CALICO'S SCARY GATE KEEPER!     

 Calico is an old west mining town known for its silver riches in the 1880’s , now considered a ghost town but well preserved and not so scary. Johnny Wood, a Marine, a friend and one of our original club members will once again be deployed during some our bigger events of the year. This was also the case last year when he found some awesome trails in Arizona to challenge before he deployed. He has once again hit the mark when it comes to finding a new off road adventure for the club. Calico is the Disneyland of off roading and well worth the road trip just outside Barstow. There are plenty of thing to investigate, several friendly ghost infested camp areas and some great off road trails surrounding the town.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  When Johnny suggested this place for our Johnny adventure of the year, I did a little web browsing to get some information. One of the first things that struck me was all the warnings listed on entering the mines themselves. They are everywhere and can be risky to enter but if you’re adventurous you can find some really interesting history. The Silver King Mine is just one of the mines in the area and continues underground for at least a mile through the mountains. This mine can give you a real sense of the dangers the miners faced back in the day. I never saw any warnings about entering the mining trails though. This is in part because the town is a County Park and the trails are on BLM land. They have formed a partnership to make this an awesome destination for the off road community.  The lack of information may also be explained by the gate keeper on the Odessa trail. If the entrance of this trail doesn’t keep you out then you won’t be in any danger finishing the trail, unless you fall down a mine shaft. I have run lots of difficult trials in the southwest, including the Hammers and upper and lower Terminator trails but this gate keeper is by far one of the most difficult I have ever run. It should be called the Jeep Grim Reaper Gate Keeper! If that wasn’t enough of a challenge try getting Johnny’s full size Dodge truck through. Despite all the “Danger” we managed to do just that with his doors still attached.

  It is easy to focus on the challenges faced when traveling the trails of Calico but you cannot leave these trails without being taken back by the beauty. This range of mountains got their name from the various colors that run throughout them. If you love the idea of mixing the beauty of Sandstone Canyon and Moab with the challenge of the Hammers without the length then you will love this area. As scary as ghost towns can be Calico isn’t that scary. The only ghosts we saw were the ones that flashed in front of our faces going through the “Grim Reaper Gate Keeper.” If an off road adrenaline rush and some really cool ghost town history is what you’re looking for Calico will not disappoint. This was an excellent 4x4 Corps adventure and another awesome suggestion by Johnny Wood!  

LOTS OF NEW IMAGES

 

CALICO

     

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