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Gold Country
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Gold Country Overview
Also referred to as the "Sierra Foothills", Gold Country was established when a carpenter discovered gold in the river at Sutter's Mill in 1848. By the early 1850's bustling mining camps were all over this region. When the gold ran out, these camps were nearly deserted and remain today as the towns of Nevada City, Placerville, Angels Camp, Jamestown and many more. These towns preserve the original buildings and cater to tourism. Located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada range, the scenery alone is worth a trip on Highway 49. Many natural and historic sites dot the region along the way. And don't think that the gold is gone. Placer miners still pan dust and occassionally nuggets from the creeks and streams.
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Yosemite is an expansive playground of glacier-carved granite. Natural features include shear granite walls rising thousands of feet in elavation, waterfalls, meadows and many lakes and streams. There is so much to see and do in this park that we've dedicated an entire page to Yosemite. MORE DETAILS
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Donner Memorial marks the site of the Donner partie's camp during their fateful trek from the midwest to California in 1846. Donner Lake supports fishing, water-skiing and fishing. MORE DETAILS
Calaveras Big Trees is a giant redwood forest with a self-guided trail and campgrounds. Activities include hiking and camping. Some campgrounds are located adjacent to the redwood forest but other, more secluded camps, are further into the park. MORE DETAILS
Folsom Lake is a large lake with activities include hiking, biking, running, camping, picnicking, horseback riding, water-skiing and boating. MORE DETAILS
Old Sacramento is several square blocks of preserved and rebuilt gold mining era buildings. These buildings now house touristy shops and restaurants. The state railroad museum is on the same property. MORE DETAILS
Marshall Gold Discovery marks the spot where the 1849 gold rush all began. This is the site of Sutter's sawmill where in 1848, James W. Marshall found a gold nugget in the river. MORE DETAILS
Columbia Historic Park is a well preserved gold mining town with historic buildings, workers dressed in era clothing, live entertainment and stagecoach rides. MORE DETAILS
Railtown 1897 is an operational railroad museum and train depot. Featured attraction is a short, historic, steam locomotive ride through gold country and back. MORE DETAILS
Empire Mine was one of the oldest, largest, deepest, longest and richest gold mines in California. The grounds include the owner's home and gardens, original mine buildings and equipment and a museum. MORE DETAILS
Indian Grinding Rocks is nestled in a little valley of oak trees and meadows. Evidence of indian inhabitants is clearly marked in the boulders throughout the park where mortar holes were formed from indians grinding acorns into flour. MORE DETAILS
Sutter's Fort was Sacramento's first non-indian settlement and was the main destination for settlers crossing the Sierra Nevadas. In 1847, the first few men from the Donner Party reached the fort and aid was sent to save the remaining settlers. MORE DETAILS
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Waterworld Water Park includes rides like Shark Attack and Honolulu Halfpipe. MORE DETAILS
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Sacramento Zoo is a moderate-sized city zoo with nearly 500 animals on display. MORE DETAILS
Folsom Zoo is a small city zoo with mostly local species on display. MORE DETAILS
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Snow Skiing / Boarding resorts are located throughout Gold Country. From the large and challenging Kirkwood to the smaller but still impressive Bear Valley, Dodge Ridge, Badger Pass, and Shirley Meadows. MORE DETAILS
Gold Panning in gold country is no joke. Gold is still pulled out of the creeks, streams and rivers on a daily basis. Stop by the Gold Panners Outfitter store in Jamestown for tips and equipment for panning. MORE DETAILS
River Rafting is available in several large rivers throughout Gold Country. The American River is the most popular whitewater rafting river in the state and offers three forks with the Middle Fork flowing through the most significant historical park in Gold Country. MORE DETAILS
Houseboating More coming soon. MORE DETAILS
Sacramento Kings basketball at the ARCO Arena MORE DETAILS
Train Rides aboard overnight dinner trains from the valley floor to Yosemite, Day trips into Yosemite, or hour long scenic trips through the heart of Gold Country are available. MORE DETAILS
Volcano Theatre Company performs in a historic cobblestone theatre or a beautiful amphitheatre down the street during the summer months. MORE DETAILS
Ironstone Vineyard Amphitheatre hosts top musical performers at undoubtedly the most beautiful concert setting in all of California. The grounds at Ironstone Vineyards are a beautiful place to visit and should not be missed. Their museum features a 44-pound gold nugget that was found locally. MORE DETAILS
Music in the Mountains is a on-going event with nearly 40 performances per year. Classical music including pops, jazz, big band, and Broadway are performed at several locations throughout the Grass Valley and Nevada City region. MORE DETAILS
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Arden Fair Mall is a traditional mall featuring over 165 stores, restaurants and specialty shops including Abercrombie & Fitch, bebe, Eddie Bauer, Forever 21, Nordstrom, Wilsons Leather and more. MORE DETAILS
Folsom Outlets is a collection of nearly 150 outlets for stores like Calvin Klein, Guess, Liz Claiborne, Waterford Wedgwood, Nautica and more. MORE DETAILS
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Miscellaneous Recommendations
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Grass Valley is the sister city to Nevada City and very similar with a historic downtown and many Bed & Breakfast Inns. The main attraction is the Empire Mine State Historic Park MORE DETAILS
Nevada City is a former gold mining town remains alive with tourism and features a large, historic downtown, many Victorian Bed & Breakfast Inns and horse drawn carriage rides around town. MORE DETAILS
Auburn was one of the largest Gold Towns and features a historic main street & courthouse, which is now the county museum. The main attractions are Marshall's Gold Discovery State Historic Park and the Auburn State Recreation Area along the American River. MORE DETAILS
Placerville was also known as 'Hangtown' in the 'Gold Rush' days and now attracts many tourists to its historic downtown. Many award winning wineries surround Placerville. Marshall's Gold Discovery State Historic Park is just a short drive from town. The Gold Bug Mine offers tours of an actual gold mine. MORE DETAILS
Jackson is our second favorite Gold Town for all of its nearby attractions, which include Indian Grinding Rocks State Park, Kirkwood Ski Resort, Black Chasm caverns, Lake Camanche and much more. MORE DETAILS
Murphys is a find! This town has a lot of charm and class. Almost all of the local wineries have tasting rooms along the downtown strip. Many shops, restaurants and hotels line the street as well. MORE DETAILS
Angels Camp is a small, historic town well known for hosting the yearly Calaveras Frog Jump. Mark Twain had a home here and was inspired to write, 'The Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County'. MORE DETAILS
Sonora is one of the larger towns in the area and is a beautiful historic town offering many shops, cafes, hotels and restaurants. MORE DETAILS
Jamestown is your best option for gold panning in Gold Country. This small, historic town consists of a short main street with several shops and historic hotels. Stop by the gold panners outfitter store for tips and equipment for panning. Railtown 1897 is located within walking distance of the main street. MORE DETAILS
Wineries are prevalent throughout the Sierra Foothills from Grass Valley to Mariposa. Many of the regions' top wineries surround the towns of Murphys and Placerville. Ironstone, Stevenot, Twisted Oak, Boeger and Madroña are just a few of the many . MORE DETAILS
Camanche Reservoir attracts boaters and anglers from the region and has two large campgrounds as well as a motel, cabins and an RV park. A marina offers boat rentals, a coffee shop and camping supplies. MORE DETAILS
New Melones Lake is nestled in the rolling hills of Gold Country. Activities include boating, water skiing, houseboating, swimming, fishing, camping, hiking and mountain biking. MORE DETAILS
Don Pedro Lake is nestled in the oak trees and rolling hills of the Sierra Nevada foothills. Activities include boating, water skiing, houseboating, sailing, swimming, fishing, camping, hiking and mountain biking. MORE DETAILS
Bass Lake is a small lake community that has everything. It has been voted the #1 destination in California by several travel publications over the years. Boat rentals are available for ski boats, jet skiis, party boats, fishing boats, kayaks or canoes. MORE DETAILS
Caves & Caverns are found throughout the region. Unique stalagtites and stalagmites are on display. This is a must if you've never done it before. Most are easily accessible by staircase but some offer repelling options. MORE DETAILS
State Capitol is located in the heart of Sacramento. Tours of the Capitol are led daily on the hour except on major holidays. Grounds include 40 acres of park which contains gardens and memorials to important Californian figures and veterans of war. MORE DETAILS
State Railroad Museum where historic trains and railroad industry artifacts are on display. Train rides follow the beautiful Sacramento River. MORE DETAILS
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Fresno Yosemite International offers quick and convenient access to Yosemite and the southern regions of Gold Country including Angels Camp, Murphys, Sonora and Jamestown. MORE DETAILS
Sacramento offers convenient access to the northern regions of Gold Country including Grass Valley, Nevada City, Placerville and San Andreas. MORE DETAILS
TIP: The Sacramento Valley is often covered with thick fog that would normally cause flights to be canceled. The Sacramento Airport has an advanced radar system that allows aircraft to arrive and depart in even the thickest of fog. Not all airlines subscribe to this service, so be sure to ask when purchasing tickets. We once heard a nightmare story of a a non-subscribing airline headed for Hawaii being grounded for 24-hours due to heavy fog while the passengers watched other airline's flights fly in and out with ease.
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Traffic & Transportation
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Sacramento Region has grown quickly in recent years and with that, so has its rush-hour traffic. The 80, 50, 5 and 99 freeways are all subject to back up during the hours of 7-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. Factor in an additional half hour to your trip if passing through during these hours.
NOTE: The Sacramento Airport is North of Sacramento. You must pass through Sacramento to get to most of Gold Country.
Highway 49 is the highway that runs North and South linking all of Gold Country together. It is a two-lane road with plenty of climbs, curves and scenery. Passing lanes are available at key points. Can become conjested in the Summer months, so be patient, drive with your lights on and only pass if you must.
Public transportation is fair throughout Gold Country. We only give it a 'fair' rating because no single transportion service links the entire region together. Gold Country spans 7 counties and in order to explore the entire region, you must obtain schedules from at least 7 different transportation services.
Sacramento Regional Transit offers bus and light rail service throughout the Sacramento metropolitan region.
Nevada County Transit has the Gold Country Stage shuttle bus that links the Nevada City, Grass Valley and Auburn regions.
Placer County Transit offers bus service to the Roseville, Auburn, Alta regions.
El Dorado Transit offers bus, light rail and shuttle service to the Placerville, El Dorado and Rancho Cordova regions.
Amador Regional Transit System offers bus and shuttle service linking Sacramento to the Rancho Murieta, Jackson and Volcano regions.
Calaveras Transit offers bus and shuttle service to the Jackson, Angels Camp and Arnold regions.
Tuolumne and Mariposa counties have no websites. Bus service in these counties link Jamestown, Sonora and Yosemite.
See our Resources page for links to rental car agencies.
Amtrak train service is unable to reach Gold Country towns without a bus transfer. Connector buses can be taken from Lodi, Merced, Fresno and Rocklin.
Greyhound bus service is availble to most of the major Gold Country towns.
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Winter brings lows in the 40's and highs in the 60's. Mostly rain with occassional hail. Snow in the upper Sierra Nevadas sometimes falls below 4000' into some Gold Country towns.
Spring brings lows in the 70's and highs in the 80's. Rain decreasing to misty mornings and fog.
Summer brings lows in the 70's and highs in the 90's. Most of the summer offers clear skies with little precipitation.
Fall brings lows in the 50's and highs in the 70's. Rain increasing to thunderstorms. Fog beginning in the late evening and thickening by morning.
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Nevada County
Jul 15, 22 & 29, 2009 - Summer Nights in Nevada City is held on three consecutive Wednesday nights in Nevada City's historic district. Streets are closed to motorized traffic and filled with arts, crafts, classic cars, food, drink and music. Local musicians perform on outdoor stages throughout the downtown area. WEBSITE
Oct 3-4, 2009 - Celtic Festival and Marketplace is held at the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley. The fairgrounds are converted into a Celtic Village with arts and craft and food vendors. Entertainment includes Irish and Scottish musicians & story tellers, traditional Celtic games & competitions, falcon and other birds of prey exhibitions and more. WEBSITE
El Dorado County
January-December - El Dorado Events worth visiting are too numerous to list on this page. Check out their visitor bureau's calendar for a listing of all events including wine tasting, theatre, bar-b-que events and more. Check out the El Dorado County Visitor website for more details. WEBSITE
Oct 10-12, 2009 - Coloma Gold Rush Live is held at the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park in Coloma. The miner's life of 1849 comes to life as volunteers in historically accurate dress cook, make candles and rope, and demonstrate trades such as gold panning, blacksmithing, spinning, weaving, basket making and more. Entertainment includes games from the 19th century, and musicians playing period instruments and songs. WEBSITE
Amador County
January-December - Amador Events are mostly hosted by local wineries. Check the local wine club website for details on events such as the Spring Bar-B-Que, Summer Solstice Wine Daze, The Big Crush Amador Vintners' Harvest Festival and more. WEBSITE
Calaveras County
Mar 20, 2010 - Murphys Irish Day is where everyone is Irish for a day. Festivities include a hometown parade, dancing, silent auction, Ireland trip raffles and more. Local wineries take part and restaurants serve traditional Irish fare. WEBSITE
May 13-17, 2009 - Calaveras Jumping Frog Jubilee is held during the County Fair. Contestants from around the nation converge on the historic town of Angels Camp to see if their frog can out jump the others. They take it very seriously and even have a 'Walk of Fame' along the sidewalks in town for each year's winning frog. In 2005, Joe Kitchell of Angels Camp & Roy W.(the frog) were the first Calaveras County residents to win the frog jump in 50 years with a 19'4" jump. WEBSITE
January-December - Calaveras Events worth visiting are too numerous to list on this page. Check out their visitor bureau's calendar for a listing of all events including wine tasting, theatre, bar-b-que events and more. WEBSITE
Tuolumne County
January-December - Holiday Train Rides aboard a historic steam train at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown. Many holidays are celebrated aboard the train including the Easter Bunny visit, Mothers and Fathers Days where moms or dads ride free, the Goosebump Express where the train is decorated for Halloween, the Santa Claus Express and New Year's Eve Train with live entertainment. WEBSITE
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