Overview

Calico Hills Loop Trail is 6.5-mile hike that circumnavigates the Calico Hills. The hike can be considered a series of trail segments that start and stop at any of 6 trailheads (3 along the Scenic Loop Road and 3 in Calico Basin). Most of the loop runs on easy, gently sloping trails, but there are a few steep parts, some off-trail in a wash, and the Ash Canyon segment requires a fair bit of Class-2 and Class 3 scrambling getting down and around boulders and pour-overs.

Views from many parts of the loop are grand, with those on the west side of the hills spreading out across all of Red Rock Canyon, and those on the east side looking southeast across Calico Basin and points south. For hikers who have only driven along the Scenic Loop Road, this hike offers an up-close and personal encounter with the Calico Hills that is quite different from the road-side perspective.

Link to map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ...this hike is fairly safe and usually not far from a road or trailhead. Ash Canyon requires a bit of Class 3 scrambling, so be extra careful when high enough to fall and get hurt.

While hiking, please respect the land and the other people out there, and please try to Leave No Trace of your passage. This is a long hike, so be sure to bring what you need of the 10 Essentials. The Ash Canyon segment of the loop goes into the La Madre Mountain Wilderness Area, so pay particular attention to respecting the land.

The Hike - Calico II to Sandstone Quarry

Staying right at the Calico 2 Trail junction (Wpt. 12), the Calico Hills Loop Trail climbs gently towards a low saddle (Wpt. 13) on a well-used trail. Looking into the distance from the saddle, the trail can be seen dropping towards the wash, passing a set of large boulders, and climbing the hillside towards the next saddle. While hiking, look for petroglyphs on the boulders.

The Calico Hills Loop Trail runs up the valley and climbs onto the next saddle, then follows along the hillside and passes through sandstone outcrops to a point where Sandstone Quarry parking can be seen in the distance.

In this area, several use-trails cut up the hillside and others drop into the canyon, but the main trail stays more-or-less on the level before dropping into the south end of the Sandstone Quarry parking area (Wpt. 14). The trail continues north to the far end of the parking lot and the Sandstone Quarry North Trailhead (Wpt. 15).