California Days returns to Calico Ghost Town Feb. 17-18

Marking San Bernardino County Regional Parks’ 60th-anniversary this year, Regional Parks and Apollo Silver Corp. are excited to commemorate the third annual California Days event at Calico Ghost Town over Presidents’ Day weekend on Feb. 17-18, 2024.

California Days celebrates early California history with a focus on California’s admission to the union as the nation’s 31st state on Sept. 9, 1850.

This family-friendly event will precede National California Day, which lands on February 22 every year and will celebrate the people and culture of early California by hosting family activities, gunfight shows and reenactments along with educational displays on the state’s Bear Flag, Pony Express Trail, and Butterfield Overland Trail.

Serving as a natural backdrop to the Old West, Calico will travel back in time with a beard and mustache contest, arts & crafts, games and contests for all ages, pony rides, stories from the Pony Express, and a Pony Express relay for kids under 11.

There will be live music and entertainment with the Victorian Muse Theater at the Town Hall, classroom reenactment sessions from the 1800s at the schoolhouse and some wild West street skits performed by the “Scoundrels Alley” Calico troupe.

The popular Dorsey Dog Delivery Game also returns and is a doggie scavenger hunt where owners and their furry friends search for clues throughout town to win the ultimate prize of a treat goodie bag and first-place ribbon from Dorsey’s Dog House.

Eventgoers can enjoy our fair-style food lineup with goodies, such as pretzels, lemonade and tater tot creations, or for very hungry appetites, the Calico Restaurant and Lil’s Saloon will be open. All the Calico attractions will be open, including Maggie Mine and the Calico Oddessa Railroad. Attractions are an additional charge. For attraction prices, visit www.calicoattractions.com/.

Mining event sponsors include Apollo Silver Corp., Cal Portland Company, EquinoxGold Castle Mountain Mine and Mitsubishi Cement Corporation, who will be onsite to provide educational mining history, information and displays.

With the celebration of the diamond anniversary year, California Days launches the first event listed in the Passport program eligible to receive a stamp. Visitors can obtain a free passport upon request at the entrance (or download at parks.sbcounty.gov/60-year-anniversary) and receive a stamp for visiting either a park or event listed on the passport. In December, passports with five stamps can be redeemed at any participating park for a free 60th-anniversary commemorative gift.

Calico will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Prices are $10 per adult, $5 children ages 4-11, and 3 years and under are FREE.

For more details and a daily schedule of events, visit parks.sbcounty.gov/calico-california-days.

Calico Ghost Town offers full and partial camping at the park. Reservations may be booked directly online at www.sbcountyparks.com. Calico offers cabins, bunkhouses and RV trailers as rentals. Please call 800-862-2542 to reserve.

Calico Ghost Town is located off I-15 at Ghost Town Road in Yermo, just 10 miles north of Barstow. Follow Calico Ghost Town on Facebook at for event photos and videos.

About San Bernardino County Regional Parks

The San Bernardino County Regional Parks Department was established by the Board of Supervisors in 1964 and operates nine regional parks, one regional trail and one preserve throughout San Bernardino County, totaling more than 8,000 acres that span from the Chino basin to the high desert, offering open spaces rich in natural and cultural landscapes and welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

Regional Parks include Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, Calico Ghost Town (Historical Landmark No. 782), Cucamonga-Guasti, Glen Helen, Lake Gregory, Mojave Narrows, Mojave River Forks, Prado, Santa Ana River Trail and Yucaipa. Regional Parks offer many activities, such as camping, fishing, picnicking, swimming, hiking, pedal boating, kayak boating (Mojave Narrows only), disc golf courses, horseshoe pits, horseback riding trails, playing fields, bird watching and more.

Amenities include tent and RV campsites with dry and full hook ups, RV rentals, and bunk house rentals (Calico only). Also available are sheltered group picnic facilities accommodating up to 350 people, swim complexes with water slides, zero-depth water play parks, playgrounds, and a multipurpose room equipped with kitchen as a rental (Prado only). At Lake Gregory, the San Moritz Lodge is available as a rental for weddings or meetings.

For more information about all Regional Parks events, activities, amenities or for camping reservations, visit parks.sbcountry.gov or follow us on Facebook or Instagram.