Barstow, CA - BLM Owl Canyon Campground

[Off_Pavement]

Thinking of a short trip to Calico Ghost Town and the Barstow area. Anyone stayed at the BLM Owl Canyon campground willing to share your thoughts?

[Roy_Lynne]

The campground is nice, the road in/out not so much If I were you I would stay at the Rainbow Canyon Recreation area just north of Barstow. The roads in is dirt also but well grated and the campground is really nice. No water, and dry but clean with large spaces. A couple of nice trails and the Rainbow Canyon loop is really interesting as are the fossils.
Have you been to Calico? I went once, and not really impressed, but some folk enjoy it.

[Karanavore]

... In case you're still in the area...
Farther north on I-15 is another BLM campground, Afton Canyon. It is one of the few places where the Mojave River flows above ground. A nice scenic area. My daughter and I tented there over Halloween weekend. It was nearly empty then, but when I did a re-con run three weeks earlier, it was nearly full with mostly off-roaders. The Mojave Road is close by and so is the Rasor OHV area.
As you get near the campground, the road goes down a hill that is soft sand. I didn't know if my 2WD truck towing my trailer would get stuck on the way out, hence the tent camping. But a small class C made it in and out.

[COboondocker]

Off Pavement wrote:
Thinking of a short trip to Calico Ghost Town and the Barstow area. Anyone stayed at the BLM Owl Canyon campground willing to share your thoughts?

Probably too late, but last time we were there we were dispersed camping in the OHV area just down the road from the calico ghost town campground. Little loud when some people when ripping by but there were only a few and not too late at night. https://goo.gl/maps/DgaZCtt2PeA2

[derouen6]

Watch out for the "mole people"!!!!!!!

[Off_Pavement]

Thanks for your responses! We will head over there in a week or so and I'll write a trip report when we get back.

[Socalz]

A few years ago we did some scouting in the area looking for new places to camp. One of the places we checked out was Owl Canyon campground. It seemed like a nice place to camp and it looked like it was close enough to Rainbow Basin to hike over there and look around. We were there in the early spring and the campground was empty except for a camp host.

[derouen6]

We used to day trip to Owl Canyon when DH was working at Ft. Irwin and loved it. One evening while grilling hot dogs this guy wanders over from a really dilapidated old car he was camping in. We were the only people there. We shared a hot dog with him but he refused a beer. He warned us to watch out for the "mole people". He did not elaborate much just said they come out at night. Yes, he was very peculiar and spoke of other strange things but was very nice. He went back to his car and we stayed a couple of more hours then headed back to our hotel.
Fast forward 3 or so years we bought our 2nd MH in Santa Maria, CA. And made DH promise that we would stop and camp at Owl Canyon. We did. It was lovely, we were all alone. We grilled the first night and left the pit outside. The wind blew that night like a hurricane. Found the pit a good mile from the MH. Another camping memory made.

[slickrock_steve]

For the folks who like to off road a bit, there is the Inscription Canyon area, just north of the Opal Mtn trail. Lots of neat petroglyphs, pictographs, and a neat spot called "Scouts Cove". The scouts cove thing is a cave in the rocks that is open for camping as a primitive site way out in the desert, above Hinkley Dry Lake. If you need hookups, or facilities, go to Calico Ghost town. Only real campers, who are pretty confident camp at Owl Canyon, as when it rains, or the wind howls, ( most of time it howls for an hour every day)it can be a place you want to be in some kind of protection. ALSO...stay off of the dry lakes after a rain!!
The mud is very caustic to both metal rims, and to sheet metal! Not to mention if you get stuck.....well they do charge an arm or or your first born, and a down payment....

[Chopperbob]

I remember very bad washboard road but we made it.
I thought it was going to shake us apart.

[derouen6]

Love Owl Canyon. When we were there years ago the dirt road from the hwy. was pretty washboard.
But worth the short drive.

[Old-Biscuit]

Stayed at Owl Canyon CG several times......concrete table/campfire grate at site
Fire permit needed during summer months

You need to be self sufficient. Use to be water tank but think vandals ruined that so bring your own water. No dump station----dump stations in Barstow

Rainbow Canyon drive interesting but it is barren desert-------very little to no vegetation

Course you could also stay at Calico Ghost CG

[Happy_Prospecto]

Beware the ghosts and skinwalkers!