Calico Ghost Town Campground offers a rare combination of peaceful desert camping and walkable access to one of California’s most iconic ghost towns. Whether you’re stopping overnight on a Los Angeles–to–Las Vegas road trip or planning a two-night stay to explore the Mojave at a slower pace, the campground delivers a memorable experience.
It’s a beautiful spot to enjoy starry desert skies, sweeping mountain views, and the quiet stillness of the high desert. On top of that, campers receive free admission to Calico Ghost Town, making it an especially appealing choice for anyone planning to visit this historic mining town.
Where is Calico Ghost Town Campground?
Calico Ghost Town’s address is 36600 Ghost Town Rd, Yermo, CA, 92398. You can phone them on 923-980-406. Visit their website here.
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