Tonka Town and Calico Mountains Camp-n-Ride

I will be hosting a ride on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday February 14th - 16th 2025 just West of Calico off Copper City Rd. Come for the day or stay for the weekend.

Driving Instructions

Find your way to Barstow and head North on the 15. About 5 miles past the intersection of the 15 & 40 take the Ft. Irwin Rd exit and turn left over the freeway. Stay on Ft. Irwin Rd for about 7.25 miles. You will see a left turn lane at the intersection of Ft. Irwin Rd and Irwin Rd, turn left. I will place a sign pointing the way to the campsite on the right side of the road. Travel down Irwin Rd for about 3.3 miles until you come to the intersection with Cooper City Rd. I will place another sign pointing to the campsite there. Turn right on Cooper City Rd (dirt) and travel about 3.6 miles and look for another sign pointing to the campsite. Turn left at the sign and you will see the campsite (Picture of my RV is below).

We will leave the staging area at around 9AM on Friday & Saturday and 8AM on Sunday. Riders meeting 15 minutes before we head out. All rides are rated as intermediate for 4-wheel drive UTV's / ATV's. There are many long sections of deep sand and some rocky hill climbs and descents.

Friday Ride

We will traverse the mud hills and drive through Rainbow Basin and then head over to the Desert Lighthouse. From there we will travel across the desert and make a short stop at the Gold Fish Pond. Now it's on to the Husky Memorial and then down into Black Canyon and Scott's Cove. Finally we will travel through the Black Mountains and back to camp. Around 85 miles.

Saturday Ride.

We will leave our Copper City campsite and head North over to the White Cliffs. Then we will continue North onto the Superior Dry Lake Bed. Next we will Follow the fence line West then South over to Inscription Canyon. We will climb back into the mountains and stop at Scotts Cove. Now we will ride around the Black Mountain Wilderness then head over to Tonka Town. Round trip about 80 miles.

Sunday Ride (Leaving Camp at 8AM)

Leaving camp we will cross Irwin Rd and drop down into a wide sand wash. We will follow that around until it crosses Ft. Irwin Rd. We will follow the trail along Ghost Town Rd. and head up Phillips Loop and over to the Kramer Arch. Then it's over to Mule Canyon and on to the Bismark Mine. We will head North through the mountains and cross Ft. Irwin Rd. Then onto the Wells Cabin and the Treehouse before heading back to camp. If the group wants, we can stop at the XB70 Memorial first. Round trip about 60 miles.

I will post the GPX file when we get closer to the ride date.

These organizers are not professional guides or trained leaders and are not medically trained to handle emergencies. Please carry a personal medical emergency kit and any medications you need.

Motorized off-road driving/riding is an inherently dangerous activity that can lead to serious injuries including but not limited to slip and fall injuries, fractures, rattlesnake bites, heat exhaustion, poison oak, ticks and frostbite.

By participating in this event/ride, you agree to not hold these organizers liable for any harm that may come to you, your guests, or your property. Always remember to let the event organizer know if you are leaving the group. Stay on the trail, never drive/ride alone and use your own common sense.