Calico Bottle House
History turned amusement park at Calico, where a circus of actors reenact gunfights for the amusement of tourists and where shopping, gold panning and train riding have displaced the ghosts who probably desperately try to cross over to escape the charade.
I am sure most visitors to Calico will leave with a happy smile on their faces, having had a wonderful time filled with activity. I have no doubt about that, but the Calico Regional Park is clearly mislabeled as ghost town. It is a Wild West Show on the grounds of a former mining town. You need a vivid imagination to see anything authentic behind the glitter, the decorations and the air-conditions on the roofs of the buildings.
If you are traveling with your family and if you are not expecting an authentic ghost town, you may even get a few decent photographs while keeping your family members occupied. If you are a photographer wanting to experience a real ghost town, visit Bodie or Cerro Gordo instead.
How to get there
Take exit 191 (Ghost Town Road) from I-15, about 7 miles east of the I-15 and I-40 junction and follow the signs to Calico. It is really easy to find.
GPS position
How to photograph Calico Ghost Town
Christmas in Calico
Unfortunately, I visited Calico just after Christmas, when literally every detail of the city was covered with decoration. The funny fact is that the original residents of Calico used native desert plants for decoration, yet the management of the city prefers kitsch to authenticity, plastering all buildings, except the school, with fake Christmas ornaments. What a shame, I would have enjoyed a real Western display of Christmas decorations.
Calico School
I attribute much of my dismay to wrong expectations though. Let’s face it, most visitors probably consider Santa Clause’s grimace everywhere tasteful. I usually prefer authenticity and preservation of heritage over earnings potential. The employees went out of their way to set up a climbing wall, bull riding and whatnot to amuse the crowds. Calico is a family friendly ghost town; it is not a photographer’s ghost town.
If you come with the right expectations, you can still find some decent photography here. The street lamps, farming tools and old wagons all would make wonderful photography subjects, but nearly all were covered with Christmas decorations. The bottle house (picture at the start of the article) provides interesting studies of shapes and light. You can create a few abstracts here.
Nobody can tell from the picture, that the school replica is almost to full scale, but still not the real thing and some of the old buildings in the distance, along the train track almost look real with a telephoto lens.
Reset your photography compass, buckle on a smaller lens and take a few street shots of children having fun at the wall or listening to the cock-and-bull stories of the actors. I don’t think you have to drive to Calico for that, as you can just visit a local carnival instead.
Best Time of the Day and Best Season
Avoid the hot summer months and come early in the morning to avoid the crowds.
Time required
If you come with family, you can spend an entire day here. There are many things to do and explore, especially with children. For a quick shoot, you won’t need more than 90 minutes.
Equipment
- wide-angle lens
- normal lens
- circular polarizing filter
- iPod
Fees
The entrance fee is $6 for adults and $3 for children on normal days and higher during special events.
Close Locations
- Trona Pinnacles
- Randsburgh Ghost Town
- Red Rock Canyon State Recreation Area
- Ballarat Ghost Town
- Rainbow Basin NP
- Silver City Ghost Town
- Cerro Gordo Ghost Town
- Mojave NP: Kelso Dunes
- Mojave Midd Hills scenic detour
- Mojave NP: Lava Beds
- Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve
- Fort Tejon
- Mitchell Caverns NP
- Joshua Tree NP
Useful Resources
Subscribe to my feed and be the first to learn about the secret places to photograph.
What have I forgotten? Please share your thoughts below!
Tweet This! :: 
E-Mail This!
Do you find this post 
de.licio.us? Tell people that you 
reddit!
4 Comments
Love this!! Great shot….makes me thirsty!
Thanks for visiting The Juice Bar!
L. K. Thayer
I usually read your site for what to visit…This time I found out what to miss. Thanks for the heads-up!
Thanks Kym,
I thought it may be useful. Thanks for confirming
Yeah, I think I’d pass on this, too, when there are so many other gorgeous places you’ve alerted us to. I worked in one of these “western” towns in Kentucky when I was in college…gunfights and all that crap. It was dreadful. But you still managed to get some lovely photos.