Calico Hills: Adventure Route

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Cave · River/Creek · Views · Wildlife

Restrooms at Calico #1 and Calico #2 parking lots.

The adventure route is not suited for trail running.

This trail is the counterpart to the Calico Hills Trail which is a nice way to experience the hills from a bit of a distance. The Adventure Route takes you into the heart of the canyon. In this trail you'll have to do a bit of scrambling, and maybe climbing. This is a great way to get up close and personal with the beauty that is this area.

After heading down from the parking lot, you'll see a Y form in the trail. Take a left until you come to another Y; stick to the right. The trail is well worn, and marked with stacked rocks wrapped in chicken wire. Just follow the path(s) as they lead up closer to the hills. Eventually, after skirting the rocks for a while, you'll descend in elevation a bit. Once you are at this point you'll cross into a small canyon. After you emerge from that canyon, you'll follow the creek bed adjacent to the normal trail. Then the trail will split to the right, as the Calico Hills trail heads to the left. For a while there will be a large rock outcropping between the two trails. After that, the trail merges with the normal Calico Hills Trail.

White-Tailed Antelope Ground Squirrels, yucca, chuckwalla lizards, bighorn sheep, Joshua Trees, prickly pears, burros, and quail can all be found in the area.