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Rainbow Basin

Nature & parks
Near Barstow, California
9.0 mi from Route 66

Directions OpenStreetMap

Rainbow Basin is an area of rock formations in the Calico Peaks, about 8 miles north of Barstow, CA, and roughly 9 miles off the old road. It is a National Natural Landmark within the Rainbow Basin Natural Area, which the Bureau of Land Management oversees. Its fossil beds have told scientists a great deal about animals and plants that lived here some 12 to 16 million years ago.

What is Rainbow Basin?

The basin mixes private and public land, with the Bureau of Land Management in charge of all of it. It is known both for its rock shapes and for fossils from the middle Miocene. The Calico Early Man Site lies to the northeast.

Visiting Rainbow Basin: tips

Reach it from Barstow by Irwin Road, then drive the unpaved loop road inside the basin, so allow a couple of hours. The nearest restroom on record is about 0.9 mile away.

Practical info

On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

On the map

Rainbow Basin with the 6 closest stops. Tap a marker for details.

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Stops near Rainbow Basin

All of California

Waterman Hills

Barstow, California · 5.0 mi from Route 66

Low desert hills on the north edge of Barstow, next door to the Mitchel Range.

4.1 mi from Rainbow Basin

Mitchel Range

Barstow, California · 3.1 mi from Route 66

A small desert range just northeast of Barstow, near the railroad museum.

6.3 mi from Rainbow Basin

Western America Railroad Museum in Barstow, CA

Western America Railroad Museum

Barstow, California · 0.4 mi from Route 66

Railroad history of the desert Southwest, with big locomotives outside Barstow's Harvey House depot.

MuseumPhoto credit

8.6 mi from Rainbow Basin

Barstow Harvey House, California

Barstow Harvey House

Barstow, California · 0.4 mi from Route 66

Barstow's 1911 Santa Fe depot and Harvey House, home of the Route 66 Mother Road Museum.

MuseumPhoto credit

8.6 mi from Rainbow Basin

Desert Discovery Center in Barstow, CA

Desert Discovery Center

Barstow, California · 0.6 mi from Route 66

A Barstow desert-life center that shows the Old Woman Meteorite, second largest found in the country.

MuseumPhoto credit

9.7 mi from Rainbow Basin

Mojave River Valley Museum

Barstow, California · 0.7 mi from Route 66

A member-supported Barstow museum tracing the Mojave River valley from early peoples to the space age.

9.8 mi from Rainbow Basin

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