Calico - #Calico

Socal - San Bernardino County - Calico NickNames: #Calico

From most anywhere in SoCal, take Hwy 15 north to Barstow. About 7 miles past Barstow, exit at Ghost Town Rd and turn left toward the ghost town of Calico. There are many ride options and you can park just about anywhere. Anyone looking to practice their freeriding skills or desiring to experience mountain biking in Southern Utah without the long drive or the 3.2 beer should drive up to Calico and check it out. For a taste of what you’ll find, log on to www.dehesa4x4.com/bkilby/hdr/hdr.html. This is some jeeper’s website, but it has great photos of some of the technical trails. Any web search of 'Calico' and 'Jeep' should bring up more info on the area since it’s a popular 4wheeling destination. The GPS coordinates refer to the Odessa Canyon ride described first below.

2 Review(s)Login

• Trail UpdateNot As It Seems-i go camping here every easter and holloween. there are many drops but finding them is the hard part. i have found some 6 7 and 8 footers round the bottom of odessa canyon. i found a 15 in mule canyon off some side road. it is a hard place to ride due to sand, and it has some technical drops too. no actual trails, but still fun to go and mess around on
  Ride rating: Advanced
  Ride distance: however u make it Elevation change: ?
  Dirt Road=100% Truck Trail=100%
  DUST BUSTER a 25 year old Downhiller riding a GIANT DH from BARSTOW

  Posted:06/30/2003

• Trail UpdateOdessa Canyon - Utah In Socal-A few weeks ago, a friend and I drove up to Calico for some 4x4 action. I had never been here before so I followed my friend back into the hills. We ended up dropping down a canyon that reminded us of Amasa Back and Porcupine Rim in Moab (with a little less rock and little more sand). We dropped down several slickrock steps before a guy on a quad told us the trail further down was too narrow for Jeeps. (This bummed me out at the time since I wasn’t sure how well my Jeep would climb up the steps. In addition, there was one narrow, exposed stretch that was barely wide enough to keep the cliffside wheels on the trail. A twisted heap of metal, which was a truck in a life previous to its tumble over the edge, stared menacingly from below.) Anyway, we made it out of the canyon and thought it would be fun to bike here. So, the following week we returned with our mountain bikes.

  As far as I know, you can bike pretty much anywhere in Calico. There is a labyrinth of jeep trails connecting the many ridges and canyons. In addition, you are surrounded by Red Bull Rampage type terrain. Freeriders can practice their hucking skills on the numerous petrified sand formations. (Disclaimer: I don’t know if it’s legal to ride off trail. However, the quad riders and dirt bikers seem to ride anywhere they please.)

  The following directions (poorly) describe how to reach the mini Amasa Back canyon described above. (From what I could tell from some websites, the proper name for this trail is Odessa Canyon.) A high clearance vehicle with 4W Low is recommended but not required. After you exit 15 and turn left on Ghost Town Rd, go about a mile or so and look for a large dry lake on the right hand side. As soon as you are able, turn right and drive across the table flat lake bed to the other side. (Look out for dirt bikers riding mindlessly in circles.) When you reach a paved road, cross it and continue until you reach a dirt road. (There is a way to reach this dirt road without crossing the lake. However, I don’t know the route and it can’t be as fun as cruising across the wide open dirt at 30+ mph.) Turn left on this road and wind back into the hills. You’ll probably pass some RVs camped off to the sides. When you have an option, stay to the left on the main road. Soon, you’ll reach a few rollercoaster steep hills. After you go up and down a few times, you’ll come to an intersection near some abandoned mines. Go straight until you reach a peak overlooking a deep canyon. This is Odessa Canyon. Turn right and drop down to the 'T' intersection. Start your ride here. The GPS coordinates at this point are N 34deg 58.081’, W 116deg 50.900’.

  Turn left at the 'T' and start the downhill fun. There are about 7 technical drops through the canyon and each one seems more difficult than the last. You typically have a choice of 4 ft drop into sand on the right or ramp of human head sized jagged rocks on the left. After a few miles, you’ll reach the end of the technical section as the narrow canyon opens up to a smoother dirt road. My friend and I took our time descending, trying different lines through the drops. At the bottom, we turned around and climbed back to the starting point. Climbing is challenging due to the loose rocks and sand. Also cleaning the steps is tough since traction is hard to come by. However, advanced riders should be successful on most of the steps. You can loop this trail or ride in from the bottom as well. But, I don't know exactly where the canyon road starts at the bottom.

  There are many other technical rides in the area. From photos, Doran Canyon looks even more difficult than Odessa. However, I don’t know where that is either. Nothing is signed in this place. Oh, by the way, look out for open mine shafts. They’re everywhere and you can’t see the bottom of some.
  Ride rating: Advanced
  Ride distance: 6 miles Elevation change: 1000 ft
  Truck Trail=100%
  SS a 35 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Chumba Wumba Mamba from OC

  Posted:02/13/2003