Calico is a ghost town that was formerly a mining town in San Bernardino County, California, in the Calico Mountains of the Mojave Desert. In 1881, prospectors moved from nearby areas to Calico mountain and discovered silver. Upon discovery of silver, the town came into existence and flourished due to heavy mining operations. There were approximately 500 mines that created a total output of $20 million in a decade.
After a decade, when the silver reserves dried up, the miners started leaving the town. The population dropped drastically and eventually turned it into a ghost town.
In 1950, Walter Knot purchased this town and started restoring all the original buildings to make them resemble the era of the 1880s. Following the restoration, Calico received State Historical Landmark #782. In 2005, Calico was proclaimed by then California’s Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to be California’s Silver Rush Ghost Town. The town is now considered Calico Ghost Town Regional Park.
Calico is a must-visit if you are interested in going back in time and feel the west of the late 1800s. Walk the streets, enter a unique bottle house, take a short train ride, watch western reenactors, and enjoy the history of the town.
This town is also known to have a reputation for being one of the most haunted places in California. Take a tour and see if you encounter some paranormal activity 😉
How to get there
Calico is on Inter-State 15 if you are driving from Las Vegas take I-15 South, and drive for approximately 149 miles. You will notice large CALICO written on the mountain.
If you are driving from Los Angeles, take I-10 east and then take I-15 North. Calico is approximately 126 miles from LA.
Parking is available on site.
The Town
It is a good size town, and you will enjoy walking through the streets, visiting attractions, and visiting stores in a rustic and unique buildings.
Maggie Mine and the Calico Odessa Railroad
You can take a self guided tour of the mine (10-15 minutes)
Calico Odessa Railroad is a 8-10 minute train ride that takes you around a small hill. Enjoy spectacular views of the mountains, and learn about some historic spots along you journey.
Tickets for the Calio Railroad: 11 years and older are $5, 5-10 years old is $2.50, and 4 years and under are free.
Bottle House
The house is constructed of glass bottles. There is a pet store inside this unique building.
A friendly advice by a miner:
Useful Links
Brief History of Calico Ghost Town
San Bernardino County Regional Parks
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Julia Orchard
Thanks for the well-structured and well-presented post!
Mansour D.
Hey there Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be okay. I’m undoubtedly enjoying your blog and look forward to new posts. many thanks
admin
Hello, Thank you very much for visiting and appreciating our blog posts. This really inspires us to keep sharing and exploring. You can follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/joy0fexploring or Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/joyofexploring.ca/. There is also a subscribe option on our website, if you scroll down to the bottom of the page. We only send an email when a new post is up. Have a nice day 🙂
Gurminder kaindowal
The bottle house is amazing.the view the click everything is perfect. Thanks for sharing this wonderful route
admin
Thank you for appreciating our post. This is definitely a very unique place.
Gabrielle Sales | From1Girlto1World.com
Great post and photos! I would like to visit this ghost town. I’ve seen some ghost towns (or themes) in Arizona where I currently live a lot but I’d like to see my first one in California with history.
admin
Hi Gabrielle, thank you for liking our post. We highly recommend you to visit this ghost town, very unique 🙂
Inderjit Grewal
Walter knott tied a perfect knot between 1880’s and present by restoration of Calico.
The bottle house is amazing
You people adventure places worth visiting and that kick your adrenaline
KEEP UP👍
admin
Thanks for appreciating the post!