Review: We have stayed in this campground a few times because it is a convenient first stop when leaving our home campground in Valencia, CA, or a last stop on our way home. The campsites are nothing fancy—dirt and gravel, with some unevenness that can make leveling a challenge. 

Site A-21 is better than A-22 because it provides some shade. Not all the sites are pull-through or have full hookups, and some are quite short, so be picky. You can reserve online (extra reservation fee), or just show up and pick any unoccupied/unreserved site. The ranger comes around after 6:00 pm to collect your $40 (cash or credit card).

Very little shade is provided, and it can get very windy here. Alternatively, it can be very hot when there isn’t much wind. In early August it was 106 degrees, and we got one of the only sites with some shade because we got there about 11:30 a.m.

You can walk to Calico Ghost Town from the campground (a short, steep hike up the hill), or drive around and park at the top. They close the ghost town at 5:00 pm, so be sure to get there early if you want to explore. You can hike on the hills around the ghost town after hours, but not in the town itself.

There is a Dairy Queen a few miles away, and the campground is close to the intersection of I-40 and I-15 in Barstow, CA.