Calico Ghost Town, CA: The Coolest Old West Pit Stop On Your Way To Las Vegas
If you’ve read enough of my travel guides, you’re probably already aware of my soft spot for anything old-timey. Historic towns, quirky roadside attractions, forgotten little landmarks turned into art exhibits, etc, those are the kinds of stops that make a road trip memorable!
And when it comes to Old West towns, Calico Ghost Town is one of my favorite offbeat stops in the California desert.
I’ve actually been to Calico Ghost Town three separate times, usually while road-tripping with friends who have never heard of it before. And before you start freaking out, no, it’s not a haunted attraction (aka Papu’s definition of a “ghost town” = Ghost Adventures filming locations haha).
In actuality, it’s a full-on historic mining town sitting right off the highway!
If you’re driving from San Francisco to Las Vegas, or from Los Angeles to Vegas, you’ll naturally pass by this hidden gem of a historical landmark near Yermo, CA. Sure, you could blast straight through I-15 without stopping…but what fun would that be?
In my opinion, pulling over at Calico is way more entertaining than the usual highway stops. Grabbing snacks at Alien Fresh Jerky is pretty fun and quirky too, but this is a whole different level of roadside detour.
So when you start spotting the billboards for Calico along the desert highway, take that as your cue to pull off the road and stretch your legs. Get ready to wander through an old silver mining town, poke around historic buildings, and spend a little time outdoors in the Mojave Desert.
Here’s everything you can expect when you set foot in Calico Ghost Town.
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What Is Calico Ghost Town?
Step back in time and explore Calico Ghost Town as it existed during the Wild West mining days of the 1800s.
This historic desert town sits just off Interstate 15 near Yermo, and it’s one of the easiest (and most entertaining) road trip stops between LA and Las Vegas.
Calico started as a booming silver mining town in 1881, when prospectors discovered valuable silver deposits in the nearby Calico Mountains. At its peak, the town had hundreds of mines and a lively main street filled with saloons, boarding houses, shops, and restaurants serving the miners who came looking for fortune.
But when silver prices dropped in the mid-1890s, the economy collapsed and the town was quickly abandoned, earning it the “ghost town” label.
The place you see today exists thanks to Walter Knott, the same guy who founded Knott’s Berry Farm! In the 1950s, he purchased the town and restored most of the buildings to resemble their appearance during the 1880s mining boom.
Calico was later designated California State Historical Landmark #782, and in 2005, it was officially proclaimed California’s Silver Rush Ghost Town by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Walking through town feels a bit like stepping onto an Old West movie set. You’ll see dusty wooden storefronts, old mining equipment scattered around the hillsides, and desert mountains surrounding the town.
On top of the history, you’ll also find interactive attractions, shops, restaurants, hiking trails, and even overnight camping. Here are some of the main things you can do once you arrive.
Explore The Maggie Mine
One of the coolest things you can do in town is walk inside Maggie Mine, a real silver mine that operated during the 1880s mining boom. These days, it’s the only mine in Calico that’s safe for visitors to enter.
The self-guided tour takes you about 1,000 feet into the mine, starting with a blacklight display that reveals glowing minerals hidden in the surrounding rock. As you walk through the tunnels, you’ll see exhibits explaining how miners extracted silver ore from the mountains and what daily life was like working underground.
Before heading inside, spend a few minutes checking out the mining displays outside the entrance. Alongside some funny-looking talking animatronic figures, there are examples of stamp mills used to crush ore, a reconstructed assay office that shows how miners tested rock for silver content, and several historic photos and artifacts from Calico’s mining days.
The whole experience takes about 10–15 minutes, but it’s one of the most immersive ways to understand how the town actually functioned during the silver rush.
Ride The Calico & Odessa Railroad
For a fun and family-friendly way to see the surrounding mining area, hop aboard the Calico & Odessa Railroad! This small historic train has been operating here since 1958 and loops around the town among the hills.
It’s especially useful for getting the lay of the land without walking on those EXTRA hot desert afternoons.
The ride lasts about 8 minutes and takes you past old mining equipment, historic structures, and parts of the Calico Mountains that most visitors wouldn’t otherwise see. Along the way, narration explains some of the town’s mining history and the role the railroad played in transporting ore during the silver boom.
Pro Tip: Most of the individual attractions at Calico Ghost Town are super affordable (under $5 per activity), with lower pricing for kids and free entry for little ones under 5 with a paying adult. If you plan on doing a few things (like the mine, mystery shack, and gold panning), grab the Adventure Pass when you first pull in and pay for park admission. It bundles multiple attractions together and saves you a few bucks compared to paying for them individually.
Grab A Bite At The Calico House Restaurant
After wandering around in the desert sun for a while, you’ll probably be ready for a break. And a bite!
The main place to eat in Calico Ghost Town is the Calico House Restaurant, which serves up casual comfort food like burgers, fried chicken, chicken-fried steak, fish and chips, apple pie, and other Old West / road-trip fare.
It’s not meant to be a fancy dining experience, but it’s fitting given the place’s theme. The real highlight comes after you finish eating, though. Step outside and grab one of the wooden rocking chairs on the porch!
Sit back, rock for a few minutes, maybe take a mini catnap, and watch everyone wander up and down the dusty main street in their cowboy hats.
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Browse The Western-Themed Shops
The town has a handful of small shops scattered along the main street, and they’re worth popping into if you enjoy browsing for quirky souvenirs. In total, there are nine different shops offering all kinds of Western-themed goods, from handmade crafts to desert curiosities.
You’ll find places like Lane’s General Store, which feels like a classic frontier trading post. This is hands-down my favorite place to hang out… the detail in the decor of this place is wild…it looks like a movie set!
Once you’re done ogling all the old antique items displayed on the shelves towards the front of the store, you can actually move on to the actual things for sale. They’ve got everything from old-fashioned candy, steampunk hats, T-shirts, souvenir cups, and everything else in between.
There’s also Calico Woodworks for handmade wooden items and Leather Works & Indian Trading Post for leather goods and Western-style accessories.
There are also some more niche stops, like Calico R & D Fossils & Minerals, where you can browse crystals, rocks, and desert minerals, plus get your own geode to break at home. Some of these stores also have some desert art pieces for sale that look very “Burning Man”.
If you want something a little less dusty to bring home, check out Calico Bath & Candle Shop!
And if you’re traveling with a dog, you might get a kick out of Dorsey’s Gourmet Dog House, which sells treats and goodies specifically for four-legged road trip companions.
Step Inside “The Way It Used To Be” Museum
If you enjoy seeing how everyday life worked back in the 1800s, don’t skip The Way It Used To Be Museum. I love the addition of this museum to Calico Ghost Town!
This small museum is PACKED with old-looking artifacts that give you a glimpse into daily life during the mining boom in Calico Ghost Town. I’m talking about recreated scenes of what going to the dentist used to look like, what baking in a typical household used to look like, and even what bathing used to be like before modern plumbing (quite ancient indeed).
Inside, you’ll find displays showing how people in town made a living, along with items like antique dentist chairs, household tools, and other old equipment that people used on a daily basis.
More on the bathtubs because that was the quirkiest part of the exhibit for me…
They were basically a small, rounded tin container you climbed into. Even more shocking was learning how bathing worked: people with money could afford fresh water, while others sometimes had to reuse water that had already been used by someone else.
Gross, but sooo intriguing!
Visit The Mystery Shack
If you enjoy quirky/offbeat attractions, the Calico Mystery Shack is one that you’ll enjoy. If you’re a CA native, this is very much like The Mystery Stop in Santa Cruz, CA. This small crooked cabin is designed to mess with your sense of balance and perspective!
Inside, you’ll see strange gravity-defying demonstrations like water appearing to run uphill, brooms standing upright on their own, and other visual tricks that leave people scratching their heads.
I think this one is great for both kiddos and adults who don’t care much about mining history. The guided tour lasts about 15–20 minutes and is more lighthearted/fun than historically educational, but that’s kind of the point.
Try Gold Panning
Another classic Old West must-do if you’re visiting with younger ones!
Mining for gold is like a Californian’s rite of passage. Truly! If you’re from California, do you know anyone who went to school in CA that DIDN’T try their hand at gold panning? I remember SO much gold panning during my field trip days.
At the Calico Gold Panning Adventure, you’ll learn how miners historically sifted through sediment to search for precious metals.
During the short activity (about 10 minutes), you’ll pan through water and gravel until you uncover shiny pieces of “gold”. Obviously, they’re not going to be using real gold here, but it’s the next best thing, fool’s gold, also known as iron pyrite.
Everyone gets to keep their “treasure,” which you can store in a small souvenir vial to take home. It’s especially fun for kids, but adults usually end up enjoying it just as much!
Take Old-Timey Western Photos
I hope you came cute because Calico, like any great Old West-themed town, offers you the opportunity to take home one of the most memorable souvenirs I can think of — a set of old-school Western portraits!
At the Calico Photo Studio, you can dress up in classic frontier outfits and pose in front of a saloon for staged photos like a true Old West character.
They’ll provide all the fun costumes and props (cowboy hats, saloon dresses, sheriff badges, etc. All you need to do is work on your best pose.
Read Next:
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Check Out The Old Fire Hall
Another small but interesting stop in town is the historic fire equipment display at the old fire hall. Here you can see an old historic fire engine along with information about how fires were handled in early mining towns.
Back in the late 1800s, a fire could easily wipe out an entire wooden town like Calico, so having some type of firefighting system was essential. Seeing the equipment they used really puts things into perspective. It’s pretty wild how basic the tools were compared to modern fire trucks and technology.
Shoot Your Own Low-Budget Western
There’s a newer section of Calico Ghost Town that looks like a stripped-down movie set with a barebones saloon facade, a jail facade, and the perfect desert backdrop to get your imagination going.
It’s clearly not a full Hollywood production setup… which honestly makes it even more fun.
This is your chance to shoot your very own Wild West-themed shootout scene! Bonus points if someone commits to a slow-motion “fall” after getting got.
It’s completely free, requires zero acting skills, and will probably end up being one of the funniest memories from your stop here.
Stay Overnight (For Some Epic Stargazing)
One of the more surprising things about Calico is that you can actually spend the night there.
The park offers RV camping and several rustic cabin rentals throughout the property. There are about 10 small cabins available that sleep 4 people and include heating and air conditioning (linens are not provided). For slightly larger groups, the Mini Bunkhouse sleeps 6 and comes with a private bathroom, kitchenette, and climate control.
At night, the dark desert skies around the Mojave Desert are amazing for stargazing. Not to mention, waking up early in the morning while the ghost town is quiet before the day visitors arrive is a pretty darn unique experience.
Looking For More Desert Road Trip Inspiration?
Here are a few more useful road trip guides built off of road trips that I’ve done in the past:
38 Awesome Things To Do On Your Palm Springs Road Trip
Joshua Tree National Park: The Perfect 1-Day Itinerary
10 Cool Cities Near Grand Canyon National Park To Visit
An Epic 5-Day Arizona Road Trip: Phoenix, Sedona, and Antelope Canyon
20 Weekend Trips You Can Take From The SF Bay Area
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Source: travelswithelle.com
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