Image by Richard Cummins / Getty Images

Gold Country

Hollywood draws the dreamers and Silicon Valley lures fortune-hunters, but this isn't the first time droves of aspiring young folk have streamed into the Golden State. After a sparkle in the American River caught James Marshall’s eye in 1848, more than 300,000 prospectors from America and abroad started digging for gold in the Sierra foothills. Soon California entered statehood with the official motto 'Eureka' solidifying its place as the land of opportunity.

The miner forty-niners are gone, but a ride along Hwy 49 through sleepy hill towns, past clapboard saloons and oak-lined byways is a journey back to the wild ride that was modern California’s founding: umpteen historical markers tell tales of gold rush violence and banditry. Many travelers hardly hit the brakes while rushing between California’s coasts and mountains, but those who do are rewarded with a taste of the helter-skelter era that kick-started the heartbeat of this state.

Explore Gold Country

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Gold Country.

Historic Site
Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park
This state park comprises a fascinating collection of buildings in a bucolic riverside setting at the site of James Marshall's riot-inducing discovery…
State Park
Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park
An otherworldly testament to the mechanical determination of the gold hunt, Malakoff Diggins is a place to get lost on fern-lined trails and take in the…
Historic Site
Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park
Two miles southwest of Volcano, this sacred area for the local Miwok comprises a museum in a traditional wooden roundhouse, a village site, a limestone…
Museum
El Dorado County Historical Museum
On the El Dorado County Fairgrounds west of downtown (exit north on Placerville Dr from Hwy 50), is this complex of restored buildings, mining equipment…
Historic Site
Empire Mine State Historic Park
Atop 367 miles of mine shafts tunneling almost a vertical mile beneath the surface, Gold Country’s best-preserved gold-quartz-mining operation is worth a…
State Park
South Yuba River State Park
Cool off with a dip at South Yuba River State Park, which has popular swimming holes and hiking trails. It's near Bridgeport, which has the USA’s longest…
Park
Auburn State Recreation Area
This is a park of deep gorges cut by the rushing waters of the North and Middle Forks of the American River, which converge below a bridge on Hwy 49, 4…
State Park
Calaveras Big Trees State Park
Home to giant sequoia trees that reach as high as 250ft with trunk diameters of over 25ft, these leftovers from the Mesozoic era are thought to weigh…
State Park
Railtown 1897 State Historic Park
Five blocks east of Jamestown’s Main St, this 26-acre collection of trains and railroad equipment is the photogenic sister to Sacramento's rail museum. It…
Historic Site
Kennedy Gold Mine
You can't miss the ominous steel headframe of the mine from the road, rising to 125ft. Its pulleys lifted ore and miners from the bowels of the earth…
Museum
Firehouse No 1 Museum
This small, painstakingly curated museum is run by the Nevada County Historical Society from a unique white wooden building with a tall bell tower. From…
Museum
Tuolumne County Museum
In the former 1857 Tuolumne County Jail, you'll find this great little museum with a fortune’s worth of gold on display in the form of nuggets and gold…
Historic Site
Columbia State Historic Park
The so-called ‘Gem of the Southern Mines’ is like a miniature Gold Rush Disneyland, but with more authenticity and heart. Four blocks of town have been…
Mine
Knight Foundry
In its prime, Sutter Creek was Gold Country’s main supply center for all things forged. Three foundries operating in 1873 made pans and rock crushers, but…
Museum
Placer County Museum
The 1st floor of the domed 1898 Placer County Courthouse has Native American artifacts and displays of Auburn’s transportation heritage, including a…
Museum
Maidu Museum & Historical Site
This museum of tribal history is built on the edge of an ancient Maidu village, where families thrived for over 3000 years. Exhibits of beautiful…
Historic Building
Monteverde General Store
This building goes back in time to when the general store was the center of the town’s social and economic life, represented by the chairs that circle the…
Museum
North Star Mining Museum
A museum for those who ache when they see machinery set aside to rust. The engineering-minded docents here have polished and oiled their extensive…
Cave
California Cavern State Historic Landmark
California Cavern has the mother lode’s most extensive system of natural underground caverns. Regular tours take 60 to 80 minutes, or get a group together…
Museum
Joss House
Built by the Yue family in the 1920s, this clapboard residence stands on 'Chinese Hill,' one of many Chinese communities established during the gold rush…