Journey

Gold Country California has it all except the coastal beaches. Plenty of rivers & waterfalls will satisfy your need for water. Dense forest, outdoor recreational, live music, annual events, gold mining history. Small towns with bed & breakfast inns, antique shops, restaurants, cafes, wineries, museums. Gives everyone something interesting to visit. Great backroad camping & tons of lodging make this region of the golden state a popular destination point, all year long. Snow should be expected above 1000' elevation, during winter months (DEC-APR). It is advised to carry chains for your tires and know how to use them.

Sierra Highways / Sierra Passes California State Route 49 - Gold Country Hwy 120 - Tioga Pass, Yosemite NP Hwy 4 - Ebbetts Pass Hwy 108 - Sonora Pass Hwy 88 - Carson Pass Hwy 50 - US 50 South Tahoe I-80 - Donner Pass, Interstate Highway 20, Grass Valley & Marysville Highway 162, Oroville rivers, forest and parks American River Auburn SRA Big Oak Flat - Gold Country Calaveras Big Trees State Park California Mining Museum Columbia State Historical Park Consumnes River El Dorado National Forest Empire Mine SHP Feather River Indian Grinding Rock Malakoff Diggins SHP Merced River Plumas National Forest Railtown 1897 SHP South Yuba River SP Stanislaus National Forest Stanislaus River Tahoe National Forest Tuolumne River Yosemite National Park Yuba River gold country lakes & reservoirs Bass Lake Cherry Lake Comanche Reservoir Don Pedro Lake Gold Lake Hetch Hetchy Lake Lake Amador Lake McClure Lake McSwain Lake Oroville SRA Lake Tulloch Little Grass Valley Reservoir New Bullards Bar Reservoir New Hogan Lake New Melones Lake Pardee Reservoir Rollins Reservoir Snag Lake see all Central Valley Reservoirs

recreation	best area
off roading / horseback	Eldorado & Tahoe NF
boating / fishing	Stanislaus National Forest
snowmobiling	Plumas NF @ La Porte
backpacking / hiking	Sierra Wilderness Areas
river rafting / kayaking	American River
wine tasting	Gold Country Vineyards
riverside picnics	Consumnes River
mountain biking	Tahoe National Forest

Great mellow hikes along American River near Auburn. Mountain bike & hiking trails are everywhere. Stop in to the local ranger station along Hwy. 49 just south of Auburn & ask for maps (or buy them here).	area activities include: American River Camping & Backpacking Caverns& Caves Fishing - Lake, River, Stream Gold Panning Hiking & Sightseeing Historical Tours & Mines Horse Back Rides Lakes & Streams Restaurants & Antique Shops River Rafting Snow Skiing Scenic drives & views
Rafting on the many Rivers in the western Sierra is a popular sport. Guided tours offer mellow floating to extreme adreninaline rushes.

Gold Country Road Trip - Itinerary Ideas:

Scenic and historic California Highway 49 spans the Gold Rush Country - in the western Sierra Nevada foothills of California. Starting in Sacramento area & then head northeast on Interstate 80 uphill, to Auburn. Highway 49 will intersect the interstate in Auburn & this is a great town to start your northbound or southbound journey. On the interstate you will see suburban sprawl and heavy traffic all the way up the hill. Be prepared to explore Auburn downtown, cafes and shop; Perfect time to gas up if needbe, since gasoline stations along CA 49 are few and far between.

CA Hwy 49 North eventually leads to more rugged, wilderness and densely foresrted terrain. Rural mining camps, like Downieville & Gold Lake are a must see. Small, charming, beautiful canyon locations. CA Hwy 49 South from Auburn, CA will wind you thru American River & Stanislaus River Canyons. Small Gold Rush towns crowd the busy 2 lane thoroughfare. Way more developement (here on then south end). Lots of residential and ranch areas, some shopping, many historic little towns. Yosemite National Park is located at the far southern end of this historic region - where Bass Lake can be found, near Oakhurst, CA.

Southern Stretch HWY 49 The Golden Chain Highway Northern Stretch expect to see: oak canyons river rafters reservoirs horses & ranches tourist shops expect to see: rivers & creeks fishing & hiking mountain biking lakes & camping pine forest towns along way: Georgetown Placerville Plymouth Amador City Sutter Creek Jackson Angels Camp Columbia Sonora Jamestown Groveland Mariposa Oakhurst Auburn is the unofficial Center of Gold Country Plenty of dirt backroads to explore as well. Stock SUVs will have no problems discovering a perfect spot to picnic, camp or just killing a day trying to find the best swimming hole. Spend a whole day getting lost on purpose! Rivers, streams, waterfalls, pine forest, wildflower meadows, granite mountains, scenic views... it all awaits you in Gold Country California. CALDOR ROAD El Dorado National Forest & Stanislaus National Forest are nearby making these small towns very close to nature. WILDFIRE: Caldor Fire 2021 towns along way: Grass Valley Nevada City North San Juan North Bloomfield Alleghany Downieville Sierra City Gold Lake Sierraville