In my opinion Coloma is more informative than Columbia. Highway 49 was first established in the Gold Rush Days, connecting the mining towns throughout the Sierra Nevada Foothills. A better route is hwy 41 From Fresno to Oakhurst, then hwy 49 north through Mariposa town, to hwy 140 and this entrance to the park. Sutter Creek. Throughout its length, it twists and climbs past panoramic vistas. It offers a unique blend of museums, displays, town tours, and live theater plays. Downieville is considered the least changed town in all the Gold Rush towns in California. Don't miss Columbia State Park, as well as many other old mining towns worth a stop. If you are in an RV, be aware that the stretch between Mariposa and Sonora is extremely winding with a lot of switchback turns and not too many places to pull over. A walking tour of the town takes you past the 1879 Imperial Hotel, Mooney Saloon, Koehler Bakery, and the Amador Hotel is one of the city’s oldest structures. , Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, Calaveras County Fair & Frog Jump Jubilee, Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee, California Welcome Centers in Gold Country, Beaches & Hikes Along the Mendocino Coast, California Welcome Centers in Shasta Cascade, Spotlight: Redwood National & State Parks, California Welcome Centers in the San Francisco Bay Area, Spotlight: Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, California Welcome Centers in the High Sierra, California Welcome Centers in the Central Valley, California Welcome Centres in the Central Coast, Spotlight: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California Welcome Centers in the Inland Empire, California Welcome Centres in Orange County, California Welcome Centers in San Diego County. To break up your drive with a thrill, strap yourself in for a zip line ride into Angels Camp’s Moaning Cavern—a chamber big enough to hold the Statue of Liberty. Don't miss Columbia State Park, as well as many other old mining towns worth a stop. Travel back to the Gold Rush era on Highway 49, where charming mining towns dot the route, surrounded by the panoramic vistas and bubbling streams of the western Sierra Nevada foothills. Columbia is historic but so perfectly preserved it feels "theme parkish". Columbia State Historic Park, just north of Sonora off Highway 49, amounts to an entire Gold Rush town preserved and restored. If you look to the steep hillside above the power turbines you’ll see four massive pipes which carry water from the Hetch-Hetchy Reservoir in the bounds of Yosemite, running all the way underground across the state to supply water to San Francisco. There was a bit of fine gold that was mined from the Fresno River, but Oakhurst was mainly a supply town to bring lumber and supplies to surrounding mining camps. Depending on the time of year, just north of Coulterville you can head east on Highway 120, aka Tioga Pass, into Yosemite National Park (weather permitting, check current conditions for road closure information). It's scenic, but slow. Highway 49 passes through multiple counties, including Calaveras County, where a May trip would not be complete without witnessing the frog jumping contest at the Calaveras County Fair and Frog Jump Jubilee, one of the longest running events in California. Most of Highway 49 is beautiful, especially in spring. A mixture of the old and the new, Sutter Creek offers visitors the conveniences … Travel back to the Gold Rush era on Highway 49, where charming mining towns dot the route, surrounded by the panoramic vistas and bubbling streams of the western Sierra Nevada foothills. Begin in Old Town Auburn with a stop at cozy Auburn Coffee Company for a chai latte or kombucha poured straight from the tap. However, the Mariposa Grove site is currently closed for renovation. A road trip on historic Highway 49 doesn’t simply take you from point A to point B—it also transports you to the past. Dine on New American cuisine in a Gold Rush-era building with exposed stone walls at the Diamondback Grill, or sip a sarsaparilla at nearby Columbia State Historic Park, where costumed docents lead historic tours. Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images. The history of gold mining in this area is closely tied to the town of Coarsegold to the south. Highway 49. After crossing the border between Oregon and California, we peeled off I-5 just before Sacramento and made our way down Highway 49 visiting Amador City, Sutter Creek, Mokelume Hill, Murphys, Angels Camp, and Columbia. Reminders of this abundantly rich history can be found everywhere along Hwy 49 as it winds and meanders through the Mother Lode mining towns of days gone by. Nevada City is … The highway is 300 miles long north to south, but only half that distance involves the major towns. It runs from Oakhurst, California north to Vinton and State Route 70. Turning eastward toward the Sierra Nevada, California Route 49 climbs up the Sierra Nevada, passing through Downieville en route to its end point at California Highway 70 in the town of Vinton. Historichwy49.com was designed to preserve and share the heritage and rugged beauty of Hwy 49 and the Gold Country, one of California's most precious resources, with everyone, everywhere. Most of Highway 49 is beautiful, especially in spring. Avalon harbour | © Alun Reece / Alamy Stock Photo. Historichwy49.com was designed to preserve and share the heritage and rugged beauty of Hwy 49 and the Gold Country, one of California's most precious resources, with everyone, everywhere. Removed from Likes. Hwy 41, which is not the same as hwy 49, from Fresno to the park goes to the park entrance on the south side, near Mariposa Big trees. A road trip on historic Highway 49 doesn’t simply take you from point A to point B—it also transports you to the past. Sarsaparilla, gold-panning, and historic saloons along the Gold Rush Trail. Placerville's downtown is charminkg and historic and if you take route 49 north from there you'd pass through Coloma, another state park right on the spot where the whole gold rush began. Rocky meadows, oaks, and piñon pines accent the hills, while tall firs and redwoods stud higher slopes. Find the perfect highway 49 california stock photo. Travel back to the Gold Rush era on Highway 49, where charming mining towns dot the route, surrounded by the panoramic vistas and bubbling streams of the western Sierra Nevada foothills. California Route 49 - The Mother Lode & Sierra Region There’s a great set of adventures for you all along this unique highway (including finding gold). Highways 49. Near the end of Highway 49, in Mariposa, is a beautiful jewel to be found at the California Mining and Mineral Museum. There are many more well documented sightings that will unnerve and captivate you while reading Nancy's "The Incredible World of Gold Rush Ghosts." Tag #VISITCALIFORNIA on Instagram to have your trip featured on our page. John Menard. If you are looking to visit the foothills of the Sierra's in California and Gold Country this is a great route to take. California State Route 49 cuts through Gold Country. Scenic Route Highway 49: Old California - See 129 traveler reviews, 22 candid photos, and great deals for Oakhurst, CA, at Tripadvisor. In addition to being packed with history, CA-49 delivers on the scenery front, too. Columbia State Historic Park is the best preserved of the California Gold Rush towns, seemingly frozen in time. Now a museum run by the El Dorado County Historical Society, the building houses artifacts from Placerville’s colorful past, including the original Soda Works carbonation machine. The 300-plus mile road—also known as the Gold Rush Trail and Gold Chain Highway—begins in … The miles along Highway 49 described on this page are the most scenic and historically rich sections of the highway (in my opinion). Reminders of this abundantly rich history can be found everywhere along Hwy 49 as it winds and meanders through the Mother Lode mining towns of days gone by. It is a scenic path taking you through pine and redwood forests, past pristine lakes and rivers, and into historic towns. Once an important way station during the Gold Rush, today Cool offers residents and visitors alike the opportunity to enjoy a peaceful rural residential environment, including small restaurants, a brewery, and shops. California Highway 49 is Great. Conveniently located off of Highway 49, Columbia is an easy and scenic drive that neighbors other historic towns in the Sierra Nevada foothills including Sonora, Jamestown, and Angels Camp making it a popular destination for day-trippers and weekenders alike. For more Gold Country exploration ideas, continue your journey on the California Gold road trip. ... One of the best-preserved Gold Rush towns is both a historic park and a thriving small town. Then head to the Joss House Museum, a boarding-house and school that served hardworking Chinese settlers during the Gold Rush. 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