©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Gold Country Includes ¨ Why Go? Auburn ............400 Hollywood draws the dreamers and Silicon Valley lures for- Grass Valley ........ 402 tune-hunters, but this isn’t the first time droves of aspiring Nevada City ........ 403 young folk have streamed into the Golden State. After a South Yuba River sparkle in the American River caught James Marshall’s eye State Park .........406 in 1848, more than 300,000 prospectors from America and abroad started digging for gold in the Sierra foothills. Soon North Yuba River ... 407 California entered statehood with the official motto ‘Eureka’ Coloma-Lotus solidifying its place as the land of opportunity. Valley ............. 410 The miner forty-niners are gone, but a ride along Hwy Placerville ......... 411 49 through sleepy hill towns, past clapboard saloons and Angels Camp ....... 418 oak-lined byways is a journey back to the wild ride that was Murphys ........... 419 modern California’s founding: umpteen historical markers tell tales of gold rush violence and banditry. Many travel- ers hardly hit the brakes while rushing between California’s coasts and mountains, but those who do are rewarded with Best Places to Eat a taste of the helter-skelter era that kick-started the heart- beat of this state. ¨ New Moon Cafe (p405) ¨ Argonaut Farm to Fork Cafe (p411) ¨ La Cocina de Oro Taqueria When to Go (p408) Nevada City ¨ Taste (p415) °C/°F Te mp Rainfall inches/mm 40/104 12/300 ¨ Ike’s Quarter Cafe (p404) 30/86 10/250 8/200 20/68 6/150 10/50 Best Places 4/100 to Sleep 0/32 2/50 ¨ Outside Inn (p404) -10/14 0 J FDM A M J J A S O N ¨ Lure Resort (p408) Apr–May Pan Jul As temper- Sep–Nov When ¨ Camino Hotel (p412) for gold after the atures rise to crisp, heritage ¨ Imperial Hotel (p415) snowmelt washes scorching, plunge apples are ripe for the treasure into into a refreshing the picking, head ¨ Victoria Inn (p420) Jamestown’s hills. South Yuba swim- to Apple Hill’s ming hole. sprawling ranches. #\ #\ #\ #\ 399 66Lassen#÷ 660 6406km e# National er 0 20 miles 4Pyra4mid iv Forest cm70 R Lake her Feat Plumas National 44 RHaskell Forest Peak #÷ Sierra R #\ Bassetts ]Û395 66Lake 66Buttes 6666 Downieville #2 #\ Sierra City 44 44 Oroville cm49 #\ COUNTRY GOLD COUNTRY #\ Reno Oroville r cm89 ive cm70 R Yuba ddle NEVADA Mi Malakoff Tahoe #÷ #÷ Diggins State National Forest Truckee Historic Park #\ VUÓ80 cm99 South Yuba River 66#÷ #\5 N6evada City 6666 State Park 44 Tahoe #\ Empire Mine Fork Grass North City ÷# State Historic iver Granite #\ F R can ^# COU e Valley Park eri Chief a m Lake Carson t A Wilderness h Tahoe City e 44 k N r American r o T R F i River e ry v A l cm49 m d e e #6 d 6r 6#÷6r 666 HI 6 i i ca M Eldorado Auburn #\ n Auburn State R iv er National #÷ Recreation Area Forest ghl Marshall Gold Discovery cm99 #1 State Historic Park #\ Coloma I Roseville #\ Folsom GH Lake #\ Placerville Woodland ÷# cm88 CALIFORNIA T #\ Folsom Lake State 50 S Recreation Area [Ù 666Apple 6666 Indian Grinding Rock Highway Hill ^# #8 State Historic Park cm4 kd113 Sacramento R r #\ 49 e Daffodil Hill i v Davis r mne R e #æ elu r Mok e v #3 #æ Plymouth v 4i #\ #7 #\ Black Chasm i Drytown R #\ Volcano R #\ s o Amador City au t Sutter Creek sl ni n #\ a e Jackson t S kd108 m 66#\ 6666 Mokelumne 4a California Arnold Calaveras Big Trees #\ #\ : : r Locke Hill #\ #÷ c Camanche Cavern State Park : : a kd160 cm99 Reservoir #æ#\ S San #\ #÷Stanislaus National Forest : : cm49 Andreas #\ : : #\ Lodi Murphys : : Moaning Cavern #æ Columbia State #\ #4 : : Angels Camp #\ Historic Park Yosemite National Park 666#\ 666 #\ ÷# #\ Stockton #\ Sonora #\ #\ Jamestown #\ VUÓ5 S kd a ver 120 n i kd us R 120 isla Chinese #\ J an o St Camp Yosemite a #\ WXÕ580 q Village #\ u i 66#\ n Mod6esto 6cm49 666 kd132 R #\ iv e #\ r #\ #\ #\ #\ 66Gold6 Country Highlights66666 1 Witnessing the birthplace 4 Stepping back in time in the 7 Discovering rock art of modern California at living history of Columbia State created by the Miwoks who Marshall Gold Discovery Historic Park (p421), the ‘Gem once thrived near Indian State Historic Park (p411). of the Southern Mines.’ Grinding Rock State Historic 2 Rumbling down the 5 Wandering the historic Park (p416). premier single-track bike trails streets of Nevada City 8 Traveling down Highway above Downieville (p407). (p403), Gold Country’s 49 (p409) through El Dorado 3 Tasting wines made from relaxing jewel of a town. and Amador counties in grapes grown in the Plymouth 6 Riding the white-water pursuit of antiques and ice (p414) hills. American River (p410). cream..