Classic Northern California Road Trips: Gold Country
A tour through Gold Country is a road trip rich in history, beautiful scenery, outdoor adventure, and even wine-tasting. Highway 49 runs for 127 miles through the heart of Gold Country from Nevada City to Jamestown. Sacramento is near the Northern Gold Country and is a great place to start a historical tour. The trip described here is 180 miles (about 4-4.5 hours), and you can easily extend it to Yosemite via Highway 120 (2 hours), or continue east on U.S. 50 in Placerville to reach Lake Tahoe in a mere 1.5 hours.
In Sacramento, start your day early with a tour of the Capitol Building and see where all the big decisions are made. Walk over to Old Sacramento, where you’ll find the Gold Rush-era part of this town lovingly preserved. To really drink in the atmosphere, step into Fat City Bar and Café to enjoy comfort food served in a 19th-century dining room.
Take I-80 east for 32 miles until you reach Auburn in Northern Gold Country, then detour north on Highway 49 for 23 miles to Grass Valley. Stop at the Empire Mine State Historic Park and get a feel for the toil, hardship, and occasional wild luck that shaped the Gold Country. Charming Grass Valley offers food and shopping, or go straight to Nevada City, only three miles away, and spend the afternoon strolling its narrow streets. The Outside Inn offers unique rooms that border the creek.
Head back south on Highway 49 for one hour to reach Placerville. Take a thrilling white-water rafting trip on the American River near Coloma, or tour Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, the site where James Marshall discovered gold in 1848. Next hit the wineries and orchards around Apple Hill and taste the Gold Country’s best vintages. Consider staying nearby at the Historic Cary House Hotel. If you plan to stick by the river, the American River Resort has campsites as well as cabins.
It is 60 winding miles from Placerville down Highway 49 to Angels Camp, the heart of Southern Gold Country. Visit the Angels Camp Museum and Carriage House, which beautifully showcases 30 carriages and wagons from the Gold Rush era. Grab a bite at the Sidewinder Café, then venture east for eight miles on Highway 4 to Murphys and descend 162 feet below the ground into Mercer Caverns.
Head down to Columbia, where most of downtown is part of the Columbia State Historic Park. Stroll the preserved streets of this Gold Rush boomtown to get a feel for what life was like when the mines operated. Stick around for dinner at the Columbia City Hotel Restaurant, where fine dining meets Old West elegance.
Accommodations await a short jog west on Highway 108 in Jamestown, where the National Hotel has been in operation since 1859. In the morning, stop by the Mother Lode Coffee Shop for a hearty breakfast before returning to Sacramento (2 hours, 114 miles).