The Calico Mountains of California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

are located in the Mojave Desert

Mojave Desert

The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...

 of San Bernardino County

San Bernardino County, California

San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...

 and Inyo County

Inyo County, California

-National protected areas:* Death Valley National Park * Inyo National Forest * Manzanar National Historic Site-Major highways:* U.S. Route 6* U.S. Route 395* State Route 127* State Route 136* State Route 168* State Route 178...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

.

Geography

The Calico Mountains are geologically and historically colorful range that lie in a northwest-southeast direction, and are located just north of Barstow

Barstow, California

Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 22,639 at the 2010 census, up from 21,119 at the 2000 census. Barstow is located north of San Bernardino....

 and Yermo

Yermo, California

Yermo is a town in San Bernardino County, California. Its name is derived from the Spanish word for wilderness. It is located 13 miles east of Barstow in the Mojave Desert on Interstate 15, just south of the Calico Mountains...

, and of Interstate 15

Interstate 15

Interstate 15 is the fourth-longest north–south Interstate Highway in the United States, traveling through the states of California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, and Montana from San Diego to the Canadian border...

.

Historic Pickhandle Pass and Jackhammer Gap lie at the northern end of the mountains on Fort Irwin Road, with the Fort Irwin Military Reservation

Fort Irwin Military Reservation

Fort Irwin & the National Training Center is a major training area for the United States Military and is a census-designated place located in the Mojave Desert in northern San Bernardino County, California. Fort Irwin sits at an elevation of . The 2010 United States census reported Fort Irwin's...

 nearby. The Calico Mountains have been active in California mining history.

Peaks

Calico Peak

Calico Peaks

The Calico Peaks are geologically and historically colorful mountains in the Calico Mountains Range in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County and Inyo County, California...

, the highest point, is 4491 feet (1,368.9 m) in elevation, in the San Bernardino County portion of the range (N 34.995259 and W -116.838369).

Features

The Rainbow Basin

Rainbow Basin

Rainbow Basin is a geological formation in the Calico Peaks range, located approximately eight miles north of Barstow in the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California....

 geologic feature, in the Bureau of Land Management

Bureau of Land Management

The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...

 managed Rainbow Basin Natural Area, is just north of Barstow

Barstow, California

Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 22,639 at the 2010 census, up from 21,119 at the 2000 census. Barstow is located north of San Bernardino....

.

Calico Ghost Town is located in the Yermo Hills (Calico Hills) at the western edge of the Calico Mountains, north of Yermo

Yermo, California

Yermo is a town in San Bernardino County, California. Its name is derived from the Spanish word for wilderness. It is located 13 miles east of Barstow in the Mojave Desert on Interstate 15, just south of the Calico Mountains...

.

The Calico Early Man Site

Calico Early Man Site

The Calico Early Man Site is a series of stone tool workshop and quarry sites located near Barstow in San Bernardino County in the central Mojave Desert of southern California...

 is a Paleo-Indians lithic workshop for Stone tools and a simple quarry archaeological site

Archaeological site

An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...

 in the mountains also.

Located in the Calico Mountains

• Calico and Odessa Railroad
  Calico and Odessa Railroad
  The Calico & Odessa Railroad is a heritage railroad in the ghost town of Calico, California, headquartered in Yermo, California.Calico itself is an old mining town turned living-history museum. Actual building and railroad equipment were taken from Calico to the Knott's Berry Farm.-External links:**...
  
  
• Calico Early Man Site
  Calico Early Man Site
  The Calico Early Man Site is a series of stone tool workshop and quarry sites located near Barstow in San Bernardino County in the central Mojave Desert of southern California...
  
  
• Calico Ghost Town
• Calico Peaks
  Calico Peaks
  The Calico Peaks are geologically and historically colorful mountains in the Calico Mountains Range in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County and Inyo County, California...
  
  
• Calico Print
  Calico Print
  The Calico Print was a newspaper, established in 1882 and published during the heyday of the silver mining camp of Calico, California prior to 1902...
  
   ( publication )

History related:

• Borate and Daggett Railroad
  Borate and Daggett Railroad
  The Borate and Daggett Railroad was a narrow gauge railroad built to carry borax in the Mojave Desert. The railroad ran about 11 miles from Daggett, California, USA to Borate, California, USA.-History:...
  
   ( site )
• Francis Marion Smith
  Francis Marion Smith
  Francis Marion Smith was an American miner, business magnate and civic builder in the Mojave Desert, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Oakland, California.Frank Smith created the extensive interurban public transit Key System in Oakland, the East Bay,...
  
   ( mining )

Index

• Category: Mountain ranges of the Mojave Desert
• Category: Protected areas of the Mojave Desert

External links

• Official website: Rainbow Basin Natural Area
• Calico Ghost Town website