Calico Tanks Trail

This is such a fun and beautiful trail! The trail starts out easy - gravel/small rocks, then transitions into sand for a while, then it becomes very rocky - mostly flat step-style rocks. I found the trail fairly easy to navigate but I could see it presenting challenges in certain areas if you're less experienced. The hike is about 2.4 miles but does seem a bit more tiring than expected with the various rock step elevations and requirement for watching your footing and balance at times. Note, if hiking in the late afternoon (5pm or later during daylight savings), the trail will be in the shade for 80% of the hike. Always hike safe and smart, bring excess water.

Terrain changes about every 10 minutes for the about the first hour. For a while you’re walking on sand, then you’re walking on solid rock, then you’re next to a pond, then you are climbing rock structures, and so forth. Some of the most fun I’ve had hiking. There are also parts where you go off path and climb up adjacent rock structures for fun.

Like many trails in this area, pic's won't do it justice. This trail is a gem. More experienced hikers will rate this as "easy," but less avid hikers will find this to be "moderate" for sure. There's a fair amount of small elevation changes, so keep that in mind if you're used to a flat surface throughout your time on the trail. Also, a few scrambles aren't a part of most people's nature hikes, but it's all worth the investment of time and effort. The views up close and vistas far away will make a great memory. Everything's well marked since this is one of the park's signature and most popular trails. I visited when temp's where in the 60's (and it was really windy!) but I'm sure if you're visiting in summer temp's you've already read up on warnings about heat, hydration, etc.

Parking lot within the scenic trail loop. I would say about 50 spots. This trail is labeled as "moderate" but as the hike continued, I find that this might be challenging for the average person. The trail starts out easy on flat ground theough sand. Some parts you will have to climb up some medium to large sized boulders. There are lots of rock steps to get up as well. Overall, this was a great hike, the view point was underwhelming, but it was definitely a good workout! We enjoyed this. If you can climb stairs on your hands and feet then you will be fine to do this 2 hour roundtrip hike!

This was a fairly easy hike. Once you start going up the rock canyon, there are some tricky areas. Wear good shoes and bring water. The tanks at the top were dry. They were empty but still a nice view. The red rock up there was amazing and fun. I will be back to explore more. You can go anywhere up there. It's a big fun playground.