Gold Country

Overview:

The region of the California Gold Country is now almost as well known for its quaint Bed and Breakfast Inns as it is for the yellow ore it is named after. These Inns and Bed and Breakfasts offer a nice change from the touristy motels that dot the landscape. The historical significance of the region where gold was found and mined in California is well documented. The mining industry that resulted from the discovery of gold in Coloma at Sutter's Mill by James Marshall in 1848 shaped the early years of the state. There remains a few miners hoping to get lucky and find some large nuggets but the majority of prospecting is now done by visitors to the town of Columbia where they try their luck in the gold flake salted slues with a rented gold pan. We recommend a leisurely pacing through the Gold Country in our itinerary 'Yosemite, the Gold Country & Lake Tahoe'. The itinerary follows Highway 49 through the rolling, oak studded foothills, visiting the quaint Gold Rush towns of Nevada City, Coloma, Amador City, Drytown, Sutter Creek, Jackson, Angel's Camp, Murphys, Columbia and Jamestown.