Features: A fun drive through the heart of the Calico Mountains. Provides a unique look into Wall Street Canyon. See many mines and a stone cabin. (If you see a Desert Tortoise, do not pick up or harass.)

Difficulty: Easy. Much of the route is single lane but there is adequate room to pass. A few steep places along Mule Canyon Road are a clay surface which is very slippery after a good rain. This trail is suitable for stock SUVs with 4-wheel drive and good ground clearance. The roughest part of the trail is just before you get to the overlook.

 

Time & Distance: Allow 2 to 3 hours for this 14-mile trip. Add time for side trips.

 

To Get There: Exit Interstate 15 at well-marked Ghost Town Road. Head north and follow the loop around to the east. Continue past the entrance to Calico Ghost Town at 3.4 miles. The road now becomes Calico Road. Continue past the entrance to Doran and Odessa Canyons marked with a post that says Doran Scenic Drive at 3.9 miles. Turn left at 5.4 miles onto Mule Canyon Road. You can also exit 1-15 at Calico Road near Yermo and head north about a mile to Mule Canyon Road on the right.

 

Trail Description: Reset odometer at the start of Mule Canyon Road (01). Head uphill on a rocky road. Continue straight at 0.6 miles. Continue straight at 1.6 miles (02) where Phillips Loop goes left. This spot is identified by a large rock formation called Camp Rock. Many people camp here and use this area to unload ATVs and dirt bikes. Bear right at 2.0 miles where Phillips Loop returns to Mule Canyon Road. A steep, winding section at 2.7 miles is very slippery if wet. Bear left at 3.1 and 3.4 miles as the road winds through undulating terrain. Continue straight at 3.6 and 3.8 miles.

 

At 4.3 miles (03), an arrow on a large rock in the middle of the road points left. Reset your odometer here and head north along Tin Can Alley. Watch for rusty tin cans from bygone mining days scattered along the road. Bear left at 0.4 miles. Continue straight at 1.4 as another road joins on the left. Bear left at 1.6 and the road soon gets steeper. Continue straight at 2.3 miles as you cross over a high ridge. Bear left at 2.4 and right at 2.6. At the bottom of the hill at 2.8 miles (04), bear left on another road. (If you continue straight uphill, the road is closed just ahead.)

 

Bear right at 3.0 miles (05). (This intersection is the end of Odessa Canyon Trail). Continue straight past a parking area for Sweetwater Spring Hiking Trail at 3.2. Continue straight at 3.5 where a lesser road goes right. After climbing over a saddle, bear right at 3.7 and start downhill on a rougher road. You can see Bismarck Mine below. When you reach the mine at 4.0 miles (06), bear sharp right downhill. Follow the lowest road downhill. Keep bearing to the left as several branches go right. At 4.4 miles (07) bear left downhill. Continue straight downhill at 4.7 as the road gets rougher. Bear left downhill at 4.9 miles (08). The trail ends at 5.1 miles (09) at a small turnaround area. Walk in a southwest direction to some jagged boulders. Be careful—there's a 100-ft drop to Wall Street Canyon below. You can't see it until you are right on the edge.

 

Reset your odometer and start back up the hill. At 0.2 miles (08) bear left. Turn left out of a sandy wash at 0.7 miles (10). (Before turning here, you may want to see the stone cabin just around the comer to the right.) Bear left at 1.1 and1.3 miles. Soon after that, bear right on a better road at a 4-way intersection. Continue heading north and west on the best traveled road until reaching paved Ft. Irwin Road at 4.5 miles (11)

Return Trip: Turn left on Ft. Irwin Road. It swings south and returns to Interstate 15. To get back to Ghost Town Road, tum left off Ft. Irwin Road on the Yermo Cutoff Road after about 5 miles.

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Source: Guide to Southern California Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails; see also Trails.com